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

Thanks for posting those links. The Amazon reviews help to add some perspective to the mainly troubleshooting focus on these boards.

Sorry Breezecare! Could you let us know what Week Number it Is? Week Number is the Fourth & Fifth character of your Serial Number. You need to report it to  & get a case number.

Citrus, don't jump to conclusions.

Just because someone receives a new machine, doesn't mean they are receiving a "new" machine. There are a lot of the older models still on the shelf, and possibly being recycled.

I would also fully expect to see some problems with a few of the 01 and 02 machines, although the frequency should be falling off.

After week 02? There is some reason for the delays.....and remember, those delays are after week 02.

I'd better get off of here for a while, or else, I'll be posting more than Dino.

I don't want to post more, and longer. (snicker)

And BTW Dino.....my hair is longer.

Boy I guess I do post a lot! I've become addicted. I'm going to cool out as well. Really this time!
Well I'm glad your a member of the Long Haired Rock & Roll Club, as well as being a Geek.

Yes, citrus101, I find new ways to torment myself every day.

Going on day 12 with mine after the LCD and cable connector replacement and its still flicker free.

I don't often enter into these forums but at this stage I think it would be worth adding my response.

I live in Australia and I ordered an i7 27" iMac about six weeks ago. I expected a long wait and was cool about that. I then got wind of the varying problems being encountered by purchasers of the 27" models and since then I have been closely following the matter in this and other forums in the hope that I would read of a fix by Apple or at very least an indication as to what steps they were taking to address the problems.

Nothing has been said or done officially (except perhaps the largely unsuccessful firmware update) and this has left everyone up in the air and uncertain as to what to do next and there is now a growing lack of trust in the way these problems have been handled with various Apple outlets offering one fix or another and others similarly clutching at straws and trying other remedies.

BUT purchasers are still left in a long winded lottery as to whether or not they will 'win' a fault free iMac or, what seems more likely, be forced into a long cycle of returns and re-returns and the heartache involved - plus all the work of having to migrate data back and forth that this situation causes.

Back to my own story... I final got the call for the dealer that my new iMac was available (I had not even paid a deposit at this stage), normally my excitement levels would jump but not so this time. I queried the S/N and it was a week 53... now I had to quickly decide what to do...???

I am presently using an 8 month old 24" iMac in perfect condition but I am one of those lucky people that can update when a brand new model comes out. However, I am not prepared to have the hassle of having to pack and unpack and return the machine to the shop - I live in a rural area and the round trip would be in excess of 300km. So I cancelled the order, telling the salesman that I would make my purchase if and when Apple definitely fixed the problems. The dealer was fine with my decision.

Now it's up to Apple to make the next move, so come on - the money is burning a hole in my pocket but it will stay firmly there until you JUST DO SOMETHING about this intolerable situation.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2300252&tstart=15

After some very positive comments, not good news from there. "Nr. 4 goes back"!!! There is no turnaround in this story.

We need clear words from Apple!

Yours looks as though it was built the same week as mine, and I've been on to Apple Support today.
Just waiting now for my confirmation emails re: pick up and replacement.

Lamont:

It is a big boat. I live in Baltimore, MD and I am in the same boat you are. I have been waiting to purchase a 27" i7 since last November but *will not* until I see a definitive Apple fix to the flicking problems.

Perhaps there is no reply from Apple on these issues because all of their heads in now into the "iTablet".

Message was edited by: swimmerjf

citrus101 wrote:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2300252&tstart=15

After some very positive comments, not good news from there. "Nr. 4 goes back"!!! There is no turnaround in this story.

We need clear words from Apple!

Oh well, that was supposed to be a positive one, but as usual it has become yet another iMac crap thread...

Hey all,
I'm a long time listener.... first time caller.

There are many who are having this flickering problem but who are just watching and waiting. So this thread is a great service to all.

Some good news... my week 46 iMac had most of the issues reported, dead pixel on screen, 7 dead isight pixels, yellowing/shadowing bottom right and of course the flickering and screen blacking out.

Got a replacement a few days before Xmas. It is a week 51 and generally it has been far better. Screen has less yellowing (though still there) but acceptable. iSight has like 9 dead pixels.. some black and some red... but doesn't actually show up when being used normally.

Flicker is FIXED BUT there is a new related problem.
I still get flickering but its more to do with the backlight.
For a split second the backlight will go darker (like it was going into energy saving mode). The screen doesn't tear, it doesn't go into sleep (black out) but several times a day i will see the backlight flicker (dim and then return to normal brightness).

YES i have disabled all energy saving to see if it makes a difference.. but no dice.

I have yet to call Apple since like most i'm almost can't be bothered. It can be quite defeating getting a faulty machine and trying to get help from Apple. Not to mention having to move over gigs of data with every replacement. Its also very minor and i haven't been able to capture it on video yet.

Is anyone else getting something similar? I won't call it flickering.. i'll call it a backlight pulsing.

PS. it happens in Windows too running in bootcamp.
Loose backlight connection perhaps???

Hi Apple-Techs,

I have a new theory for you:

It is not true - so as many people say - that magnetic fields have no affect on LCD-screens. The so called hall-effect is an example for magnetic effects on LCD-screens. Could it be that there is a magnetic resonance between monitor and loudspeakers? Maybe a stupid idea, but - as Dino said a week ago - with computers nothing is impossible.