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

Simon (UK) wrote:

jakematics wrote:
And SuperDuper! is free. Paid version has a scheduler.

And Smart Update

And Carbon Copy Cloner makes both (Smart Update and Scheduler) and is free too...

my imac just staring flickering this morning, I bought it the first day it came out so its been almost a month. Also have had the black screen and now the flickering is driving me crazy. After the 14 days does this become a warranty issue?

You are so out of luck unless Apple takes pity on you and offers you a refurbished replacement. If you purchased with an American Express card then simply do a charge back.

Schwa72,

I plan to use Migration Assistant when my replacement i7 arrives. What would be the benefit of restoring using my Time Machine backup instead?

Thanks,

Bill

scsDigital wrote:
my imac just staring flickering this morning, I bought it the first day it came out so its been almost a month. Also have had the black screen and now the flickering is driving me crazy. After the 14 days does this become a warranty issue?

The 14 days is known as a 'cooling off' period. It is there for you to decide to return your purchase for any reason. After this, yes, it is a warranty issue, but you do not have to accept a repair/refurbished model based on the short time you've owned this machine. It is unreasonable for your machine to reveal a fault after such a short period, therefore Apple must replace it.

Bill P. wrote:
Schwa72,

I plan to use Migration Assistant when my replacement i7 arrives. What would be the benefit of restoring using my Time Machine backup instead?

None that I can see. Both will result in your machine being restored to its former glory.

I've been reading the last bunch of posts and have to say that if your iMac is doing this you need to take it back. I had mine for 3 days this happened only once and off the machine went back to the Apple Store, each time you exchange a machine your 14 day period starts again. Not that I think it even matters with this issue but at least it is refreshed as a new purchase again and you can bring each problematic machine back if the problem persists. My new iMac has been fine...so far but if this happens even once more I will be back again until I get a decent computer. I do agree with the users who have purchased and do not own a vehicle as this iMac (in box) is clunky, kinda heavy and awkward to carry around. It's bad enough lugging it in from the car. If you have bought from a reseller you need to either call Apple direct, show the reseller this thread take video, photos whatever you have to do to get them to take the machine back and they can take it up with Apple.

Well this just started to happen to my i5. 3 times today, flicker and the screen tear. I took pictures and plan to go to the store tonight for a replacement. Mine is less then a week old.

Question do I need to make a genius appointment or can I just go in. Plan on hitting the 5th Ave NYC store

Message was edited by: Anijake

I ordered a 27" i7 a few weeks ago and have been waiting impatiently. Reading this just makes me sad. I have been a faithful PC user for several years but a few years ago I decided to give an iMac a go. I bought the 24" intel iMac I currently use. After 18 months the graphics adapter decided to give up.

After a large amount of discussions and consulting a danish consumer organization Apple reluctantly agreed that it had to be a fabrication error. The computer was repaired free of charge - thank you.

Now I see that my new iMac which hopefully arrives next week might have a similar issue.

I must admit that I fail to see how Apple "fans" keep arguing that Apple hardware superior in any way to what you can buy for 50% of the price. I have had tons of PCs for years - none of them has ever failed on hardware.

I just had to voice that opinion. After being a mac use for 3 years I'm not going back to PC even if the hardware quality seems much better. OS X is just too good compared to the alternatives.

Bill P. wrote:
Schwa72,

I plan to use Migration Assistant when my replacement i7 arrives. What would be the benefit of restoring using my Time Machine backup instead?

Thanks,

Bill

If you're moving your files from an older Mac to your new one, you'd use Migration Assistant. In my case, I backed up everything on my i7 to an external drive using Time Machine before I sent the i7 back. So, when my new iMac arrives, I can just load my Time Machine backup onto it and I'll pick up where I left off.

Message was edited by: Schwa72

Of course it is reasonable to expect a fault free product but you are making a big mistake by not returning it. It may only get worse and you will be forced to return it to be fixed and not receive a new one. The reseller may tell you the symptoms could not be repeated but do not be dissuaded-return it! There will not be any wand that will somehow change your computer into a golden coach. Dump the problem back onto Apple's lap.

My advice is simple-return it while the returning is good!

The 14 day "cooling off" period as it was previously described unfortunately does not afford the purchaser to 100% money back unless you are able to influence Apple NOT to assess the 10% open box fee for your return.

Good news for those who purchased after Nov 1 -- according to what I read on the Apple Store website, the 14 days return is being extended to Jan 31, apparently to account for holiday gift purchases.

You may want to verify this for yourself if you purchased after Nov 1, because this may give you more time to assess your flickering/tearing issue...

I bought a 27" iMac from an Apple Store today with this issue, why did they sell it to me with a known problem?

Sorry to hear about so many problems here. The video problem in the all-in-one iMac has been around for many years. Users from every revision of iMac, G5 or Intel CPUs, have similar issues. Do a google search and you will find them all around. Why does this happen almost exclusively to iMac? Have you seen other computers to include all the subsystems, including its display, in a single house? I think the unique design of iMac is the source of this ever-lasting problem.