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Running the iMac gauntlet

I have to say to the original poster although it's hard to tell from the images you posted I would be more than happy with the display. I have seen first hand one of the so called "yellow tint" displays (my friend allegedly had one). When I went round to his place to see this dastardly flawed display I found it looked perfectly fine to me.

What had happened was he had read threads similar to this one about "yellow tints" then started to pick his own display to bits, examining every minutia. In the end he convinced himself he had this "yellow tint" whereas I think the issue is more related to ones own eyes. If you stare at any bright object then blink one tends to see yellowish colour bands, it's a form of "screen burn" on the brain. That's my spin on it anyhow. Again to the original poster - good look with the 21.5" model. I find mine too small and the 27" to large so I'm hoping for a Mini refresh with reasonable specs then I can sell the iMac and use my own perfectly sized 24" HD screen.
 
spcdust said:
Understand your frustration, it's totally understandable and I feel for you. However it is completely unlikely that they would gut your returned iMac and send it back to you - you will certainly be getting a new one . Also, the whole BTO thing - I suspect they really aren't building an individual iMac intended for a specific customer. More likely they build a certain amount of defined configurations based on sales/popularity. Obviously when you order pre-installed software that gets written to the HD before leaving the manufacturing plant. My suspicion is it's just a stock issue - can't remember but does your iMac have an SSD as there seems to always be a slight delay receiving that.
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The BTO specs are in the pic that I attached to one of my posts. However, if you didn't see it, the only BTO upgrades that I added were the CPU and GPU. No SSD or pre-installed software.


spcdust said:
In my experience Apple always like to over estimate delivery dates - I got mine a full 5-6 days ahead of scheduled delivery.
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I can only hope for the same.


Lankyman said:
I have to say to the original poster although it's hard to tell from the images you posted I would be more than happy with the display. I have seen first hand one of the so called "yellow tint" displays (my friend allegedly had one). When I went round to his place to see this dastardly flawed display I found it looked perfectly fine to me.

What had happened was he had read threads similar to this one about "yellow tints" then started to pick his own display to bits, examining every minutia. In the end he convinced himself he had this "yellow tint" whereas I think the issue is more related to ones own eyes. If you stare at any bright object then blink one tends to see yellowish colour bands, it's a form of "screen burn" on the brain. That's my spin on it anyhow. Again to the original poster - good look with the 21.5" model. I find mine too small and the 27" to large so I'm hoping for a Mini refresh with reasonable specs then I can sell the iMac and use my own perfectly sized 24" HD screen.
Click to expand...


Mine was the 27" iMac and the replacement is also a 27" iMac.

To be honest, I noticed the flaw of the dark/grey band towards the bottom of the display and some of the uneven backlighting the first time I hit the power switch on the iMac. I told myself that I would try to live with it at first but found myself unable to ignore these with every passing day. The display doesn't have the yellow tint but the uneven backlight to me was far more noticeable. I'll be using this iMac for photography and graphics work so consistency is a must in this aspect.
 
Just to chime in, it's the 3.4 i7 that could be delaying it. Whenever we order BTO iMacs all of them ship super quick except the 3.4ghz i7.
 
aygie said:
Just to chime in, it's the 3.4 i7 that could be delaying it. Whenever we order BTO iMacs all of them ship super quick except the 3.4ghz i7.
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I tend to think of that as more of a contributing factor rather than the sole reason for the delay. Any change a customer makes to an online order instantly delays the expected shipping window, even changing the keyboard option changes the shipping time from "Within 24 hours" to "1-3 business days".
 
Update

I got off the phone with Apple customer service a little while ago about the delay and at this point the delay is exactly what it is. There isn't anything that either I nor they can do about it and it will ship out when it ships out. The rep did say that since the status of the iMac is "Prepared for shipment", it should ship out no later than tomorrow... we'll see about that. :rolleyes:

I was sure to mention that I did send the RMA back over a week ago and that it may be another week until I get the replacement and can finally get back to work and how much of a pain in the behind all of this is. I was offered some extra Apple accessories, presumably free of charge, but believe it or not, I respectfully declined the offer. I know what you're thinking, I'm an idiot for not taking free Apple accessories BUT I will say that before this entire ordeal began, Apple sent me a Magic Trackpad for free. There was no need for me to get greedy. Besides, had they offered to give me 10%-20% off my next Apple purchase or credit towards the iTunes/iOS App Store/Mac App Store, that would have been different.
 
The sad part is that there seems to be only a 50/50 chance that your new iMac will be any better.

I'm in the same boat. They replaced the panel on mine, I'm still not happy with it (yellow + grey bar + lots of backlight bleed) and I can't ignore these issues I've much as I've tried.. hoping that third time's a charm...
 
Update

The Good

Apple finally shipped out my replacement iMac and it will arrive sooner than what was originally quoted in the email I received this morning informing me that it was delayed.

