Thanks. Definitely no yellow tinge. Good luck to your own run of the gauntlet and I do hope that you get as lucky as I did. Keep in mind that it isn't about getting the perfect display, just one that's acceptable.
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Running the iMac gauntlet
- Thread starter iMikeT
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Thanks. Definitely no yellow tinge. Good luck to your own run of the gauntlet and I do hope that you get as lucky as I did. Keep in mind that it isn't about getting the perfect display, just one that's acceptable.
Nice, good for you, congrats
The (CLICK!) sound you hear when putting it to sleep is normal on atleast the seagates, all three i've had have made that sound....was a little worried about it on my first one, until i heard number two did the same.
Enjoy your machine
Completely agree. I also don't have the time or inclination to keep running the gauntlet indefinitely, so my bias will be towards keeping whatever the new one looks like, so long as it isn't quite as obviously bad as the one I have now...
Nice, good for you, congrats
The (CLICK!) sound you hear when putting it to sleep is normal on atleast the seagates, all three i've had have made that sound....was a little worried about it on my first one, until i heard number two did the same.
Enjoy your machine
Thanks.
Yeah, I was quite surprised when I heard that click sound when shutting down for the first time. At first I thought Apple added a shutdown sound in OS X or in the hardware just like the startup sound. But thanks again for letting me know that it's just the drive just going to sleep or shutting down.
I see. I'm glad that you're replacement is good!
Thanks.
I got #4 today, and she is a keeper
Nice and even color, a bit on the warm side but not yellow and it looks the same in all areas of the screen. The best one i've seen personally.
This one has a WD drive, my previous three had Seagates. The Seagates are quieter, but the WD is nowhere near annoying.
Nice and even color, a bit on the warm side but not yellow and it looks the same in all areas of the screen. The best one i've seen personally.
This one has a WD drive, my previous three had Seagates. The Seagates are quieter, but the WD is nowhere near annoying.
I got #4 today, and she is a keeper
Nice and even color, a bit on the warm side but not yellow and it looks the same in all areas of the screen. The best one i've seen personally.
This one has a WD drive, my previous three had Seagates. The Seagates are quieter, but the WD is nowhere near annoying.
Congratulations!
Yeah, I noticed that Apple does calibrate their displays on the warmer side by default but it's still acceptable. You could always calibrate the display the way you want through System Preferences or with a monitor color calibrator. Other than that, did you have any other minor livable quirks that you noticed with the display?
I hope the best for you as well. Let us know how it goes for you.
actually i do notice some background shadows when dragging a narrow high grey window around the screen (hard to se with a white window) some very small ones and a longer horizontal one in the left quarter of the screen. It's unnoticeable really, but i must admit i find it a bit weird that they all seem to suffer from this defect to some extend. I see no dark bands around the dock area though, and haven't had any with that issue myself.
Not well: https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=12944738
Yeah, if you see the thread above, you can see how prominent the dark band can be.
I haven't really heard or read about the dragging shadows, so that's new to me.
I guess you're lucky that you didn't get that dark band, kinda makes me want to run the gauntlet again lol. Though, doing so isn't the best idea as I really can't afford to or have the desire to do the entire song and dance again. To be honest, it's a livable issue at this point and I only notice it when I look for it. Besides, if it becomes something I can no longer live with, I do have Apple Care for the next three years on this iMac.
Actually, i just reboxed mine and will be getting my money back.
I've had some time alone with a Dell Ultrasharp U2711, and that made me realize that the iMac, even in it's most "perfect" condition, is nowhere near as good in terms as quality as the Dell IMO. No matter how you look at the Dell, it's bright and snow-white, and it doesn't have ANY shadowing at all, it's everything the iMac isn't ATM (though it isn't glossy) I guess the iMac just isn't for me if i can't get one that is 100% perfect.
I don't really know what to do now, but it will be in combination with the Dell U2711. Maybe a Hackintosh, or a 15" 2011 MBP, maybe even the new MBA if it comes with a nice Sandy Bridge CPU.
Just can't come to terms with paying 3500$ for a product i'm not satisfied with. Even though i absolutely love the iMac
Honestly, the Dell has the most beautifull display i have ever seen. They look just as good if not better than the Cinema Display/iMac's in my oppinion, and i didn't see any problems with small text.
We have some 30" and 27" Dell's at our marketing/commercial department at my company and these guys are as picky users can be, and they love them. I'm used to normal cheap 24" Samsung TFT's which i have 3 of at my workplace, and i consider those pretty decent, but the Dell's with their IPS display are in a different league. After seeing them myself and hearing the praise from the users, my mind is made up.
I also did the screen test and you are just not in doubt...where you can spend hours staring at a iMac display in various lighting conditions and angles you take a quick glance at the Dell and...Yup! it's a good one.
I hope the Mid 2011 MBA's will kick ass, alternatively i'll sell my MBP 2010 and get a new MBA and a refreshed Mac Mini if they get a decent CPU.
Actually, i just reboxed mine and will be getting my money back.
