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Okay, really now, the DUST behind the screen issue. Inevitable?

A

Amnesiac1

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 11, 2010
412
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I thought the yellow discolouration issue was the only thing I had to worry about. Now there are complaints about dust and other bits being sucked up behind the screen panel through the fan, which then necessitates the manual removal of the screen using suction cups (ugh).

Is this really and truly an inevitability or is it more akin to the yellow discolouration? Folks in the other thread are going so far as to cancel their order for an iMac because of this issue. Would you say that is a reasonable or precipitate move?
 
Amnesiac1 said:
I thought the yellow discolouration issue was the only thing I had to worry about. Now there are complaints about dust and other bits being sucked up behind the screen panel through the fan, which then necessitates the manual removal of the screen using suction cups (ugh).

Is this really and truly an inevitability or is it more akin to the yellow discolouration? Folks in the other thread are going so far as to cancel their order for an iMac because of this issue. Would you say that is a reasonable or precipitate move?
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I have AppleCare so even if it does happen in it's 2nd or 3rd year, I'd just have them clean it out.

I wouldn't let it discourage you from buying. In the end, it is just a machine that is to be used. Besides, 2 years from now you are going to want the latest model anyway so why overthink it? Buy it, enjoy it, use the crap out of it, and sell it when you want to upgrade. :p
 
Can't the dust escape using the hole where the light leaks from?
 
I'm not planning on selling this machine ever. So, that's not an option. I don't sell computers, they can always be used. That's why I'm 'future proofing' (cue that one user who says 'future proofing' is impossible) my machine as much as possible.

I mean, this is the first time I've seen people complain about dust buildup behind the screen. Is this a relatively new issue? Common? And, as my title stressed, is it inevitable?

This may be a silly question, but would a can of air fix this problem without needing to remove the entire screen using suction cups?
 
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I'm also on the verge of buying my first iMAc 27" (already have a MPB), and reading on MacRumor's forum isn't exactly comforting. I think 99 percent of the people that don't read forums, wouldn't even notice the flaws in the iMac's. Because I've been reading many topics on this forum, I will probably be focussed on those flaws when I get my iMac and it will be inevitable to check my screen on the yellow issues as soon as the iMac leaves his box...

Don't let yourself be guided by what you read! There is always a chance you get a defected iMac, but Apple's customer's service is very good.

If you don't want dust behind your screen, then keep the iMac and the environment it's in clean. ;)
 
I really hope it isnt as bad as people try to point it out to be. My new(and first) iMac should be here this week and Im nervous about turning it on because of the screen problems i have been reading about :(

I shouldn't be nervous or anything like that i should be excited.....(which of course i still am to a point)
 
No guarantee on any item tech or not that you buy that it will not come with a QC problem. But not to worry!!! Buy it check out the few things that you've read in this thread and IF you have one of the problems send it back for an exchange. The problem rate is much smaller than it sounds.
 
scoobydiesel said:
I really hope it isnt as bad as people try to point it out to be. My new(and first) iMac should be here this week and Im nervous about turning it on because of the screen problems i have been reading about :(

I shouldn't be nervous or anything like that i should be excited.....(which of course i still am to a point)
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I recently purchased my first iMac (a base 2011 21.5" model) as well and haven't had any screen issues. You shouldn't worry about turning it on. More than likely your screen will be fine.
 
I've been on a bit of an Apple spree recently. Got an iPad 2. Within minutes I noticed dust behind the glass. Took it back and they happily exchanged it.

Got a new iMac last week. Dust behind the glass again, and I'm noticing more bits each time I look. I'm not bothering to take this back, though, because my room is dusty and it's obvious that Apple aren't manufacturing these things to keep the dust out, so it's either dust behind the glass or no Apple products for me.

In fairness, unlike with the iPad, it doesn't impact the screen when it's turned on whatsoever. I wouldn't care if I didn't have OCD!

Anyway, I'm investing in an air purifier for my room in the hope it will get the dust levels down, but it's too little too late, really, and I can see there being a time when the dust behind the iMac screen does become unacceptable if it carries on at this rate.

It's sad that such an oversight makes its way on to an otherwise gorgeous piece of kit. I've had a Sony Vaio laptop with a glass screen in the same room for four years and not a speck of dreaded dust has found its way in.
 
Amnesiac1 said:
Really? You can't notice it if it's turned on?
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I can't on mine. Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but I'd have to put my face right up to the screen and already know exactly where the dust is to see it. And this is against a white backdrop, so if I did that for any length of time, I'd be going blind. Nope, when sat back in my chair, I can delude myself into thinking that my iMac is perfect.

