Bought new iMac 20" Faded Screen

My Al Glossy Imac 20 is 21 days old, Can I back it? Can I change it? Can they give me my money?, please help me what can I do. Thanks

You might be able to take it back if you can show that a good number of 20" iMacs have the same problem. I had to send 2 back because of the 'gradient' problem. I finally solved the problem by buying a 24".

I believe that Apple should own up to this mistake and replace ALL 20" iMacs with this problem.

Since the 1091939 thread was deleted, I thought I'd follow up and say that I asked for a 24" as well when I called up Apple yesterday to return my second 20". I hope to receive it in 10 days if not sooner.

Are you saying that they're giving you the 24" at a discount? Or are you paying full price?

Here's a great way to tell if your display has the issue

Open System Preferences

Click Display

Click the colors tab

Select iMac in the menu and click calibrate

Select "2.2 Television Gamma" and click continue

On the next screen select "9300"

I'm at a straight viewing angle to the screen, and the menubar appears blue. however the dock simply looks a bit darker than normal.

I just called AppleCare, and after I answered it's spoken response questions, it stated it would transfer me to an iMac specialist and promptly hung up on me.

heh,

must have been some glitch, I'm on hold...

I wish it was a free upgrade. I'm paying the difference and upgrading to the 24". I just hope I don't have some of the 24" problems that others here are experiencing. I'll post back when I get it.

I just bought the same 20" iMac. I too have the previous model. Side-by-side, the old one has a much better display. I will be exchanging it for the 24" model since I can't justify downgrading from my older model. I've read other message boards and this is a problem with their 20" display. I really just need and want the 20" but I may have to suck it up and pay for the 24". I tried calibrating it also, and that didn't help.

I got my 24" iMac yesterday after returning two 20" iMacs, and I can say, like many others have already, that it is a a lot more uniform in brightness. I'll be keeping this one.

Thanks to all who have posted and shared their experience.

I too have noticed this problem. I've looked at 20" and 24" side by side in Bristol with a solid colour full screen and the 20" display definitely has a luminosity gradient - darker at the top than the bottom.

I thought it was just me (the store staff swore they couldn't see a difference)

Looks like you have helped me make up my mind to fork out the extra for a 24" even though I really wanted the 20". I am a photography student and need a decent consistent display.

It hasn't been mentioned here but I have also had this problem on 2 MacBooks, a core duo which had other hardware issues too and the latest core 2 duo which apple gave me as a replacement. Both models have a luminosity gradient - darker at the top, lighter at the bottom. I have complained to Apple and received only denial - although various staff at Apple stores have agreed there was a gradient but told me that all MacBooks have the problem. I have looked at MacBooks in many different stores both in the UK and abroad and seen this problem on every one.

And now the bottom of the screen is starting to develop hotspots which are much brighter, so looks like this one will need repair or replacement too. I run my screen at various different gammas, depending on what I am doing and also use a hardware monitor calibrator.

Come on Apple. We are prepared to pay a premium for quality integrated hardware and software and you are really letting us down with poor quality control lately.

I see that I am not alone on this issue. So I was told that Apple equipped the 20" iMacs with the cheaper TN screens which exhibit this gradation/wash-out problem and NOT on the 24" models.

I REALLY wish they would've addressed this hardware difference on the technical specification details.

Glad (or not glad I guess) to see I'm not alone. I just bought my first new mac, the iMac 20", in 5 years since my Powerbook 12". Looks like I picked the wrong time. I like the machine, but this screen issue is so painfully obvious. I'm actually really surprised that Apple, with its sales/stock/notoriety going through the roof that they wouldn't want to formally address this problem and nip in the bud before it becomes a PR nightmare. There is obviously something wrong here and the 20" are unsatisfactory...the screen issue is just that bad.

DexterC wrote:
I see that I am not alone on this issue. So I was told that Apple equipped the 20" iMacs with the cheaper TN screens which exhibit this gradation/wash-out problem and NOT on the 24" models.

Be aware that the new 24" iMacs also have serious display uniformity issues -- almost certainly, a hardware defect. Although there's no "washed-out color" problem, many (most? all?) have very significant left-to-rightness brightness gradients, (i.e., max:min luminance ratios well over 2:1).

http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=5166261#51662618

And BTW, the 20" iMac display's disgraceful performance IS NOT a normal characteristic of TN panel technology. There are hundreds of beautiful TN monitors on the market at very modest prices.

Looby

I am around cheap TN displays all day and none of them have the gradient problem of
my new 20" iMac. Something is really out of whack with the back lighting, the bottom being much brighter than the top.

jfazio,

I tried your suggestion and switched the color profile to the Adobe RGB(1998) one. The screen looks AMAZING compared to before.

Great suggestion and was easy to do.

Thank you.