edis

Q: vertical lines - there for sure

I want to share my success of getting iMac, that was demoed for a while, before I became user and warranty time started ticking for me. Initially unhappy to discover, that unit was on display at some computer shop (via traces of activities), I am now extremely happy to be found in position to be covered by 12 months warranty, once famous vertical lines issue is there, as it should (same unfortunate serial number). Only weeks were left for this joy to happen.

On the other hand, I am posting this to encourage Apple looking at the essence of problem, and stop playing unaware - when the rest of the world knows issue very well, it would be surprising, that otherwise great company would behave like it does now. If we, Apple users, are goodwilled to slightly overpay for our gadgets, surely we do this with trust in Apple as decent manufacturer of reliable equipment. If manufacturing turns out to have defects (having that for particular serie is sure sign), we, users, and Apple are finding ourselves at crossroads: either our favorite company does right thing to protect our expectations, or we no longer expect equipment to be reliable, we though it should be.

If my PC screens are more robust, than those in Mac, and if there is nobody to stand on our side in such discoveries - well, you got idea.

Personally, I am happy to have warranty, as described. But it is only luck. One cannot expect be lucky all the time.

Apple, please address issue as needed, I want to be able buying your next product.

iMac Core Duo, Mac OS X (10.5.3)

Posted on Jul 1, 2008 2:35 AM

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Q: vertical lines - there for sure

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  • by musashi88,

    musashi88 musashi88 Dec 9, 2008 3:54 AM in response to BigBang
    Level 2 (455 points)
    Dec 9, 2008 3:54 AM in response to BigBang
    After the 2nd fix it's been working perfectly for about 2 1/2 weeks. I'm not worried too much for now. The new screen is under warranty for 3 months. Good luck.
    M.
  • by fjsdofnsjgv,

    fjsdofnsjgv fjsdofnsjgv Dec 11, 2008 6:23 PM in response to musashi88
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Dec 11, 2008 6:23 PM in response to musashi88
    90 days to be exact.
  • by lion10,

    lion10 lion10 Dec 18, 2008 5:44 AM in response to musashi88
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 18, 2008 5:44 AM in response to musashi88
    Don't be to rashly... If you want be sure, test it within 48h to 72h. Just don't power of, and disable power management.

    My little iMac has now the 3th (!!!) replaced display, and I was able to reproduce the iMac vertical lines issue every time within 72h...

    Until now, they just changed the display, it doesn't resolve the problem.

    To everyone with a real successful repair, please help to localize the root of the problem:

    - display

    Excluded, it solved the problem NOT in my case!

    - logic board
    - video board (LVDS)
    - internal power or display cables
    - an obscure hardware related issue in/with the video RAM
    - power supply (?)

    One of the above components must be the effective "culprit".
  • by Zeitgeist777,

    Zeitgeist777 Zeitgeist777 Jan 6, 2009 8:39 AM in response to edis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 6, 2009 8:39 AM in response to edis
    Just wanted to contribute to this forum, as I have been struck with the very same problem. A line appeared about 6 months ago, and over the subsequent months, a few more appeared. My iMac is about 2 1/2 years old, and I am not under warranty. For this reason, I did not even bother to call Apple six months ago when the problem began. After coming across this forum, however, I decided to call Apple today and plead my case. As suggested, I spoke to a supervisor (a couple, actually) and simply explained the issue as nicely as possible (after all, it's not THAT person's fault). Well, I was told that they had heard about this vertical line problem for some G5 machines, but not for the 2006 iMacs, like mine. I told them about this forum, and how it seems as though MANY folks with the same computer as me are dealing with this major issue. They said that NO ONE at Apple monitors these forums, so any complaints would never be heard. They said to use the feedback, as has been suggested. Which is mainly why I'm writing. Point is, Apple does attend to these issues (they now have an extended warranty for the G5s that have the line problem) when enough folks tell them about it. So, if you want some sort of general recall or warranty extension, use their customer support FEEDBACK, and maybe we can all rest easy. My story ends with them agreeing to pay for the repair this one time, so I hope it all works out. <Edited by Moderator>
  • by Patricia Dawson1,

