swapnonil

Q: Greyish Smudge marks behind the glass screen.

I have a 21.5 iMac bought in November 2009.

There appears to be numerous greyish smudge marks behind the glass screen on the top left hand corner.

It was not apparent to me at first, but after I started using OMMWriter it became easily visible. I also tried placing a neutral white background like TextEdit and it was easily visible even then.

I have cleaned the screen on numerous occasions and it has not had any effect.

What should I do?

These spots are quite disturbing.

iMac 21.5, November 2009, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Jan 15, 2010 10:55 AM

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Q: Greyish Smudge marks behind the glass screen.

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  • by AdriaticBlue,

    AdriaticBlue AdriaticBlue Apr 17, 2012 8:13 PM in response to swapnonil
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 17, 2012 8:13 PM in response to swapnonil

    Thanks to the users who responded earlier with kind messages. 

     

    If the QC staff in the iMac manufacturing plants were as effective as the Mods here, this would not be at 49-pages.

  • by PaulaMN,

    PaulaMN PaulaMN Apr 17, 2012 9:27 PM in response to swapnonil
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 17, 2012 9:27 PM in response to swapnonil

    My September 2010 iMac is in for LCD panel replacement for this issue.

     

    I don't know if this is helpful, but I was told it was a known issue and would be fixed beyond warranty free of charge - I do have Apple Care though.

     

    If you are speaking to someone who doesn't understand what you are talking about, tell them to look up "LCD panel contamination." The specific issue starts in the upper left hand corner and expands from there.

  • by johnpc,

    johnpc johnpc Apr 18, 2012 6:27 AM in response to PaulaMN
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 18, 2012 6:27 AM in response to PaulaMN

    Thanks! I will try this as my Apple Care is about to expire and the two separate stores I've gone to and the Apple Care representative have said no such thing and more or less "wished me luck" beyond the expiration of Apple Care (which is in December of this year) and I'm currently on my 4th LCD panel replacement...

  • by PaulaMN,

    PaulaMN PaulaMN Apr 18, 2012 9:06 AM in response to johnpc
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 18, 2012 9:06 AM in response to johnpc

    I hope you can get it resolved. They have to get to the specific issue on their check-in iPads. As I'm sure others have said (I haven't read the entire thread), it is caused by the power supply heat.

  • by Antonio999,

    Antonio999 Antonio999 Apr 19, 2012 2:20 AM in response to swapnonil
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 19, 2012 2:20 AM in response to swapnonil

    MYTH BUSTED.

    Great and interesting news.

    My iClouds became so intolerable that I tried all Youtube recommended DIY exercises. First result is that disconnecting LCD panel from the mainboard I broke the connector. The second one except whirls of dust on the alluminum back cover I figured out that there is nothing I can do.

    So I took it to local repair shop. AMAZINGLY guy there said that for $80 he will fix it (he was more sceptic about the connector). He said that it is dust. I expressed my doubts. Long story short.

    Two days later I got perfectly clean iMac back. He asked me not to tell anyone about Apple policy. Apple insists that LCD is 'dead or alive"part and forbids to try to fix it, only replacement. He said that smudges are thin dust which gets in between LEDs and screen because of lack of insulation. He disassembles back side of the panel, cleans it and Scotch it very tightly for future concers. Otherwise he offered to wait a month, because under Apple's instructions LG doesn't sell replacement LCD panels without getting back faulty ones. So for $600 plus shipping (which is not cheap) I can get a new screen.

    So - it is not burn out. Air filters will help. It has nothing to do with smoking, it is about thin dust which is everywhere. Apple acts "strangely".

    By the way how do you post photos here. Tried but failed. With good advice will post all jpg's.

  • by BinaryMango,

    BinaryMango BinaryMango Apr 19, 2012 8:00 AM in response to Antonio999
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Apr 19, 2012 8:00 AM in response to Antonio999

    Very interesting! Would love to see photos.

     

    My suggestion would be not to upload them direct to this forum, but instead choose a free image hosting service such as http://minus.com/ or http://imgur.com/ or http://imageshack.us/ and then link to the photos in this thread.

     

    Thanks in advance!

  • by motofabio,

    motofabio motofabio Apr 19, 2012 10:42 AM in response to Antonio999
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 19, 2012 10:42 AM in response to Antonio999

    Antonio, that's nice to hear. I would gladly spend $80 to clean and seal the panel.  Can you share what local shop you took it to so that others can benefit from this guy's knowledge?  I've read many posts about cleaning it, but never has anyone mentioned sealing it after cleaning to prevent more contamination.  It totally makes sense!

  • by johnpc,

    johnpc johnpc Apr 19, 2012 4:19 PM in response to Antonio999
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 19, 2012 4:19 PM in response to Antonio999

    That makes a lot of sense, this always kind of looked like dust to me, hence the initial frantic attemps with various cleaning solutions and wiping the screen like a nut which I (and it appears several others) went through prior to taking the computer to the store.  I also think it's interesting that my 2007 24 inch I-Mac, which does not have the glass extending to the edge of the screen, but rather provides a solid and one piece metal frame never had these problems, i.e., sealing seems like it might be the "magic bullet", I can't believe noone brought this up until now.. thanks! (of course I guess the way Apple is acting doesn't help)

  • by J.K. ROFLing,

    J.K. ROFLing J.K. ROFLing Apr 22, 2012 7:46 AM in response to johnpc
    Level 4 (1,220 points)
    Apr 22, 2012 7:46 AM in response to johnpc

    Dust makes sense as a cause, you might want to take a look at the environment the computer is being used in. Not saying it will take care of everyones problem, but will a number of them. But sealing the screen is NOT the answer. If it is not sealed, it is open for a reason, that is not an oversight on the manufacturers part (Apple, Samsung, or whoever made the display). If you seal the display, you are sealing ambient air between the panels, that air contains moisture and moisture is not going to be good, the display heats up and cools down, condensation is caused...do the math. Then there is an issue of pressure differences between the sealed panes and the outside air...  Sealing it is not a good idea anyway you put it.