I've had some time alone with a Dell Ultrasharp U2711, and that made me realize that the iMac, even in it's most "perfect" condition, is nowhere near as good in terms as quality as the Dell IMO. No matter how you look at the Dell, it's bright and snow-white, and it doesn't have ANY shadowing at all, it's everything the iMac isn't ATM (though it isn't glossy) I guess the iMac just isn't for me if i can't get one that is 100% perfect.
I don't really know what to do now, but it will be in combination with the Dell U2711. Maybe a Hackintosh, or a 15" 2011 MBP, maybe even the new MBA if it comes with a nice Sandy Bridge CPU.
Just can't come to terms with paying 3500$ for a product i'm not satisfied with. Even though i absolutely love the iMac
Sorry to hear.
Update: I got my second iMac / third screen today. To their credit Apple sent me an advance replacement so I have the two iMacs side by side.
The new one is easily the worst of the bunch -- the most horrible yellowing I've seen. The new one is so bad that it's making me conclude that maybe I should just stick with the prior one rather than try for screen #4. The prior one has a hint of yellow with strong backlight bleed in the bottom right corner, and I'd say it's a 7.5 out of 10. The new one is super obviously yellow (even from a distance, to someone who hasn't been told what to look for) with the same backlight bleed, and like a 4 out of 10.
Having gone through three screens, all I can say is that anyone who cares about color quality and uniformity should probably go with KasperH's advice and get a Dell U2711 instead. Maybe there are perfect iMac screens out there, but it certainly seems to be a roll of the dice.
As for me, I'm still deciding what to do... though as I said I might just stick with screen #2.
The new one is easily the worst of the bunch -- the most horrible yellowing I've seen. The new one is so bad that it's making me conclude that maybe I should just stick with the prior one rather than try for screen #4. The prior one has a hint of yellow with strong backlight bleed in the bottom right corner, and I'd say it's a 7.5 out of 10. The new one is super obviously yellow (even from a distance, to someone who hasn't been told what to look for) with the same backlight bleed, and like a 4 out of 10.
Having gone through three screens, all I can say is that anyone who cares about color quality and uniformity should probably go with KasperH's advice and get a Dell U2711 instead. Maybe there are perfect iMac screens out there, but it certainly seems to be a roll of the dice.
As for me, I'm still deciding what to do... though as I said I might just stick with screen #2.
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Here's a couple of pics... screen #2, which I'm thinking of keeping, is on the left, while screen #3 (which I just got) is on the right.
I know what you're thinking, screen #2 looks pretty darn good, and it mostly does, but as I said it has quite a bit of backlight bleed, and there is definitely a bit of yellow in the lower right corner (might be less obvious in the pics than in real life due to the lighting and due to the comparison against the really crappy screen beside it).
I know what you're thinking, screen #2 looks pretty darn good, and it mostly does, but as I said it has quite a bit of backlight bleed, and there is definitely a bit of yellow in the lower right corner (might be less obvious in the pics than in real life due to the lighting and due to the comparison against the really crappy screen beside it).
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Remember, this is about getting a display that is acceptable, not necessarily perfect. If you go for perfection, you'll be running the gauntlet indefinitely and will never get to actually enjoy the iMac.
Don't get me wrong, I know that spending upwards of $2,000 is a lot of money for most of us, myself included. For that kind of money, there is a certain level of quality that is expected. But if you step back for a moment and see the much larger picture, you could settle for a display that you find acceptable and use the time you would be running the gauntlet into getting things done with the iMac.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it earlier in this thread but I'll say it again anyway. I purchased Apple Care with this iMac and I'm covered for the next three years. I know that my iMac's display is far from perfect but it is acceptable to me. I know that if that one issue I have with this display (the feint dark band across the bottom) really starts to bother me that I can just call up Apple and they will take care of the issue.
Apple actually offered me free Applecare, which in Denmark is valued at 265$ so they really do want satisfied customers. I'm even pretty sure they'l give me free Applecare as a goodwill gesture if i get another of their products.
I would do the same as Mike if it didn't annoy me as much as it did ....enjoy the machine, and get the panel replaced when reports start comming in that Apple actually CAN fix the problem. I'm just not sure they will be able to within a reasonable timeframe, after all, the problem dates back to 2009.
Don't you guys have ANY wierd clouding/shadowing on your displays, 2 of my 4 iMac's were actually pretty good in terms of being white, but dragging a grey window around on a grey background (easiest way to spot it) revealed more clouding/shadows than i was willing to accept. The shadows makes those spots on the screen a slightly different tone.
Setting the attached creyscale tests as desktop backgrounds i could easily tell the difference in color tone.
I would do the same as Mike if it didn't annoy me as much as it did ....enjoy the machine, and get the panel replaced when reports start comming in that Apple actually CAN fix the problem. I'm just not sure they will be able to within a reasonable timeframe, after all, the problem dates back to 2009.