    Patricia Dawson1 Patricia Dawson1 Dec 27, 2008 6:41 AM in response to amacmedic
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Dec 27, 2008 6:41 AM in response to amacmedic
    I called Apple Support and was told that my only option is to pay to have it repaired, is probably the Logic Board (tho that was changed 3 months ago for a different reason) and would probably cost the same as a new computer.
    My data: Machine Name: iMac G5 (no serial number)
    Machine Model: PowerMac8,2
    CPU Type: PowerPC G5 (3.0)
    graphic display: ATI Radeon 9600:
    Chipset Model: ATY,RV351
    I had the 3 year warranty, expired in Sept last, and i actually used it to replace virtually everything except the display (computer was freezing in iMovie and GoogleEarth).
    So, i give up. I feel lucky that i have ONLY 3 lines (most recent cropped up this week). I can live with it as is, but a shame that an Apple product will do this and that the company is doing such a poor job of responding or even talking about their response.)
  • by pipeyboy,

    pipeyboy pipeyboy Dec 27, 2008 9:40 AM in response to edis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 27, 2008 9:40 AM in response to edis
    I too have a vertical line(magenta) that showed up on my screen a week ago. Not really bad, just annoying. Fortunately, I can still see through it. I ran Onyx, hoping to make some discoveries. It reported that there is a hard drive problem, even though I've "zeroed out" the hard drive and reloaded everything. The line is still there. I also noticed that "Applejack" wouldn't work, nor could I reset the nvram. Not sure if all this is related to the appearance of the vertical line
  • by Diazruanova,

    Diazruanova Diazruanova Dec 27, 2008 9:52 AM in response to pipeyboy
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Dec 27, 2008 9:52 AM in response to pipeyboy
    I am sorry to tell you this, but once the problem appears, it is a matter of a few months before your monitor becomes totally useless with hundreds of lines. This has nothing to do with a software problem or a corrupted disk that can be repaired with Onyx and such: it is a hardware problem related to the worst quality control of any computer on the market on recent years... shame on Apple !
  • by peeveeb,

    peeveeb peeveeb Dec 29, 2008 11:36 AM in response to edis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 29, 2008 11:36 AM in response to edis
    Another out-of-warranty late-2006 Intel 17in with vertical lines in display... this different from most on this thread in that a 1-inch wide vertical block appeared suddenly - all white except a few colored lines near edges. Screen shot of affected area shows normal image, so logic and video boards apparently OK -> failed LCD. This has a QP serial number, so not one of the Shanghai batch. New York Apple Store wants about US$550 for a new LCD. Still thinking about this...
  • by curvebender,

    curvebender curvebender Dec 31, 2008 1:44 AM in response to peeveeb
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 31, 2008 1:44 AM in response to peeveeb
    First line appeared two months ago, and today the fourth made its debut... I bought the computer late 2005, so it was out of warranty.

    Just spoke with Apple support here in Sweden: they are fixing the problem for free. They said they were gonna make an "exception"... (I was polite, calm and understanding. Maybe that did the trick?!!)

    I have an iMac G5 iSight with serial starting with W854.
  • by curvebender,

    curvebender curvebender Dec 31, 2008 7:25 AM in response to curvebender
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 31, 2008 7:25 AM in response to curvebender
    Say hello to line number five!!

    I'm glad I made that call to Apple Support today...
  • by PJRives,

    PJRives PJRives Jan 2, 2009 9:11 AM in response to rosemary teacher
    Level 1 (85 points)
    Jan 2, 2009 9:11 AM in response to rosemary teacher
    Rosemary

    Just to clarify something. how many exactly is 'hundreds', how many are iMacs, which Apple KNOWS are faulty and will develop vertical lines a couple of weeks out of the one year warranty. How many of those are over one year and have lines. And how many of them did your school decide to save some money and not buy AppleCare for so now you have to pay to replace them.
  • by PJRives,

    PJRives PJRives Jan 2, 2009 9:34 AM in response to woodcut
    Level 1 (85 points)
    Jan 2, 2009 9:34 AM in response to woodcut
    i wouldn't go so far as saying anyone is lying. but I would wonder where exactly these machines were taken for repair, what was the wording of the problem told to the tech etc.

    because if you took it to a non Apple store repair shop and told them your screen was broken, they aren't as likely to go any further than replacing the screen. In the SanFran case, it went to an Apple Store where the techs probably got an internal notice reporting some cases of screens screwing up and showing lines due to a logic board/graphics card/whatever the potential problem item was and to check the serial number etc.