The Bad

It didn't ship out until the end day, just after 6PM Pacific (which is also surprising because carriers normally picks up packages well before the end of the day). This means that with 2-day ground, it has an expected delivery date of this Saturday, July 9.

The Ugly

I have plans on Saturday; my cousin is having a baby shower in the afternoon. This means that FedEx MUST make the delivery before I leave my place. If they make a delivery attempt and I'm not home, I will have to wait until Monday for my iMac.

Now even if the delivery occurs before I leave, I will probably not be able to play with my iMac until I get home from the baby shower later in the evening. Even then, I will not have a lot of time with my baby because I have to get up early on Sunday.
 
iMikeT said:
The Ugly

I have plans on Saturday; my cousin is having a baby shower in the afternoon. This means that FedEx MUST make the delivery before I leave my place. If they make a delivery attempt and I'm not home, I will have to wait until Monday for my iMac.

Now even if the delivery occurs before I leave, I will probably not be able to play with my iMac until I get home from the baby shower later in the evening. Even then, I will not have a lot of time with my baby because I have to get up early on Sunday.
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You could have them deliver it to a neighbour of yours....if you trust them :)
 
MrT-Man said:
The sad part is that there seems to be only a 50/50 chance that your new iMac will be any better.

I'm in the same boat. They replaced the panel on mine, I'm still not happy with it (yellow + grey bar + lots of backlight bleed) and I can't ignore these issues I've much as I've tried.. hoping that third time's a charm...
Click to expand...

I have no technical knowledge about panels and backlight, but if the backlight technology is the culprit (since most Dell Ultrasharps doesn't have the issues nearly as much), what good is it to change only the panel, if that's all they did?

If it's a completely different pattern of yellw you see after the replacement, maybe backlight issues can be ruled out.....but that would indicate that the dell's would be just as badly affected, and maybe they are, the iMac's are probably just outselling the Dell's by quite a lot.

I don't know...thinking out loud, while waiting for number 4
 
iMikeT said:
The Good

Apple finally shipped out my replacement iMac and it will arrive sooner than what was originally quoted in the email I received this morning informing me that it was delayed.

The Bad

It didn't ship out until the end day, just after 6PM Pacific (which is also surprising because carriers normally picks up packages well before the end of the day). This means that with 2-day ground, it has an expected delivery date of this Saturday, July 9.

The Ugly

I have plans on Saturday; my cousin is having a baby shower in the afternoon. This means that FedEx MUST make the delivery before I leave my place. If they make a delivery attempt and I'm not home, I will have to wait until Monday for my iMac.

Now even if the delivery occurs before I leave, I will probably not be able to play with my iMac until I get home from the baby shower later in the evening. Even then, I will not have a lot of time with my baby because I have to get up early on Sunday.
Click to expand...

Does the courier even do Saturday deliveries - in the UK you have to pay extra for this service and thought it was the same case in the US
 
KasperH said:
I have no technical knowledge about panels and backlight, but if the backlight technology is the culprit (since most Dell Ultrasharps doesn't have the issues nearly as much), what good is it to change only the panel, if that's all they did?

If it's a completely different pattern of yellw you see after the replacement, maybe backlight issues can be ruled out.....but that would indicate that the dell's would be just as badly affected, and maybe they are, the iMac's are probably just outselling the Dell's by quite a lot.

I don't know...thinking out loud, while waiting for number 4
Click to expand...

I'm assuming (& I could be wrong) that they replaced the whole panel as an integrated module, i.e. panel + backlight. The flaws seem quite a bit different than the first one I had (but equally as annoying), as far as where the grey bar is positioned, the degree & location of the yellow, etc.
 
Check the Fedex tracking number on their site and see if there's anything that says. "delivery before 10:00 am". Mine did, and my iMac showed up at 9:30 am. If there is no info about a "deliver by" a certain time, you can print out the Fedex signature authorization form from your order on Apple's website if you're comfortable with the iMac sitting on your porch while you're gone. The form also has a section to instruct the driver to leave the iMac at a neighbor's if you wish.

All that being said, I bet it will show up before you go to the baby shower. :)

I'm sorry for your frustration. I hope the replacement is better.
 
spcdust said:
Does the courier even do Saturday deliveries - in the UK you have to pay extra for this service and thought it was the same case in the US
Click to expand...


FedEx, the courier here, does deliver on Saturdays. In fact, they delivered my free printer on a Saturday. The only silver lining in all of this is that I'm not paying for any of the shipping, especially a Saturday delivery.


KasperH said:
You could have them deliver it to a neighbour of yours....if you trust them :)
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I suppose I could but I don't trust my neighbors with something this particular package.


Pipper99 said:
Check the Fedex tracking number on their site and see if there's anything that says. "delivery before 10:00 am". Mine did, and my iMac showed up at 9:30 am. If there is no info about a "deliver by" a certain time, you can print out the Fedex signature authorization form from your order on Apple's website if you're comfortable with the iMac sitting on your porch while you're gone. The form also has a section to instruct the driver to leave the iMac at a neighbor's if you wish.

