Hesitant on 27" IMac

[sweettooth52000]

I've had a Dell INSPIRON E1705 for the past 3 years. It has served me well for most tasks, but is Definently feeling it's age w/ a max of 2g RAM/1.7GHZ processor. I'm a student, so budget is pretty tight. Currently the best bang for the buck is the IMAC from what I can tell. The question is, are these things worth risking months of returns for, or not?

I keep reading horror stories of people buying theirs, and then 3 replacements later, end up just getting a refund. I can get any number of PC's for around 400$ less with similar(if not better) specs, yet the screen/build quality of mac's has always been alluring.

I'm not a "fanboy" of mac's...actually I've never been a fan of mac's at all. So on that note, if this thing isn't pretty much perfect, imho it's not gonna be worth "dealing with" it.

Short Version: Is the 27" Imac going to be more of a headache then it's worth.

FYI: Specs I'm looking at as a Minimum are 3.0ghz/8g RAM. ATI graphics 4870 or w/e it is.(although i dont' even remember if that's on the IMACS). 1 TB HD. Roughly equates to around $2,100 all things said and done.

Any advice/experiences would be appreciated.

 

[unixfool]

...
The question is, are these things worth risking months of returns for, or not?
...
Short Version: Is the 27" Imac going to be more of a headache then it's worth.
...

I'm loving mine so far...got it this weekend. No yellowing that I've noticed, but I'm not doing the tests that people are in the forums either. I'm not as anal as some about my Mac equipment.

So, to answer you, it depends on your demeanor. To answer a question with a question, are you OCD?

 

[Kevlar]

Just helped a friend pick up a 27" i5. I gotta say I love the machine. Screen looked great and everything seemed to be running great. Never checked what the build date was, but guy at the Westworld (apple seller), said they got all new shipment in last week of the 27"ers.

 

[sweettooth52000]

I'm loving mine so far...got it this weekend. No yellowing that I've noticed, but I'm not doing the tests that people are in the forums either. I'm not as anal as some about my Mac equipment.

So, to answer you, it depends on your demeanor. To answer a question with a question, are you OCD?

The problem is it's not so much OCD. But with any kind of graphics work, colors are very important, so having a section yellowing/tinting wrong could make a huge difference when making a 6 ft. wide poster =x

 

[outphase]

Apple products probably have the least bang for the buck

If you're on a budget, consider the higher end 21.5" for $1500 instead of the base 27" as well.

 

[bchamorro]

Don't do it. Just don't buy an iMac right now.

seriously, I read this forum for about a month...

I kept reading that 90% of buyers don't really get yellow tinge screens, just a minority.

So I ordered a 21.5'' iMac on Feb 16th and got it today. Guess what? yellow f#%ing tinge.

Getting a refund and not buying one. I don't want a new one.

 

[Liffey]

Getting a refund and not buying one. I don't want a new one.

These kind of responses always puzzle me. Did you even want one that bad in the first place?

 

[bchamorro]

These kind of responses always puzzle me. Did you even want one that bad in the first place?

Yes, that is why I bought one. I got the 3.3ghz and 8gb of ram.. over $2000 for this machine.

 

[sweettooth52000]

Getting a refund and not buying one. I don't want a new one.

I'm really starting to not want to get one. It' sooo 50/50, and for 2 grand it should NOT even be 90/10. That's a premium price, and as such I would expect a premium product, or am I just crazy?

Past the yellow problem, i'm also seeing threads on them crashing/screen flickers/running loud, hot/ etc.

 

[bchamorro]

I'm really starting to not want to get one. It' sooo 50/50, and for 2 grand it should NOT even be 90/10. That's a premium price, and as such I would expect a premium product, or am I just crazy?

Past the yellow problem, i'm also seeing threads on them crashing/screen flickers/running loud, hot/ etc.

You're not crazy. I would expect a perfect screen (I would even take 1 dead pixel), but not yellow tinge.

I wouldn't do it. Wait for the next update/revision.

I still can't believe I got fckn yellow tinge! I thought I would be in the 90% that doesn't get it.

 

[Mike Macintosh]

I say go for it, their have been some threads with people having perfect machines, and you have 15 days return, if your not satified in 15 days get a full refund and buy something else.

 

[Christianallen]

Apple is kind of offending me as a company.

They refuse to acknowledge any of their problems. Why the hell is that?

They're letting their consumers out to dry.

As well, their letting their products have out of date hardware.

They need to step their game up.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Yes, that is why I bought one. I got the 3.3ghz and 8gb of ram.. over $2000 for this machine.

For 2 grand, one should get a lot more power.

 

[outphase]

Apple is kind of offending me as a company.

They refuse to acknowledge any of their problems. Why the hell is that?

When a company admits a problem, things only get worse. See Toyota.

 

[sweettooth52000]

For 2 grand, one should get a lot more power.

Here's some specs for a Gateway FX6831-03 (their answer to the usual high performance catagory)

For $1,600. You Get:

2.8GHz i7-860 (up to 3.46GHz, 8MB l3 Cache)
16 GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM
1.5 TB 7200RPM SATA Hard drive
ATI Radeon HD5850 1GB
Blue Ray Drive


While i'm not nessessarily a Gateway fan, this is just a look at numbers. Now factor in a 25" (yea not quite, but close) screen, and it'll be around the $2k mark.

Built an HP with close specs for around the same (elite 150-t)

Dell is actually More expensive than Apple, but again, that's a Dell.

 

[sweettooth52000]

When a company admits a problem, things only get worse. See Toyota.

I'm not so sure Apple should admit that there is a problem. BUT it begs to question why there is a problem in the first place. Shouldnt' these things be tested to an extent where problems like this (yellow,flickering, crappin out) just don't happen?