    I've had many macs and ipods and ran into this kind of thing all the time. In one of the worst cases, I had a laptop that suddenly refused to power up and the guy at the authorized (but not apple store) shop told me to get a new battery because they are only guaranteed for a year so why was I surprised it wouldn't charge anymore. At shop number two they said it might be a faulty power connection but that model was two years old so it would be out of warranty (I bought it used and the girl never mentioned apple care) and they wouldn't even test it without me paying a fee.

    I drove out of my way to take it to an Apple store. they tested it right off, no fee. told me that the power port had shorted out, checked the serial number and discovered that the original owner did in fact buy apple care. they couldn't repair it in shop but they paid to send it overnight express to the location that could, who got it fixed the day after it arrived and back into OE and I had it back in working order in three days (because I was at work when it arrived at the local store and couldn't get there before closing).

    moral of the story. what has been told might be true. but might also not be all of the story.
  • by PJRives,

    PJRives PJRives Jan 2, 2009 9:47 AM in response to Mommie2Gianna
    Level 1 (85 points)
    Jan 2, 2009 9:47 AM in response to Mommie2Gianna
    not exactly. the lines these guys are seeing are distinct vertical bands of a solid color. like some (most) of the pixels in that area are missing. and they stay missing no matter what you are looking at.

    honestly, from the picture you gave, first thought is that you expanded a photo that was too small so it got fuzzy. which could just be the result of taking a snapshot of a computer screen (some cameras just can't take a good pic of a tv or display screen)

    also, you just got this computer in the last computer of months. so you will have no issues getting it repaired or even replaced. these guys have an issue that takes time to develop. months. often over a year and they don't have AppleCare to extend the warranty so they are hosed on free repairs.

    if yours really is messed up, back up your files to an external hard drive, make that genius bar appointment and take it in stat. if they tell you it has to be left for days or shipped off, ask nicely to talk to a manager and see if they will just swap you since it is the same model they are selling right now.
  • by Linh My (American GI),

    Linh My (American GI) Linh My (American GI) Jan 2, 2009 10:34 AM in response to edis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Jan 2, 2009 10:34 AM in response to edis
    My IMac, W8606xxxU2N is in Viet Nam where the local Apple dealer charges for warrantee repairs on even two week old Mac's that he didn't sell and a bottom end mini sells for roughly $1100.00 USD. Anyway, I tried using an external monitor and found it frustrating until I opened up my iMac and disconnected the the built in LCD. I also replaced the original 160g HD with a 500g HD at the same time.

    So the end result is that a nearly 3 year old broken iMac has become a useful headless desktop. I found disconnecting the LCD and changing the HD roughly comparable in difficulty to changing the HD in a mini. I am debating a CPU upgrade, for the core duo 1.83, but that looks difficult to do.

    My conclusion is that, if you can't get Apple to fix your iMac, spending $300.00 on a decent external LCD and upgrading the HD makes much better sense than paying as much or more to replace the existing LCD. Does anyone know where to find a print out for the internal LCD connection? I'd love dual monitor support.
  • by Bueller555,

    Bueller555 Bueller555 Jan 2, 2009 1:43 PM in response to edis
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Jan 2, 2009 1:43 PM in response to edis
    I finally reported my problem with vertical lines a little while ago. Started off like many with a few annoying lines appearing then growing. Now, wide bands have appeared and only 20% of the far left side of the screen is viewable. My serial starts off W8635... and is a 17 inch iMac 2.0Ghz/1GB with iSight. I asked for a product specialist when I called in the problem, but the product specialist claimed that he couldn't find anything related to my problem. I'll try again a little later with another specialist.

    If anyone was successful in getting your issue resolved with Apple, could you email me in my profile and share your case number? I'd like to at least be able to point the next product specialist in the right direction. The last product specialist was clueless. Thanks.

    Message was edited by: Moderator
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