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to scared to buy a imac...

H

heliocentric

Guest
Original poster
Nov 26, 2008
385
0
so i might just buy a mac mini, good call?

mainly due to the horror stories i hear about the screen :(

I have had bad experiences myself when i bought the first 21.5 imac when it came out, it had deal pixels so i returned it. I then proceeded to go through 4 more in the apple store (in the space of an hour, with the help of an apple employee), each had dead pixels, after which i gave up...

Very dissapointing.

Have they got any better?
 
I just got my iMac today and it appears to have some issues with the display. Dark bands across the bottom.
 
heliocentric said:
so i might just buy a mac mini, good call?

mainly due to the horror stories i hear about the screen :(

I have had bad experiences myself when i bought the first 21.5 imac when it came out, it had deal pixels so i returned it. I then proceeded to go through 4 more in the apple store (in the space of an hour, with the help of an apple employee), each had dead pixels, after which i gave up...

Very dissapointing.

Have they got any better?
Click to expand...

I had the same issue last year, was tempting to get a Mini due all the bad press the iMac screens were getting.

There defiantly were some issues that needed ironing out, initially there were plenty of people having issues on here and over on the Apple forums. The number of people reporting issues did slacken off considerably over the months once they got the manufacturing process down.

I never had any issues with my late 2009 model and I'm sure most customers didn't, but the most unhappy people on forums are usually the most vocal so issues can sometimes seem bigger overall than they actually are. The iPhone 4 "antennagate" fiasco last year is another good example of that. If Apples stats actually hold up in real life i recall there was a return rate on the iP4 of something like 2%? Before then it was big news on the internet, but after the keynote debunking it most of the bad press tapered off.

Basically, i think the lesson to learn is this: while the forums are a good source of information, try not to pay too much attention to people complaining about their new purchases. Most people out there are happy with their new gadgets. Just remember, if its faulty you can just take it back :)
 
I purchased a new 27-inch iMac about 7 months ago. The screen is beautiful and has never given me a problem.
 
arent the 27 inch panels a higher grade than the 21.5 one i would get?

So they have improved the quality and process? I was just very much put off with my experiences at the apple store

Thanks
 
heliocentric said:
arent the 27 inch panels a higher grade than the 21.5 one i would get?

So they have improved the quality and process? I was just very much put off with my experiences at the apple store

Thanks
Click to expand...

No i don't think so, spec is the same and they looked the same to my eyes. There were reports of the pre-late 2009 iMacs having better quality 24" panels than the 20"s though which may be what you rate referring to.

There was a period early last year when there were longer waiting lists for iMacs which i recall being down to issues with the panels, but they were a lot fewer reports afterwards. When the mid-2010 revision came out the issue was barely mentioned on here.

Theres always a chance you'll get a dodgy one, but the chances are slim.

If your worried just ask to check it over before you take it home
 
Paulywauly said:
No i don't think so, spec is the same and they looked the same to my eyes. There were reports of the pre-late 2009 iMacs having better quality 24" panels than the 20"s though which may be what you rate referring to.

There was a period early last year when there were longer waiting lists for iMacs which i recall being down to issues with the panels, but they were a lot fewer reports afterwards. When the mid-2010 revision came out the issue was barely mentioned on here.

Theres always a chance you'll get a dodgy one, but the chances are slim.

If your worried just ask to check it over before you take it home
Click to expand...

Thing is that I have to order over the phone due to the fact i want student discount with the 3 year warranty (you only get 1 years warranty if you buy in store).

I guess I could give a go once.

Sad really, it shouldnt be this way...
 
I actually just got my base model iMac 21.5 inch the other day, since the apple expert that helped me said that the higher end 21.5" iMac said there is barely any difference besides the sandy bridge i7 processor that you can upgrade. So I got the base model, and the display is GORGEOUS! I've been using a macbook for about 3 years since 2008 so it's a huge upgrade! It's definitely worth the hard work!! Try going to a different apple store too!
 
The warrant last 12 months so, you have nothing to worry about. Also remember, if you have any issues with it you can take it to your local Apple Store, they will take care of any problem you may have with your computer.
 
heliocentric said:
so i might just buy a mac mini, good call?

mainly due to the horror stories i hear about the screen :(

I have had bad experiences myself when i bought the first 21.5 imac when it came out, it had deal pixels so i returned it. I then proceeded to go through 4 more in the apple store (in the space of an hour, with the help of an apple employee), each had dead pixels, after which i gave up...

Very dissapointing.

Have they got any better?
Click to expand...

If you are worrying about what you read on a forum you shouldn't. MANY people have absolutely flawless computers. You only ever read the horror stories on the internet.

Not to mention, with screens, it doesn't matter who the manufacturer is there is a chance of dead or hot pixels. Simply return it and get a new one.

If it makes you feel any better three of my friends all own iMacs and not one has a single screen issue.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)

Mine is gorgeous with no problems.
 
The iMac is better than the Mini, I'm only buying a Mini (as I said before) to save money on an SSD.
 
I got the 21.5 about 3 months ago.

The screen was beautiful and I had no problems with it at all.

Until one day I actually paid attention during startup, when the screen is all white with the Apple logo in the middle and I noticed some spotting behind the screen on the top left hand corner.

It's currently at the Apple Store getting fixed.
 
I've tried all kinds of desktop setups, including Mac Minis, a Mac Pro, a Macbook Pro + Cinema Display...but by far the best experiences I have had are with my iMacs. They are fast, space efficient, and not a bad deal for what you get. I think I have had 4 or 5 different models now and the only problem I have ever had was with the power supply on a white PowerPC iMac.
 
I purchased a 27" iMac in 2009. After the third replacement computer that still had the yellowing screen problem, I gave up. However, I ordered a new 27" iMac last week and am expecting it next week.

I'm still not liking the glossy screens, but if I can handle it and get it profiled nicely to match my printer I'll be very happy.
 
heliocentric said:
Have they got any better?
Click to expand...

I also had a lot of concerns - However, I received my first iMac yesterday and can confirm that the screen is perfect - no grey bands, no yellow tint, no dead pixels etc.

Maybe I just got lucky - just wanted to let you know that they are not ALL bad.
 
The worse thing about iMacs is probably dust getting behind the glass panel. It is inevitable, only a matter of time. And removing the panel to attempt to clean it... only makes it worse. Plus, in due time, dust will settle inside again. This is one serious design flaw that really detracts from the premium feel of these products. Ugh.
 
onthecouchagain said:
The worse thing about iMacs is probably dust getting behind the glass panel. It is inevitable, only a matter of time. And removing the panel to attempt to clean it... only makes it worse. Plus, in due time, dust will settle inside again. This is one serious design flaw that really detracts from the premium feel of these products. Ugh.
Click to expand...

Is this a common problem then?

I'm still deciding
 
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