 

[Badger^2]

Apple is kind of offending me as a company.

They refuse to acknowledge any of their problems. Why the hell is that?

They're letting their consumers out to dry.

As well, their letting their products have out of date hardware.

They need to step their game up.

They never have. Cause 90% are fine.

Apples have had 1 step behind the curve hardware forever, nothing new.

$2000 for a 21" iMac? ouch. No way. $600 of extras? yeouch.

Bought my first computer, a Mac IIsi in 1989 and I have never owned or even used a PC. Never will either. I just want to sit down and enjoy. Which has always been the case with my Macs. So no matter the price, I will never switch.

A lot of it is a numbers game.

Sure, a new Subaru STI will do a 6 second 0-60. How many people that by them ever do that day in and day out? or ever? I seem to pass a lot of subies that are poking along in the right lane...

 

[rhinosrcool]

They never have. Cause 90% are fine.

BS! I can't give an exact number, but just from many blogs, it is a lot higher than 10%. In fact, at all of the Apple stores I've visited (3), all of their display iMacs have had visible screen problems, especially the yellowing, and some, even have had the flickering.

Apple loves suckers who not only put up with the problems, but defend them.

 

[SkyFox244]

BS! I can't give an exact number, but just from many blogs, it is a lot higher than 10%. In fact, at all of the Apple stores I've visited (3), all of their display iMacs have had visible screen problems, especially the yellowing, and some, even have had the flickering.
them.

I've had 4 and they all had a yellow shine.
Seen one in a local Media-mart. Brings me to 5 yellow screens.
On the other side; I know 3 people that claim they haven’t got a yellow screen.
But I didn’t see those....
I doubt it's only 10% and think it's closer to 40%
But I and nobody else, than Apple, can confirm this assumption.
In all scenarios; there is more to than meats the eye

 

[SaSaSushi]

I'm really starting to not want to get one. It' sooo 50/50, and for 2 grand it should NOT even be 90/10. That's a premium price, and as such I would expect a premium product, or am I just crazy?

Past the yellow problem, i'm also seeing threads on them crashing/screen flickers/running loud, hot/ etc.

So don't get one, especially if you're going to be basing your decision on what some anonymous posters to a user forum tell you, no matter which way their advice goes.

The majority of the people that post here do so to address problems. It's no surprise you're going to find naysayers in these threads and plenty of folks who've dealt with or are dealing with problems.

As for me, I've had no problems thus far with my i7, week 47. It was the first one I received and is the third and best iMac I've owned by far. For me, the machine was worth every penny I paid for it.

 

[SaSaSushi]

BS! I can't give an exact number, but just from many blogs, it is a lot higher than 10%.

Oh well, with meticulous research like that who's going to be able to argue with you?

Apple loves suckers who not only put up with the problems, but defend them.

I say that of course Apple needs to repair or replace every single defective machine they make. As for myself I've had no problems with my own i7 so I'm not putting up with anything, nor would I.

Where do I fit into your expert analysis?

 

[rhinosrcool]

Oh well, with meticulous research like that who's going to be able to argue with you?

One of the reasons I visit these forums is because of the many quality posts. In the past, problems reported by members have been experienced by me. So, when many members (no I don't have exact #s) report problems with their iMacs, I take it to heart. Many professed "Apple Fanbois" have even mentioned their problems. Also, as mentioned, I have seen these problems.

Case in point, Apple released a firmware update to fix the flickering (not totally successful). Even though I'm not an expert, the fact that Apple did this tells me it's higher than 10%.

Wow! You have a nice iMac that doesn't have these problems. I would hope that there are many iMacs without these problems.

Where do I fit into your expert analysis?

There are some who admit that their machine has problems but don't complain or try to get them fixed. A sucker is someone who pays a pretty penny for something that he/she finds defective and still defends the co.

Unfortunately, you have a reading comprehension problem. Both of my statements are very lucid. No where do I claim to be an expert. Moreover, if all of these problems are fabricated (I do not believe that they are), I see no reason to visit these forums.

Who said that you fit in my analysis? Again, work on your comprehension. You don't have the problems hence, no need to defend them.

 

[Btom]

I'm really starting to not want to get one. It' sooo 50/50, and for 2 grand it should NOT even be 90/10. That's a premium price, and as such I would expect a premium product, or am I just crazy?

Past the yellow problem, i'm also seeing threads on them crashing/screen flickers/running loud, hot/ etc.

Flickering seems to be gone, other problems seem to be rare, but yellow tinge complains persist. But really it is hard to get better deal for graphic work with similar QUALITY screen (IPS panel), as long as you don't have tinge.

Depends how far are you from the Apple store, you could simply replace computers as long as you are not happy, practically forever (return/replacement within 2 weeks, no questions asked).

It would be changing game switch for you - laptop to large screen all-in-one - so my advice is: think.

Tom B.

 

[SaSaSushi]

Unfortunately, you have a reading comprehension problem. Both of my statements are very lucid. No where do I claim to be an expert. Moreover, if all of these problems are fabricated (I do not believe that they are), I see no reason to visit these forums.

Who said that you fit in my analysis? Again, work on your comprehension. You don't have the problems hence, no need to defend them.

There is no reason to resort to personal attacks. Peace, my brother. I'm keeping it civil. I am not defending my iMac nor anyone else's.

You apparently got quite angry at someone who claimed 90% of the iMacs are problem free and then definitively stated the figure was much higher based on some machines you've seen and websites you've visited. The fact is that neither of you knows the actual percentage and at any rate there's sure as heck no need for you to be going on the attack. You can believe whatever you like and so can he.

 

[SaSaSushi]

I doubt it's only 10% and think it's closer to 40% But I and nobody else, than Apple, can confirm this assumption

Bingo!

To the latter part of this statement I couldn't agree more.