To those nitpicking and returning their 24" iMacs

[levitynyc]

I have slight screen brightness hum when i turn it down, slight top left in the back hiss when things get really hot. I see people returning 3 or 4 iMacs for these problems.

...I just let it go. If I have music or a TV on, I can't hear it at all.

Enjoy your mac. Turn the music on. I sense buyer's remorse on this item for a lot of people. ENjoy your purchase. Nothing is perfect. Stop being ULTRA picky. It does not affect performance.

If you nit pick every electronic purchase you make, then you won't enjoy anything. If you stare from 2 inches from the screen and look for 1 stuck pixel, you will never enjoy your purchase.

The internet has a lot to do with this. Did you ever read a review on an item on Amazon? You click on reviews. You see a TV with a 4 1/2 star average rating. Whats the first thing people do? Search for the lowest rated first. One person mentions a problem that you would have never thought to look for. You buy the product and you look for the problem described in the 1 review. You find the problem (even though you normally would not have ever looked for it) and you return the tv.

I found myself returning TV after TV a few years back due to poor geometry, slight slight slight lines in the upper left corners, buzzing from the back. You know what? I never had a tv I was happy with.

Just enjoy your purchase. If something doesn't work, by all means return it. But if its an issue that in no way affects performance, then just enjoy it. Nowhere in advertisement does Apple advertise a silent computer.

 

[Scarlet Fever]

i kind of agree with you, but when you buy a computer for several thousand dollars, you expect it to be somewhat perfect ie has even backlighting on the display, doesn't shut down randomly, etc. Apple are (generally) doing a good job of keeping on top of this, though.

 

[levitynyc]

i kind of agree with you, but when you buy a computer for several thousand dollars, you expect it to be somewhat perfect ie has even backlighting on the display, doesn't shut down randomly, etc. Apple are (generally) doing a good job of keeping on top of this, though.

Random shutdowns affect performace. Nearly inaudible screenhum does not affect performace.

 

[2ndPath]

Random shutdowns affect performace. Nearly inaudible screenhum does not affect performace.

"Nearly inaudible" is very subjective. Some sounds can just be extremely annoying to some poeple, which can make a machine worthless to them.

 

[eRondeau]

One of the most reasoned arguments I've read in a long time. I had to laugh because I just bought a new GPS unit and I did exactly what you said -- I went on Amazon.com and read only the negative reviews. By the time I was done I was convinced that there is not a single decent GPS unit being sold anywhere in the world. I guess it's just human nature to never be satisfied with whatever it is you've got.

 

[islandman]

I agree with you! Nothing is perfect. As long as it's functioning properly, a little extra noise is not really worth returning a product over. And unless you have a dead pixel in a very prominent place and it's really bothering you, just let it go.

I agree about the Amazon.com review phenomenon. I used to do that, but fortunately I read other sites too and made an educated decision. I usually buy things that are clearly good and worth the money, and I can't remember ever returning anything that cost more than $500 because I did my research up front.

 

[iMeowbot]

For online reviews I find it helpful to ignore anything that uses the lowest possible rating on the scale if the complaint is much less than "the machine burst into flames".

 

[Abstract]

I cut out the best and worst reviews and look at the middle-ground reviews.

 

[velocityg4]

Here's how I approach reviews. If an item has over 20 customer reviews and has a rating above 4 I assume it is a good product. If I am trying to decide between two products that both have excellent ratings then I read only the detailed reviews. Since, those usually have an intelligent opinion. However, I am much more critical of reviews for companies if more than 7% of customers give a 3 star or less rating I will never purchase from them.

As for looking for imperfections in a product that seems ridiculous to me. I say do not look for the problems, just unpack the darn thing, plug it in and use it. If in the course of daily use you notice some flaw that you can not stand return it or have it repaired under warranty. I don't think I have ever owned a single computer, TV, Stereo, Appliance that I have had to return. Only once have I ever had to have something repaired under warranty.

<rant> I can not stand the argument of spending sub two-thousand dollars on a computer, expecting perfection. Just a few years ago you were lucky to buy a computer at less than $2000 that was middle of the road performance wise. And it was considered normal to expect the darn thing to crash several times a day. I just find it laughable to expect perfection from a sub $2000 machine. It is that cheap because they have to use the cheapest parts possible to make it for such a low price. When computers were considered investments and not consumer merchandise manufacturers charged a lot more partially because they used higher grade components.

If people expect perfection from their electronics then they should expect to pay a premium. I could see expecting a flawless machine if you purchase a Mac Pro with the Quadro FX video card and 24 inch Cinema display as those are all commercial grade hardware components. The iMac is consumer grade, therefore lower quality components. </rant>

 

[savar]

"Nearly inaudible" is very subjective. Some sounds can just be extremely annoying to some poeple, which can make a machine worthless to them.

After buying an Xbox 360, I don't think I will complain about any other consumer product being noisy ever again. That thing is absurdly loud, even when it isn't even doing anything!

 

[levitynyc]

After buying an Xbox 360, I don't think I will complain about any other consumer product being noisy ever again. That thing is absurdly loud, even when it isn't even doing anything!

That thing sounds like a jet taking off.....i still love it though!

 

[2ndPath]

After buying an Xbox 360, I don't think I will complain about any other consumer product being noisy ever again. That thing is absurdly loud, even when it isn't even doing anything!

The XBox 360 seems to be very loud then. But then again a gaiming console is usually used with sound switched on which reduces the problem. This is different for computers, which are not necessarily used with the sound system switched on. That said, I don't know how bad the problem with the iMac, the OP referred to, is. Probably it is rather on the level of an imperfection than an annoying disturbance.

 

[fall3n]

I'll agree nothing is perfect and nothing will ever be. For those of you complaining about noise, i'm sorry but gimme a break, your average pc tower will make a helllll of a lot more noise then this machine. My old one sounds like a Boeing 747 compared to the iMac and i DO have the buzz. I also have about 4 to 5 dead pixels, 3 of which are red and in/close to the middle of the screen. You can only notice these on a black background though, so really whatever, I'll just send it in for replacement in several months if it's really gonna bother me. Right now, it doesn't, so those of you who are sending your machines back because of a little buzzing sound you can only really hear when you listen for it, gimme a break. Just enjoy the damn thing.

 

[levitynyc]

I'll agree nothing is perfect and nothing will ever be. For those of you complaining about noise, i'm sorry but gimme a break, your average pc tower will make a helllll of a lot more noise then this machine. My old one sounds like a Boeing 747 compared to the iMac and i DO have the buzz. I also have about 4 to 5 dead pixels, 3 of which are red and in/close to the middle of the screen. You can only notice these on a black background though, so really whatever, I'll just send it in for replacement in several months if it's really gonna bother me. Right now, it doesn't, so those of you who are sending your machines back because of a little buzzing sound you can only really hear when you listen for it, gimme a break. Just enjoy the damn thing.

AMEN