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I have Crooked iMac. Do you?

Balin64

Balin64

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 23, 2002
772
1
In a Mauve Dream
Boys and girls:

My beloved 17" iMac has developed a slight balance problem: The right of the display is a little lower than the left side. I mean, I looked at it from an angle I normally do not and BAM! I saw it! I measured it, and it's about 3cm off-balance. Now that I know, I can see nothing else! Arggh! Anyone else's iMac screen the same? What do you guys think about buying a spanner tool and trying to tighten up the arm joints? It is only 6 months old, so I hate that this happened: I've always been very careful too. I've got a crooked Mac.:(
 
Same thing with 15" iMac - left side is lower. Joints are tight but still the arm is loose. I have stuck some thick paper in a slot and it is OK at the moment.

One thing: If the whole thing is so symmetrical, why it wants to rotate to the left with quite a force? Could there be a spring inside that got displaced to one side?
 
Completely normal.

I have two first gen 700mhz g4 iMacs. Both of them lean to a varying degree.

Also, both of the monitors wobble slightly and the necks pop when lifting the screens. But nothing to worry about, mine are used in my office and are lifted up and down constantly five days a week, and the wobbling nor the poping are getting any worse.
 
Maybe normal but not acceptable in my opinion. Its still under warranty - take it back.

Macs are premium products not Dells.
 
Thanks for the Replies

MacBandit: I measured again by taking thge screen all the way down: it is closer to 2cm, but still very noticeable.

I've noticed display iMacs at Apple stores are crooked, but I attributed that to them being handled so much by costumers. I don't even adjust the screen much. Ibodnar: what slot are you referring to? On the arm? On the base?

Do you guys think Apple will actually adjust this for me? They might say it is normal. Anyway, it does not hurt to call and find out. Thanks for the advice.
 
Mines very very slightly crooked, but hardly anything. IO was worried about the screen goin crooked, but it seems to be doing OK. Take yours back, like some one else said (sorry for no name) it isnt a Dell.
 
uhh... all LCD iMac displays are crooked? to this degree? Well, there goes me buying one, that's really unacceptable. I've never noticed it on any model i've used...

Of course, they never claimed that it would be totally level, which is i suppose their defense. Still, I'd be upset if i spent a couple grand on a crooked display.

paul
 
Imperfect but not crooked

The way I look at it is...to love something is to embrace its (functional) imperfections. My imac's screen is slightly tilted. The speakers crackle slightly when they should be silent. No biggie. It continues to be a great box. "Crooked" sounds so pejorative, like it's a crook. I prefer...imperfect. What in this world isn't, no?
 
Originally posted by cubist
There's no setscrew or anything to rotate the screen? That's an odd design.
Click to expand...

There are four screws hiding inside the display for adjusting this, but it's not really a DIY thing.
 
Re: Thanks for the Replies

Originally posted by Balin64
MacBandit: I measured again by taking thge screen all the way down: it is closer to 2cm, but still very noticeable.

I've noticed display iMacs at Apple stores are crooked, but I attributed that to them being handled so much by costumers. I don't even adjust the screen much. Ibodnar: what slot are you referring to? On the arm? On the base?

Do you guys think Apple will actually adjust this for me? They might say it is normal. Anyway, it does not hurt to call and find out. Thanks for the advice.
Click to expand...

2cm is still a lot. If it were 5-10mm I might see how you wouldn't have noticed and how someone might shrug it off but 2cm? That's a 24 degree tilt in your monitor.

I would most definitely call Apple.
 
Maybe Good News!

First of all: I apologize for saying "crooked": just a tongue-in-cheek play on words since I was so bummed to notice my display was imperfect. I should have said "tilted."

Which is what I said to the guy who answered my call at my local Apple Retail Store in Southdale Mall outside Minneapolis. He said that cosmetic imperfections like that are not "normally" covered under warranty, but that if I was unhappy with the imperfection to bring it in, and they would do their best to straighten the display on site. Now that's cool. So if you are near an Apple Retail store, take it in and hopefully you will be helped by an understanding Apple sales guy/girl.

MacBandit: The reason I did not notice the gradual tilt is because when I first got the iMac, it was set up all by itself in a marble table; but that was not convenient, so I moved it to my bigger and very crowded desk. It was not until I moved the desk to clean up cables behind it and saw the iMac from behind that I saw the tilt. I should have kept the iMac in an uncluttered desk as it so richly deserves, not sorrounded by all kind of stuff.

Thanks for suggesting to call Apple: I honestly thought they would kind of say "deal with it." I'm glad I bought an Apple product.
 
You may want to check if your floor/desk is level. My house was built in 1901 and no floors is all that level and there are very few right angles. In my dining room, my 20" iMac looks "crooked" in the home office and bedroom its fine.

For what it's worth,

David
 
Re: Maybe Good News!

Originally posted by Balin64
First of all: I apologize for saying "crooked": just a tongue-in-cheek play on words since I was so bummed to notice my display was imperfect. I should have said "tilted."

Which is what I said to the guy who answered my call at my local Apple Retail Store in Southdale Mall outside Minneapolis. He said that cosmetic imperfections like that are not "normally" covered under warranty, but that if I was unhappy with the imperfection to bring it in, and they would do their best to straighten the display on site. Now that's cool. So if you are near an Apple Retail store, take it in and hopefully you will be helped by an understanding Apple sales guy/girl.

MacBandit: The reason I did not notice the gradual tilt is because when I first got the iMac, it was set up all by itself in a marble table; but that was not convenient, so I moved it to my bigger and very crowded desk. It was not until I moved the desk to clean up cables behind it and saw the iMac from behind that I saw the tilt. I should have kept the iMac in an uncluttered desk as it so richly deserves, not sorrounded by all kind of stuff.

Thanks for suggesting to call Apple: I honestly thought they would kind of say "deal with it." I'm glad I bought an Apple product.
Click to expand...

Apple should not be unreasonable about this instance, depending on how old your machine is. As long as it is still within your warranty/AppleCare period, 3 centimeters is beyond the acceptable tilt of the display. It should be a few millimeters at most to be considered normal.

I hope that they fixed your machine for you satisfactorily. :)
 
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