Why Apple needs to get sued for screen image retention

[roadkill401]

Anyone who went out and bought the new Retna 5K iMac in 2014, 2015 and likely later models needs to sue Apple for gross negligence in the design of that model. We are stuck with a defective product that is prone to screen image retention and Apple should be forced to pay us back.

WHY? This is a design flaw and not the BS that Apple is pushing. This is not an image that is caused by the screen, but something else in the design or way that Apple implemented the graphics screen management.

Try it out: There are some things that just do not make any sense.


1. Give yourself a second vitual desktop and change the background colour of it to a medium gray. That way you can easily see any retained image.

2. On either the main or vitual desktop screen, load up Safari and have it display a mostly white with some black or dark coloured areas.

3. Hit the Shift Control Eject keys to turn off the screen. Go away for 3-4 hours. When you turn the screen back on, you will have image retention of the Safari window even though the screen was turned off and displaying nothing.

WHY??


4. Go to the main screen and assign a black and white checkerboard background.

5. Close all open application so no program is on the screen. Leave the screen turned on for 3-4 hours. Then change the backgound back to medium gray. The only things that will have burn in are any of the desktop icons and the menu bar / doc. The background image doesn't leave image retention. Nor does the mouse icon.

WHY??


Those two items disprove that it is caused by what is displayed on the screen or a fault by the LG display as a display that is turned off should not get any image retention. Rather it is likely that the graphics display card is at fault. But Apple designed their own chip parts and made a hybrid ATI display card for the iMac. I think it is that display card that is a bad player and is causing the trouble inside the iMac. If an App window will cause retention but a background image doesn't clearly shows it has to be something other than the actual screen at play.

 

[MacDawg]

Go for it and prove it in court
That's your right, but you gotta make the case and make it stick

 

[dcpmark]

Here you go.....go for it!

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[mmomega]

Fortunate that I haven't noticed this over the last 4 years. I have a couple 27" 5Ks.

 

[redheeler]

I get your frustration, and had to deal with this issue myself on my Late 2014 model. Sometime afterward Apple put up a support document suggesting a screensaver as a fix for a hardware issue that is visible during normal use, which is laughable. it saddens me to see their attitude and training regarding this specific issue is now worse than it was based on my experience with the Late 2014 I had over three years ago.

So far, image retention hasn't been widespread enough to result in a lawsuit, and other forum members have indicated that newer panels (made in 2017 or later) are less likely to develop the issue. However, another display issue that can potentially affect most (if not all) recent iMac models has prompted a lawsuit.

 

[whosthis]

I get your frustration, and had to deal with this issue myself on my Late 2014 model. Sometime afterward Apple put up a support document suggesting a screensaver as a fix for a hardware issue that is visible during normal use, which is laughable.

Did that fix work or not? I think it basically means that retention is completely reversible. It is not a permanent "burn in".

 

[ThugFreak]

Deleted

 

[redheeler]

Did that fix work or not? I think it basically means that retention is completely reversible. It is not a permanent "burn in".

Image retention will appear when something stays on the screen for 5-10 minutes. For example, the MacOS menu bar. After entering fullscreen mode in an app, a ghost image of the menu bar remains visible at the top of the screen and takes 5-10 minutes to fade away. It's not a permanent ghost image, but you will notice it occasionally when something stays on the screen for a long time (as is common with the MacOS menu bar, Dock or app toolbars) and then you switch to something else immediately afterward.

The screensaver prevents a ghost image from being visible when you leave the computer and return to the lock screen, because the ghost image has a chance to fade away while it is running. But it cannot be used in the scenario mentioned above and is not a fix for the problem. The problem is hardware-based and in the LCD panel itself. It could be present right out of the box or take months or years of use to develop. (If the Mac is 5+ years old I many not care, and I have seen it on my Late 2006 iMac, so it's not an issue that is exclusive to the Retina models. But my Late 2014 model took only about six months for the issue to develop, and my 2012 rMBP had it bad right out of the box. Both instances were resolved through in-warranty display replacements, though on the 2014 the issue just kept returning on the new panels.)

