ginabee
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: 27" iMac 2.66Ghz i7 (intel based) displaying random coloured squares on the screen.

How many Mac users have suffered from the problem of small coloured squares appearing at random on the iMac desktop? They can be wiped by dragging a window over them but they will eventually reappear. I have discovered at least three other threads where this issue has been discussed but our local Apple store is claiming that Apple haven't declared it as a legacy fault. It would be interesting to hear how others have been treated when presenting Apple with this fault. At first they thought it was the GPU but they now think that it is either the logic board OR the logic board AND the GPU together!! Being charged between £480 and £650 to repair a machine that is less than 18 months old is a bit much from a company that continually boasts about the quality of its products.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Jun 11, 2012 5:48 AM

Close
ginabee

Q: 27" iMac 2.66Ghz i7 (intel based) displaying random coloured squares on the screen.

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by a brody,

    a brody a brody Jun 11, 2012 7:58 AM in response to ginabee
    Level 9 (66,875 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Jun 11, 2012 7:58 AM in response to ginabee

    Well you had the option of spending much less on AppleCare anytime in the first year of ownership.  Not doing so, you pay the non-bulk rate of repairs without AppleCare.    Granted if enough people complain to http://www.apple.com/feedback/ there is a chance they might release an exchange/repair program.  You are speaking to a hospital ward here, so obviously you are only going to hear from mostly the worst cases.  This should not make you think it is a reflection of the general quality.   Some authorized service providers may offer a less expensive rate through http://www.apple.com/uk/buy/ or someone at a http://www.apple.com/usergroups/ might know a cheaper place for out of warranty repairs.

  • by ginabee,

    ginabee ginabee Jun 11, 2012 8:12 AM in response to a brody
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 11, 2012 8:12 AM in response to a brody

    Thanks for the AppleCare comments now if only you could find some practical use for hindsight.

     

    I was however looking for others who had encountered this problem. I have come across 4 threads, so far, where people have had this exact problem problem so it isn't an isolated incident. If people have been having this problem during the warranty period then that coud be used as evidence of a legacy failure to use Apple terminology.

  • by a brody,

    a brody a brody Jun 11, 2012 8:38 AM in response to ginabee
    Level 9 (66,875 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Jun 11, 2012 8:38 AM in response to ginabee

    In many scenarios AppleCare has covered such repairs if it was purchased before the machine was a year old, and the issue happened anytime until the machine's 3 year birthday of date of purchase.  Really this is a problem though you need to take up with AppleCare.  I would recommend that anyone having this problem report it to AppleCare and the feedback line.   As long as a problem goes unreported, Apple will have no idea how extensive the issue is.  Posting here to the support community may help others become aware of this, but in reality, Apple has better channels to be approached about the problem.  It happened way back when to my iMac G4.  I even sent it back three times before it finally got replaced and fixed.  It was all covered under AppleCare.  It happens now to my iMac 5,1 only when I use an older version of Google Earth.   Suffice it to say, some applications stress the GPU more than others.  Good luck!

  • by Ninklesko,

    Ninklesko Ninklesko Jan 9, 2014 10:46 PM in response to ginabee
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 9, 2014 10:46 PM in response to ginabee

    Hello,

     

    I am attempting to track down multiple threads regarding the same/similar issues.  I see the same issue with my 2010 iMac and cannot seem to find a solution yet.  However some troubleshooting procedures have been addressed at the following post (for those who are interested)

    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3867557?start=15&tstart=0