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Pixel issues on 24" Imacs?
- Thread starter levitynyc
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iKwick7
macrumors 65816
Got my 24" today. Turned it on and lo and behold, one stuck, red pixels, dead center (horizontally) and right at my eye level (vertically). Sticks out like a sore thumb on black screens. It is beginning to annoy me- I'll have to think this over of if I bring it to a store or not.
Stuck Pixel(s)
I used to work for Apple at a retail store and our "official" policy was that if you bought it from the store and it had a stuck pixel we would replace it. If it was purchased from the online store I am not sure what would have happened. I know it's too late to ask now but it's always better to ask in advance and remember the name of the person who told you that answer.
Also as was stated before, when you talking to a rep whether in person or on the phone be persistent but polite and eventually they usually give you satisfaction. Good luck.
BTW, have you tried to lightly rub it with a slightly wet t-shirt over a finger? It worked for me on mine and some others I have heard of as well.
iKWICK7 said:
I used to work for Apple at a retail store and our "official" policy was that if you bought it from the store and it had a stuck pixel we would replace it. If it was purchased from the online store I am not sure what would have happened. I know it's too late to ask now but it's always better to ask in advance and remember the name of the person who told you that answer.
Also as was stated before, when you talking to a rep whether in person or on the phone be persistent but polite and eventually they usually give you satisfaction. Good luck.
BTW, have you tried to lightly rub it with a slightly wet t-shirt over a finger? It worked for me on mine and some others I have heard of as well.
suneohair
macrumors 68020
generik said:
1. Want to elaborate on that?
2. piss poor? I have had them replace a display with just one. I wouldnt call that piss poor. Not to mention their written replacement policy is on par and in some cases better than other companies. So take your Apple hatred elsewhere.
jonnysods
macrumors G3
generik said:
Hey man, unless you have a spare monitor floating around, what are you going to do if you need to replace your monitor? You'll be in the same boat as we are. Integrated screen or not.
Some people don't need 4 processors and 16gigs of ram for their computer. I could have paid the same amount and got a Mac Pro, but have to shell out $1000 for the 23 inch HD screen (and what if that screen had dead pixels?)
iKwick7
macrumors 65816
glennsan said:
The rub was the first thing I tried. No dice.
Unfortunately, and I knew this would happen, I purchased from Macmall- so I dont know if that changes anything. I will stop by an apple store tomorrow.
If they don't replace it I'll deal with it- it's not the end of the world. But the sucker is dead center and right at my eye level- and all my work is done w/ a black background (autocad), so I'll see what happens.
jonnysods
macrumors G3
Okay, so in response to my first post....
I said that I found 14 dead pixels and I took it into a store for service today... they called me earlier and said that in Mac OS X there were no dead pixels. I explained that I was in Windows XP using Boot Camp and there were about 14 - he said that he found this a lot with the Boot Camp software, turns out they haven't quite nailed down the drivers for the video card. Seemed true enough, I couldn't find any dead pixels in OS X...
So for all of you out there looking at XP thinking the worse, learn from my mistakes - wait until the Beta for BC ends when they bring out Leopard (I hope that fixes most issues).
I still love Apple, and am enjoying my first switching experience.
I said that I found 14 dead pixels and I took it into a store for service today... they called me earlier and said that in Mac OS X there were no dead pixels. I explained that I was in Windows XP using Boot Camp and there were about 14 - he said that he found this a lot with the Boot Camp software, turns out they haven't quite nailed down the drivers for the video card. Seemed true enough, I couldn't find any dead pixels in OS X...
So for all of you out there looking at XP thinking the worse, learn from my mistakes - wait until the Beta for BC ends when they bring out Leopard (I hope that fixes most issues).
I still love Apple, and am enjoying my first switching experience.
That doesn't make a lick of sense, dead pixels are hardward issues and not software. Perhaps the stuck pixels were not actually that. Either way i am glad everything is fine now!
jonnysods
macrumors G3
The saga continues....
Okay, so now I'm a little annoyed.
I got my imac home, started it up in Mac OS and did what the guy said he did, which was open DVD player and use the black background to find dead pixels. So when I looked, for the first time I could see the same dead pixels that I had when I was in Windows. I agreed with your thoughts leviynyc, it's a hardware problem not software. I'm just annoyed that the guys couldn't see them, it was pretty obvious. So I'm going to give this guy a call today, and when I take my imac in we are going to look at it together and I am going to point out the dead pixels. It's the only way!
Okay, so now I'm a little annoyed.
I got my imac home, started it up in Mac OS and did what the guy said he did, which was open DVD player and use the black background to find dead pixels. So when I looked, for the first time I could see the same dead pixels that I had when I was in Windows. I agreed with your thoughts leviynyc, it's a hardware problem not software. I'm just annoyed that the guys couldn't see them, it was pretty obvious. So I'm going to give this guy a call today, and when I take my imac in we are going to look at it together and I am going to point out the dead pixels. It's the only way!
iancapable
macrumors 6502
Just so everyone knows... A dead pixel is black, hence the name "dead" a stuck pixel can be removed either by using some tools or if you're brave using a tool and rubbing the spot where it is.
I havea 19" widescreen which I bought cheap (very cheap with DVI), one stuck pixel appeared on the bottom of the screen (only noticible when the screen was dark). I worked it and it went away.
Basically a TFT screen has thousands of electrical connections, it's very easy for one to die or get a bit funny, even with the state of our electronics now.
A dead pixel means no connection is being made there. A stuck one can be worked off, or sometimes goes on their own.
I havea 19" widescreen which I bought cheap (very cheap with DVI), one stuck pixel appeared on the bottom of the screen (only noticible when the screen was dark). I worked it and it went away.