All that being said, I bet it will show up before you go to the baby shower. :)

I'm sorry for your frustration. I hope the replacement is better.
Click to expand...


Thanks but like I just said, there's no way that I'm pre-signing for this particular package to leave in front of my place for the world to take nor do I trust my neighbors with it.

Nevertheless, you're probably right that it will arrive well before I leave. I'm also hoping that this replacement is far more acceptable than the original.
 
Update

-Replacement iMac arrived at the local FedEx distribution center almost an hour ago.

Will it go out for delivery before the end of today and arrive before tomorrow's expected delivery date? Nope. FedEx does not work that way. Can I go to the distribution center and pick it up myself? Nope. See previous reason.

So close yet still out of reach.
 
Update

I was really hoping that the next update that I post would have been me receiving my replacement iMac hours ago. However, I am disappointed to say that it isn't. I'm leaving for my cousin's baby shower soon and it appears that I'll have to wait until Monday for my iMac. Very sad experience has been.
 
Update

Well well, what do you know.... As I was heading out my front door, the FedEx dude shows up and I my replacement iMac is delivered, finally. :rolleyes: I live less than four miles away from the distribution center and I'm one of the last deliveries of the day, a Saturday of all days.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to test it until I return later tonight.
 
iMikeT said:
I was really hoping that the next update that I post would have been me receiving my replacement iMac hours ago. However, I am disappointed to say that it isn't. I'm leaving for my cousin's baby shower soon and it appears that I'll have to wait until Monday for my iMac. Very sad experience has been.
Click to expand...

have you considered faking injury or sudden illness ;)
Have a nice baby shower :)

I ordered mine Wednesday, and this is the order status
Not yet shipped
Estimated Shipping: 3 business days
Estimated Delivery: 14 Jul, 2011

There's no way it will get here in four days...shipping alone usually takes 6 :(
 
iMikeT said:
Well well, what do you know.... As I was heading out my front door, the FedEx dude shows up and I my replacement iMac is delivered, finally. :rolleyes: I live less than four miles away from the distribution center and I'm one of the last deliveries of the day, a Saturday of all days.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to test it until I return later tonight.
Click to expand...

So you actually have it now, but not the time to test it before after the babyshower.....LOL! the rest of your day will seem like bullet time slowmotion. At least it beats waiting until monday :D
 
MrT-Man said:
The sad part is that there seems to be only a 50/50 chance that your new iMac will be any better.

I'm in the same boat. They replaced the panel on mine, I'm still not happy with it (yellow + grey bar + lots of backlight bleed) and I can't ignore these issues I've much as I've tried.. hoping that third time's a charm...
Click to expand...

I read this thread and other iMac discussions threads to get a sense of iMac issues. I am sorry for Your issues. I am not willing to hassle with replacements, so No IMac for me. Too bad Apple doesn't make a consistently good iMac.
 
Update

I got home a lot later than I thought I would from the baby shower last night but I managed to get the iMac set up. I turned it on briefly but didn't have any real time with it as I needed to be up early today to be somewhere this morning. Now that I've been able to truly test it this afternoon, here's what I've noticed...

-Replacement iMac has a much more acceptable display than the original
-Replacement iMac is far quieter than the original, nearly whisper silent
-This hard drive runs cooler than the original's

My thoughts on the display. The display is in no way perfect and like I have mentioned before, I was not expecting perfection but something far more acceptable than the original. The LED backlight, which actually turned out being my biggest concern, is much more uniform than before as one side of the display is not noticeably darker or brighter than the other. So far, there are no dead/stuck pixels and not yellow tinge. Now for the only imperfection. The infamous grey band still runs along the bottom. To be honest, I only notice the grey band when I look for it.

As for everything else... Apple put a Seagate HDD instead of the Western Digital HDD. The model number is "ST31000528AS". This is the main reason why the replacement iMac is far quieter than the original. With the WD drive, I can hear it when ever the iMac accesses it. With the Seagate, I honestly thought that Apple put an SSD in this by mistake. This HDD also runs cooler than the original's by a few degrees. Even while I was running this iMac hard with multiple Flash videos at once, I never saw the hard drive temperature get to 50°(C). One last thing I have noticed about this hard drive though is that when ever I shut down the iMac or put it to sleep, I hear a "lock-like" sound. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about as it's probably just the sound that the hard drive makes when going to sleep or being shut down, though I've never heard a hard drive make that kind of sound before.

The next thing that I'm going to do is to finally put the 16GB of RAM that I bought a week and a half ago to use. After that, nuke everything on the hard drive and partition it for Snow Leopard and Lion then reinstall Snow Leopard. Then hopefully have everything migrated over from my old Mac to this iMac by the end of the week.

It looks like I have a keeper. :)
 
Congrats!! So, not even a hint of yellow tinge?

Apple agreed to send me a brand new machine, after I wasn't satisfied with the panel replacement in my original machine. Should be getting it in a week or so. Hoping that I'll be as lucky as you!
 
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