Don't you guys have ANY wierd clouding/shadowing on your displays, 2 of my 4 iMac's were actually pretty good in terms of being white, but dragging a grey window around on a grey background (easiest way to spot it) revealed more clouding/shadows than i was willing to accept. The shadows makes those spots on the screen a slightly different tone.
Setting the attached creyscale tests as desktop backgrounds i could easily tell the difference in color tone.
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My iMac is coming in the next couple of days and these threads scare the bejesus out of me!! Sometimes I think it is just that people complain more than praise, but then I thought that EVERY Apple product I've bought has been faulty (except every ipod), eg cpu whine and screen inverter buzz on MB, broken earpiece on iphone, broken GPU on MBP, yellow screen on ipad, etc, etc. That said every replacement has been perfect and I can't fault Apple's customer service.
When the iMac does come I'm not going to scrutinise the screen looking for faults because, as has been said, I don't think any screen is totally perfect, but if I notice anything through normal use it'll be going back and on the replacement merry go round I go.
(except every ipod), eg cpu whine and screen inverter buzz on MB, broken earpiece on iphone, broken GPU on MBP, yellow screen on ipad, etc, etc. That said every replacement has been perfect and I can't fault Apple's customer service.When the iMac does come I'm not going to scrutinise the screen looking for faults because, as has been said, I don't think any screen is totally perfect, but if I notice anything through normal use it'll be going back and on the replacement merry go round I go.
That's what I'm going to do when my second iMac comes. The first iMac had a large area of yellow tinting which I noticed under normal use when browsing the web and forums, but I still checked the yellow tests like crazy. I was too scared to receive a faulty screen so I had to check it right away.
So my shockingly bad luck with Apple products continues. I was honestly more nervous than excited when my iMac came this morning. My heart sank as soon as I turned it on when there was a broad dark shadow right across the screen just above where the dock would be (quite common it seems). I honestly wasn't looking for it, but you couldn't miss it in a bright, sunny room.
I changed the background to white, just to see if I could live with it, but thats when I noticed the bottom third of the screen was definitely yellow. To be honest, it wouldn't bother me if the whole screen was like that, but the top third was so white it stood out.
I put a normal background on and did some web browsing to see if it showed up in normal use, but even then it was glaringly obvious. Sorry, but certainly not something I could live with.
Then to add insult to injury, there's a small hair trapped under the glass in the bottom right hand corner!!!
A quick call to apple and a replacement is on the way, but seriously, I have never known a company that supplies so many products that are faulty. I mean, I love apple products, the replacements have always been perfect and it won't stop me buying them, but it is unbelievable.
I changed the background to white, just to see if I could live with it, but thats when I noticed the bottom third of the screen was definitely yellow. To be honest, it wouldn't bother me if the whole screen was like that, but the top third was so white it stood out.
I put a normal background on and did some web browsing to see if it showed up in normal use, but even then it was glaringly obvious. Sorry, but certainly not something I could live with.
Then to add insult to injury, there's a small hair trapped under the glass in the bottom right hand corner!!!
A quick call to apple and a replacement is on the way, but seriously, I have never known a company that supplies so many products that are faulty. I mean, I love apple products, the replacements have always been perfect and it won't stop me buying them, but it is unbelievable.
Good luck... I hope your replacement is better than mine was! (see pics above)
I'm trying to stick with the iMac I have now since it's the best of the three that I've had during my run of the gauntlet. But I do still continuously notice the yellow. Grrr. I think I'll do like iMikeT and get AppleCare, and maybe then I can try getting the screen replaced in a couple of years if it still bugs me and if it's looking like they've resolved their manufacturing issues.
I'm trying to stick with the iMac I have now since it's the best of the three that I've had during my run of the gauntlet. But I do still continuously notice the yellow. Grrr. I think I'll do like iMikeT and get AppleCare, and maybe then I can try getting the screen replaced in a couple of years if it still bugs me and if it's looking like they've resolved their manufacturing issues.
Thanks bud, I actually packed this one up straight away in a fit of frustration, but since the replacement won't be here until the end of next week I think I'm just going to use it, see if I get over the shadow/yellowing.
It reminds me of when I bought an LCD projector a few years ago and was so picky that I noticed faint thin vertical lines covering the whole picture. I couldn't enjoy any movie for them. The staff at the store were great and we ran loads of tests, before eventually realising it was inherent to all LCD projectors.
After I knew that, I stopped noticing the lines and just enjoyed the picture. My friend wasn't happy though as he had the same projector for a couple of years and never noticed the lines until I highlighted them.
I pray to god it'll be the same with the iMac.
It reminds me of when I bought an LCD projector a few years ago and was so picky that I noticed faint thin vertical lines covering the whole picture. I couldn't enjoy any movie for them. The staff at the store were great and we ran loads of tests, before eventually realising it was inherent to all LCD projectors.
After I knew that, I stopped noticing the lines and just enjoyed the picture. My friend wasn't happy though as he had the same projector for a couple of years and never noticed the lines until I highlighted them.
I pray to god it'll be the same with the iMac.