 

[redheeler]

The OP did get a few things wrong. It's caused by the screen, not the GPU, and is not visible in software screenshots. The ghost image doesn't fade away (at least not as quickly) while the screen is off, hence it's visible when returning to the lock screen after turning the screen off (and not using a screensaver). Also, you shouldn't go looking for the issue with the checkerboard tests. It only becomes an issue if it's severe enough to notice during your normal use patterns or workflow.

 

[JonD25]

Late 2014 iMac here and have noticed it steadily getting worse. Kinda feel powerless though since it's out of warranty and I feel like a trip to the Apple Store for them to check it out will only leave me without my main work machine and take up a lot of my time for them to tell me they can replace the screen at a cost I'm not really thinking is worth paying at this point, especially when I've heard from others how replacements exhibited the problem as well. Probably just going to try and sell it off for cheap or trade it in to Apple directly and get a MBP soon anyways, but I'd much prefer being able to sell it privately for full value rather than having to discount it for whoever would be interested in it anyways.

 

[mikehalloran]

There are other threads where this issue has been cussed and discussed by loyalists who are convinced that the world is coming to an end over this.

Perhaps the moderators can merge this thread with one of those.

 

[roadkill401]

The OP did get a few things wrong. It's caused by the screen, not the GPU, and is not visible in software screenshots. The ghost image doesn't fade away (at least not as quickly) while the screen is off, hence it's visible when returning to the lock screen after turning the screen off (and not using a screensaver). Also, you shouldn't go looking for the issue with the checkerboard tests. It only becomes an issue if it's severe enough to notice during your normal use patterns or workflow.

I don't understand why if a screen is off, hense it would have either a low power, or no power going to it, would retain a ghost of an image for 8-10+ hours, where it is said that it should disapear in 5-10 minutes if the screen image changes?

I have had time when I have tried to watch a movie on Netflix on the screen and had scenes that were displaying wrong as image retention became an issue. Like your watching a scente where it is supposed to be dimly lit, and there is an impossible bright spot in the screen where a ghost of the scene before is stuck on the screen.

I have given up trying to do any photo editing on my iMac as you can't trust what you see is what is really there. If that isn't a clear shot at notice during your normal work flow. I have just religated the mac to 'that other computer' in the office as it cost more to fix it yet again, than it was to just move on to a better class of machine running Windows.

 

[roadkill401]

So far, image retention hasn't been widespread enough to result in a lawsuit, and other forum members have indicated that newer panels (made in 2017 or later) are less likely to develop the issue.

I question how anyone with a 2017 model would know how the screen was going to work in 3-4 years? They haven't been around long enough to tell if the screen is susceptible? I tend to think the screen issues are an awful lot like the butterfly keyboard where Apple will say it only happens in a small percentage but really it comes down to how many people just give up and live with the crap rather than complain.

I didn't think that buying an iMac would have the functional lifespan of AppleCare and after that you are expected to just trash your investment and just buy a newer model. I don't own an iPhone and don't buy into that replace it every year mindset. It seems that Apple have decided to start in the same old model that Windows machines got into, where you make it only just good enough to last out 2-3 years and then throw away technology. At least he Windows machines are cheep enough that you can get away with it. I paid an excessive premium for this iMac for the 5K retina screen. The only option that I can see for this mac is to just buy a second screen that will be used for all critical display and the 27" retina screen is just a defective backup that you sort of don't care what it looks like. Sort of the wrong way around but what else can you do.

 

[mikehalloran]

Also, you shouldn't go looking for the issue with the checkerboard tests. I

That's like pushing an engine to the red line and being shocked by excess oil consumption.

 

[mosher]

i have 2015 27inch imac and i have a terrible image retention issue.
after only 1 minute of use i can already see menu bar ghosting in other apps.