     

    I don't have the issue that you guys are taking about, call me lucky or blind because you think I do have it and just don't see it, what ever. But I did talk to a Genius at one of the Austin Apple Stores and he told me that all the stores should know how to handle it and if not, they need to do some research. But he also said that virtually all of the bad cases he has seen have been due to environmental issues, most in homes of smokers or higher dust areas.

  • by iainfrombellshill,

    iainfrombellshill iainfrombellshill Apr 22, 2012 9:06 AM in response to J.K. ROFLing
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Apr 22, 2012 9:06 AM in response to J.K. ROFLing

    I thought you were done with posting on this thread, especially as you don't even have the problem we are complaining about. 

     

    However , you may well be absolutely correct about your thoughts about sealing the screen so I assume that you were were wanting to share those with us that might have thought of going down that road.  So thanks for that.

     

    However I do not regard what an Apple Genuis (an employee of Apple) might have said to you about the problem been due to environmental issues, most in homes of smokers or higher dust areas as been reliable.  I still maintain its a design fault.  The main reason I say that is because it dosn't take a genius, even an Apple one, to see that my 2007 iMac 24" which sits right beside my 2009 iMac 27" dosn't have any screen prolems at all.  They are both on 24/7 and sit 4 inches from each other.  The 2007 24" sat for 2 years in EXACTLY the same place as my less than 2 year old 27" which developed problems not long out of warranty.  I don't smoke and rarely have to even dust.

     

    In fairness to Apple I have not taken my computer back as it was out of warranty when I spoke to somebeody in the store around about the time I first noticed it I was told it would be a chargeable repair.  However after seeing that it is quite common (okay I am just assuming its quite common because I know many people who have the problem, neither of us has actual facts about the number of screens affected so neither can make accurate claims) I am going to return with my iMac to a new Apple store, which is easier to access, and see what they say now that they should be aware of the problem  I bought my iMac by credit card so may well approach them if I don't get any joy with Apple. Will post back how I get on.

  • by Rainmist,

    Rainmist Rainmist Apr 30, 2012 3:47 AM in response to Humble Pie
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 30, 2012 3:47 AM in response to Humble Pie

    I so agree with you as I am having the same problem and also now having black screen and can't even use my imac 27" tonight as it stays black now.  I too switched from PC and was very pleased with my mac for a while, I bought it in 2010.  Not now however and I am beginning to feel ripped off.  The smudge is covering half my screen now...grrr..No more macs for me!  I am glad I have found all this info out because I was going to purchase a mac laptop.  Back to PC's as they are less of a headache for sure.

  • by eddy kestemont,

    eddy kestemont eddy kestemont Apr 30, 2012 4:40 AM in response to swapnonil
    Level 2 (488 points)
    Apr 30, 2012 4:40 AM in response to swapnonil

    My iMac 21.5" (november 2010) has been repaired, screen changed at no cost by the Apple local dealer (I did have no Applecare or other extended warranty) . Warranty is two (2 !) years in Europe ( and finally after years and a court decision in Italy Apple acknowledge this on their Web site). Hope iMac screen will stay pristine for the next years...

  • by BinaryMango,

    BinaryMango BinaryMango Apr 30, 2012 4:54 AM in response to Rainmist
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Apr 30, 2012 4:54 AM in response to Rainmist

    FYI, I've owned a 13" Macbook Pro since 2009 and never had a problem with it (knock on wood). I'm pretty sure this screen-smudge issue is only prevalent on the all-in-one iMac line due to the design of the screen and being so close to the internal heat sources in the machine. Whereas on their laptop line the screen is completely separate (when the laptop is opened and in use) from the "guts" which reside below the keyboard.

     

    Bottom line; I'm hesitant about future iMac's but I personally wouldn't think twice about purchasing any other Apple product.

  • by Grace Munroe,

    Grace Munroe Grace Munroe Apr 30, 2012 5:31 AM in response to BinaryMango
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 30, 2012 5:31 AM in response to BinaryMango

    I've had my iMac replaced and had more screen and glass replacements than I can count. the last time it was taken for repairs for almost a week and even though I haven't had any more problems with it......... yet. I bought a HP laptop as a spare and intend to get an all in one pc computer when I eventually upgrade. I'll never buy anything with and i in it again not an iPhone not an iPad and certainly not another iMac. my warranty is up and I'm over it heres to getting another pc in the future.

  • by motofabio,

    motofabio motofabio Apr 30, 2012 10:47 AM in response to eddy kestemont
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 30, 2012 10:47 AM in response to eddy kestemont

    eddy kestemont wrote:

     

    "and finally after years and a court decision in Italy Apple acknowledge this on their Web site"

     

    Eddy, can you please provide a link to this? I am very interested to see it!  Thanks!

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