Basically a TFT screen has thousands of electrical connections, it's very easy for one to die or get a bit funny, even with the state of our electronics now.
A dead pixel means no connection is being made there. A stuck one can be worked off, or sometimes goes on their own.
neonart
macrumors 65816
jonnysods
macrumors G3
Maybe you guys are on to something here, and I'm just stoopid.
None of mine are black, but they are discoloured, some red, some blue etc. I'm going to download that utility and see if it shows any issues. Are dead pixels only black then?
What tips do you have for changing the colours in the other pixles then? I'll check that out tonight when I get home from work. I'm excited that I might not have to take it to the repair shop.
Throw you suggestions at me and I will carefully try some of them! I'm still scared to even touch my finger to the screen for fear of being burnt up by the glory of this machine. I'm still having less trouble than I ever did with my PC's.
None of mine are black, but they are discoloured, some red, some blue etc. I'm going to download that utility and see if it shows any issues. Are dead pixels only black then?
What tips do you have for changing the colours in the other pixles then? I'll check that out tonight when I get home from work. I'm excited that I might not have to take it to the repair shop.
Throw you suggestions at me and I will carefully try some of them! I'm still scared to even touch my finger to the screen for fear of being burnt up by the glory of this machine. I'm still having less trouble than I ever did with my PC's.
iKwick7
macrumors 65816
Southernboy said:
Did you call applecare or did you go in to a store?
My 24" has ONE stuck, red pixel- dead center (horizontally) and just above dead center, directly at eye level (vertically). I can only see it when its black. Apple store wouldnt do anything, but I have yet to call apple.
If apple doesn't replace it, I won't get too upset- I can live with it. The fact that it is right in teh center though, and I do A LOT of autocad (black background) and photoshop upsets me though.
I had 4 on my 17 inch imac, and I took it right back! There was a red one that stuck out real badly in the middle. The apple store was rude and acted like I bought a 30 dollar game boy... So I called apple care and it was taken care of instantly. They called the store and TOLD them to return it. Never buy from an apple store. Get the product at Comp usa... Their return policy is much better... 20 days no questions asked...
I got my 24" iMac yesterday and i'm very happy with it. The beautiful design, the speed, big screen but the only sad thing is I got 10 stuck pixels on it. So next week i'm gonna return it and they will check it. So hopefully i get a new one, or a new screen at least, and hope they can check the screen first for dead or stuck pixels before sending it to me 😛
freebooter
macrumors 65816
This thread is putting me off the "buy a new iMac" idea I have. I'm in Korea where the customer service is...erratic. Hmmm...damn I wish Apple would make a decent screenless desktop. (I have a mac mini ppc--underpowered)
Oh well, I'll probably just chance it....
But I am going to wait to see what the new notebooks are like. (same problem, though, with the possible screen defects).
Oh well, I'll probably just chance it....
But I am going to wait to see what the new notebooks are like. (same problem, though, with the possible screen defects).
freebooter said:
Any LCD can have stick pixels. Its really just a game of chance. The technology is just not there to make flawless LCD screens. That goes for TVs, monitors, and laptops.
generik
macrumors 601
jonnysods said:
1000 bucks for a screen? For that ballpark I can buy it from a real professional manufacturers and get the Eizo S2410W.
Do you think you will get a dead pixels with that?
3rd Eizo monitor I owned and no dead pixels, less than 20 posts on this thread and everyone has dead pixels. Guess Japanese manufacturing trumps the high quality Chinese ones that Apple employs 🙄 Alternatively I could also make the more logical conclusion and deduce that Macs are not high quality at all, which in view of their peeling wrist rests, separating panels (on MBPS), all these dead pixel issues, and the same overheating/mooing/whining issues that we've all lived through..... sounds a lot more plausible.
Oh and by the way Philips offers a ZERO bright pixel guarantee. We are almost in 2007, people can make something as simple as a LCD just fine, considering they are putting 10 megapixels worth of SENSORS in a 2/3" CCD chip and putting these into digital cameras, likewise the same for microprocessors... the feature size on those are in the nanometers.
LCD monitors... so complex to make? Zomg! 1900 * 1600! 3 megapixels! Jesus has to come back for 10 times before anyone can make 3 million parts function correctly!
Apple is screwing you guys because you guys don't stand up to it.
Generik,
I do understand your point, but you do go far too far the other way. Firstly, the Eizo does actually use the same panel as the iMac, and costs somewhere in the region of 80% of the 24" iMac - that's a huge price bump, which allows for perfect panels every time.
Also, my first 24" iMac (returned for dodgy fan noise, not related to the screen, though that did buzz a bit) had no pixel defects at all - as always, it is the disgruntled who are far more likely to post in a thread like this.
Having said all that, while I looked hard at the Eizo and a Mac Pro, I decided that the 24" iMac was a more elegant option as I have no need for the MP apart from future proofing. Who knows, if Apple can't send me a quiet iMac with a perfect screen, maybe that's what I'll end up with.
David
I do understand your point, but you do go far too far the other way. Firstly, the Eizo does actually use the same panel as the iMac, and costs somewhere in the region of 80% of the 24" iMac - that's a huge price bump, which allows for perfect panels every time.
Also, my first 24" iMac (returned for dodgy fan noise, not related to the screen, though that did buzz a bit) had no pixel defects at all - as always, it is the disgruntled who are far more likely to post in a thread like this.
Having said all that, while I looked hard at the Eizo and a Mac Pro, I decided that the 24" iMac was a more elegant option as I have no need for the MP apart from future proofing. Who knows, if Apple can't send me a quiet iMac with a perfect screen, maybe that's what I'll end up with.
David