Apple has to admit its failure

 

[ZipZap]

Does Apple give forewarning of retention at the time of sale? Do the list it as a feature? Have they worked at all to correct it?

I think this is why that lawsuit will go forward and Apple will lose in the end.

 

[JonD25]

That's like pushing an engine to the red line and being shocked by excess oil consumption.

For the record, I don’t need to do any checkerboard test to see image retention. Just regular use, within literally minutes, the menu bar, desktop icons, or pretty much any bright elements around the edges of the screen start ghosting VERY noticeably. It’s a pretty unacceptable flaw.

 

[mosher]

For the record, I don’t need to do any checkerboard test to see image retention. Just regular use, within literally minutes, the menu bar, desktop icons, or pretty much any bright elements around the edges of the screen start ghosting VERY noticeably. It’s a pretty unacceptable flaw.

same for me

 

[Erehy Dobon]

Did anyone else get this?
The trial begins on October 25, 2019

Court-Directed Notice regarding Class Certification
Shamrell, et al. v. Apple Inc. Class Litigation

...

What is this lawsuit about? The Fourth Amended Complaint ("Complaint") alleges that Apple Inc. sold the iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 with defective sleep/wake (power) buttons and failed to disclose (or insufficiently disclosed) this defect to purchasers in violation of various California state laws. This action seeks relief for alleged claims of breach of warranty and alleged violations of the California Consumers Legal Remedies Act, the California Unfair Competition Law, the California Song-Beverly Act and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. The Complaint seeks damages in the form of recovery of the cost to repair the broken sleep/wake button or the diminished value of the iPhone due to the broken sleep/wake button, along with restitution, injunctive and declaratory relief.

Just to close the loop on this, I received a $24 settlement check about six weeks ago which I dutifully cashed.

My guess is that in ten years or so, I will receive a settlement check for the butterfly keyboard. There may be another check for battery performance brouhaha.

I don't expect any of these to go to a jury trial.

 

[ThugFreak]

Just to close the loop on this, I received a $24 settlement check about six weeks ago which I dutifully cashed.

My guess is that in ten years or so, I will receive a settlement check for the butterfly keyboard. There may be another check for battery performance brouhaha.

I don't expect any of these to go to a jury trial.

Deleted

 

[tyc0746]

So, has that $24 fixed/mitigated anyone’s image retention problem?

 

[ThugFreak]

So, has that $24 fixed/mitigated anyone’s image retention problem?

Deleted

 

[Moonjumper]

I have a big problem with image retention on my 2015 27” iMac. I have heard reports of it starting after upgrading to Mojave, which matches when it started for me.

A screensaver helps a bit, but it soon comes back. Plus the worst retention is around the edges, and Flurry is the most suitable screensaver for giving the pixels a workout, but it is mostly active in the centre of the screen.

 

[Ethosik]

I actually have image retention on my 2019 i9 iMac. This is why I want to get a headless Mac and just use my own monitors. I am thinking about the new Mac mini as it should definitely be better than my iMac for Final Cut Pro.

 

[President-Elect Beachball]

I actually have image retention on my 2019 i9 iMac. This is why I want to get a headless Mac and just use my own monitors. I am thinking about the new Mac mini as it should definitely be better than my iMac for Final Cut Pro.

This is how being an Apple customer goes, you spend a ton of money on hardware that has an issue that can't/won't be fixed. The solution? Spend more big bucks on yet ANOTHER Apple product. We keep rewarding them for their shady/shoddy manufacturing.

And why do we do that? Because we want/need to continue using their software, either because we already invested the $$$ on it, or because there are really no alternatives on windowsland. That's why we accept what is in fact an abusive relationship.

The Mac Mini does look like the least painful solution, but beware: unless you have a 4k monitor and are willing to run it at 200% scaling, the image will look like garbage. Why? Because Apple doesn't like to play nice with anything third-party.