24 inch iMac aluminum - Screen irregularities - (Photo!)
I took my trusty light meter to the Apple store and checked 2 more 24" iMacs on display... both had the same problem, but not quite as bad as mine. (see photo below)
Local Apple store manager says that if the iMac screen is not "professional" enough for me, they'll be happy to take it back and sell me a pro unit and separate monitor. I say there is something very wrong with these units. I would not be happy with this machine even just for web browsing, email and casual photos, let alone attempting anything even REMOTELY professional!
I advise anyone reading this to do the same test... set the background desktop image to a "solid color" and evaluate before buying! You don't need a light meter, anyone can see it immediately.
24" iMac Aluminum, Mac OS X (10.4.10)