Q: New iMac 27inch screen flickering/tearing/shutoff

and after days of not having the flicker, it returned today. It's a minor annoyance, that goes away with a quick screen sleep... BUT this is still unacceptable. This is my FIRST mac experience and while the Mac is awesome, this really BLOWS. I'm gonna wait to take mine in for repairs after seeing how many people have taken theirs in and they can't fix it yet. Hoping they release a software update.

i really don't like Apple's NOT addressing this issue and at least letting us know they are working on this fix. It seems like all the "Mac Geniuses" keep saying this is the first they are hearing of the problem. Give me a break already. Apple, FIX THIS!

I have been feverishly following this discussion ... hoping for some answers as the rest of you are!
I am still on my first Mac, week 50, and waiting for a replacement to arrive at the Apple store...nervous too about how this is all going to end up. Now that I am getting a replacement, my CURRENT iMac has been performing FLAWLESSLY...not even one little flicker since this last weekend, after I took it to the Apple store to discuss the issue (they did nothing to my Mac at the time...I just showed them videos of the screen flicker I had managed to capture). Keeping fingers crossed for all of us!

That's just the thing. You might not experience the screen Flicker for months, even if you think you got a Flicker Free iMac. You'll be surfing, working & playing on Pins & Needles waiting for it to Flicker. Sometimes imagining it & it was just you blinking your eyes. We're all going to be so Paranoid, we won't be able to enjoy our computers. Really, I'm not Neurotic!

I've been doing photography the last year that I've been very happy with. Part of that was my new 26" Vizio monitor which I thought was gorgeous. So I open the gray/while lines and sure enough, I see a slight yellow ting.

I hate you all :P

I'm certain when my iMac arrives, which I ordered without reservation, if I don't have the problem I'll have the placebo affect instead.

Something will go wrong sooner or later!

See my post a page or so back! Week 48, 49 and now 45 all died shortly!

I fully expect week 2, 53's etc etc to go the same way too

where's pazuita when you need him with his unlucky list lol

I'm still here sparkie...........there's just not much worth commenting on.

Just keeping count, and looking for something significant in the numbers. Don't think it's gonna happen, too minor a problem.

Nothing like the old BSOD, or RROD in the windows world.

Well there will be no more from me now....

I'll be going macpro once they've refreshed them whenever that will be.

I'm done with the icraps and gonna take mine back tomorrow

I purchase my $2000.00 i5 27 inch imac for the first time and, my experience was an still a complete NIGHTMARE I can't seem to get a good 27inch imac I'M on my second one I had my imac for about a week now when my screen started to flicker again I tried the pram reset firmware update reinstalled operating system i thought i was getting away from that by moving over from windows to OS X10 /imac that was not the case the first imac i spent 2 days setting that baby up the way i wanted installed parallel desktop 5 along with windows vista downloaded my pictures music files then boom my imac started to act up my mouse wouldn't respond screen flicker constantly I HAD TO HARD REBOOT THAT SUCKER A COUPLE TIMES. I HAVE choice but TO TAKE THIS second imac BACK for some of the same problems im so disappointed i really want to keep it but for $2000.00 i JUST want it to work. WHAT HAPPEN TO IT JUST WORKS NO IT JUST DO NOT WORK!!OOH I SPENT SO MUCH TIME PREPPING THIS BABY TO KEEP FOR MYSELF I NEED TO GET PAID!! INCLUDING GAS money. I Love this pretty imac but she just will not perform well under pressure. i think i will go back to a cheaper computer UNTILL APPLE GET'S IT TOGETHER an,that mighty mouse needs some work!! gestures work fine but connectivity really bad. 2 27inch imac's time prepping priceless.

It's "Magic Mouse", and try a linebreak once in a while.

a do not buy a 27 inch imac wait im on my second one dreading the fact that i have to drag it back threw the mall again for a replacement or to get my money back .

i really don't like Apple's NOT addressing this issue and at least letting us know they are working on this fix. It seems like all the "Mac Geniuses" keep saying this is the first they are hearing of the problem.

Hi yir mumah. good morning Dino!

I can see the three wise monkeys ... "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".

Morning all,

Add one more video card replacement failure to the mix!! Young fellow at the genius bar wouldn't even look me in the eye when I got it back, and surprise surprise , not 20 minutes into work, flicker, flicker, blackout.

How many people now have had the screen and screen cable replaced, and been successful? Should I just tell them to do this?

I've just emailed that adress going round on here. Not after anything but just wanted to say about my disappointment really!

An update from me:

My week 47 which had 'slight' flickering issue (three episodes in four weeks, all after startup in v. cold office) and awful screen discolouration has now been exchanged in my local Apple Store for a week 49.

This one is MUCH better in terms of screen colour. There is still a slight yellowing toward the bottom, but I'm actively looking for it. If this had been the first iMac, I'd have not been at all bothered by it as it seems to be within a reasonable tolerance.

Interestingly, the major problem I had with the one that went back was not so much with the 'yellow' at the bottom of the screen, more the vile and patchy 'purple' of the centre and upper parts of the screen.

here's the relevant info:

OLD ONE
Week 47 27" C2D 3.06
Flickering and blackouts very intermittently and then only immediately after startup in an ambient temp of less than 10ºC. - Bloody Weather!
Very uneven screen colouring, with purpling being a particular problem.

NEW ONE
Week 49 27" C2D 3.06
Flickering - so far, so good (but this is only day one - I'll keep you all posted). Firmware upgrade wasn't pre-installed, but I have applied it now.
Screen is -slightly- uneven but not to any great degree, absolutely no trace of purple tinge at top.

A general note about the new one is that somehow it feels more solidly put together - especially the keyboard which on the last one had very uneven key heights. The screen tilt action is firmer but smoother too.

I'll post back if I have more news - good or bad.

I think I can get down to some work now and enjoy my new Mac.

I think there's five or six of us that have the screen and cable replaced and so far and as I can see on this forum we're all happy that it's fixed the problem. I'm still nervous that it might come back, but so far so good.
There was one early poster (Sonics99) who did the repair himself as he was an ex-Apple tech and reported that his screen had started flickering again 3 or 4 days after replacing. There's always the possibility he replaced bad parts with bad as it was fairly early on in this saga. Those that have had them replaced in the last month or so seem to have got the problem resolved. Also, I think from those that have reported on here that they had the video card replaced the success rate is zero.