That doesn't stop me be annoyed by it, though, and like I said in the previous post, this is obviously not the last of it to appear.
 
Amnesiac1 said:
I'm not planning on selling this machine ever. So, that's not an option. I don't sell computers, they can always be used. That's why I'm 'future proofing' (cue that one user who says 'future proofing' is impossible) my machine as much as possible.

I mean, this is the first time I've seen people complain about dust buildup behind the screen. Is this a relatively new issue? Common? And, as my title stressed, is it inevitable?

This may be a silly question, but would a can of air fix this problem without needing to remove the entire screen using suction cups?
Click to expand...

my 27 inch 2009 iMac is on 24/7 never sleeps just turns display down at night. It is wall mounted in my kitchen. My home has forced air heat and has dust. My screen has no yellowing or dust after 15 months.
 
The dust behind the glass is very easy to remove. However that's not the big problem. The real problem is dust leaking into the panel leading do dark spots/clouds inside the display. There is many reports of this happening to the 2009 and 2010 27" iMacs after some time and fixing it yourself is extremely hard (you have to take the entire iMac apart, including the display). Of course you can get AppleCare and howl your iMac to the Apple store every time it happens in the first 3 years. But that's not what i should be doing when i pay for Apple premium prices. Of course there will be many iMacs where the display is perfectly sealed and this will never happen, but I do not feel like gambling. Also there is always the chance that Apple will refuse to fix your iMac claiming that there is nothing wrong with it.
 
Getting the glass off seems unbelievably easy. It's the getting it back on before attracting more dust to the glass or panel that would be my problem. At the moment, I don't consider it worth the hassle, but I kinda want to do it just to see if it really is as simple as raising the glass with a suction cup. Life is never that simple for me...
 
Try to track down the proper tool for cleaning the bare LCD and inside of the glass pane. I can get you an apple part number if you are interested. Technicians use this "sticky roller" to clean both surfaces, which is completely safe.

WHAT YOU ABSOLUTELY DON'T WANT TO DO is attempt to clean the bare LCD screen (with glass pane removed) with any type of towel or liquid cleaner. This can cause a permanent blotch or tiny lighter colored spots. I worked as a technician for apple for a while and saw this first hand a few times.

If you can't get your hands on one of the sticky rollers, cans of compressed air are your best friend. Also make sure to have an assistant so one can blast dust particles out as the other closes the glass pane.
 
This issue is still making me hesitate before purchasing an iMac...

What to do...
 
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Amnesiac1 said:
I thought the yellow discolouration issue was the only thing I had to worry about. Now there are complaints about dust and other bits being sucked up behind the screen panel through the fan, which then necessitates the manual removal of the screen using suction cups (ugh).

Is this really and truly an inevitability or is it more akin to the yellow discolouration? Folks in the other thread are going so far as to cancel their order for an iMac because of this issue. Would you say that is a reasonable or precipitate move?
Click to expand...

Pretty much inevitable. My 2010 was good for a few months and got steadily worse until I had to take it in to have the screen replaced. Perhaps putting an air filter nearby would help.
 
wangkom said:
Pretty much inevitable. My 2010 was good for a few months and got steadily worse until I had to take it in to have the screen replaced. Perhaps putting an air filter nearby would help.
Click to expand...

Do you have proof that it is inevitable? Please let us in on that "inside" information that all screens will suffer this problem. Just because it happened to you and others, doesn't mean it will happen to EVERYONE. That's a big jump without hard facts.
 
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Amnesiac1 said:
I thought the yellow discolouration issue was the only thing I had to worry about. Now there are complaints about dust and other bits being sucked up behind the screen panel through the fan, which then necessitates the manual removal of the screen using suction cups (ugh).

Is this really and truly an inevitability or is it more akin to the yellow discolouration? Folks in the other thread are going so far as to cancel their order for an iMac because of this issue. Would you say that is a reasonable or precipitate move?
Click to expand...

Best advice: Buy it an enjoy it. There is no issue. The internet only sees the few people who have a problem and never the thousands who don't.

Oh and not to mention many monitors end up sucking dust into them through vents, but if it makes you feel any better my apple cinema display spent from whenever the 24 inchers were available until August of 2010 in Iraq without any dust getting into it. Sadly I couldn't say the same about my Asus monitor :( (Although it was fairly easy to clean out).
 
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