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

Oh!

Almost forgot. Check out Gizmodo:

http://gizmodo.com/5459384/the-faulty-imac-saga-chapter-3-we-have-your-internal- memo-apple

Hmmm...I got a work email today which said the following:

Subject: iMac 27-inch Flickering Screen Issue


This known issue was first addressed by 10.6.2 and then further addressed by a firmware update available here: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL984 or as part of Software Update.

Unfortunately multiple machines remain affected including machines we have repaired or replaced – the fault can be very intermittent and difficult to replicate. As this is a potential issue with both the ATI Radeon HD 4670 and 4850 graphics cards, this covers the whole range of 27-inch iMacs.

Because the problem is so widespread, Apple have indicated that we are NOT to service OR replace these affected iMacs. They have indicated that their Engineers are working on a solution that is aimed to be made available in three weeks time. This will likely be another firmware update but could possibly be an OS update.

After troubleshooting (as it could be unrelated or it could still be fixed by the OS or firmware update), we need to be telling customers that this is a known issue and that Apple are working on an all-inclusive fix and given an ETA of three weeks time. The iMacs are still functional, and the eventual fix will come to them as a software update (no inconvenience of a return or repair).

Star-Fish,

Where is that email coming from?
An Apple service center?

skypeable wrote:

Based on my experience both with Apple and other hardware vendors, there will be no single fix. There is more than one failure going on here and each issue may or may not impact the other issues. What can be said, and has been said pretty clearly in these and other forums, is that Apple has a major QC issue going with this generation of product.

What can also be said is that Apple will try to make it right. AND they will not talk about their dirty laundry once it has been cleaned.

Skypeable,

I couldn't agree more on that.

Once again. No acknowledgement of the 21.5 NVidia Model issues. How can they just try & fix one model & not the other? Apple are definitely aware that the 21.5 NVidia has these issues too. But they refuse to acknowledge them & refuse to even make an attempt to work on a fix for this lower end model. Everywhere I read it says 27" ATI. Once again, it ****** me off!

Just happened to check status of Jan 8th ordered 27in iMac. Was delayed to Feb 9th shipping (from Jan 25th), to ready for shipment status as of today, Jan 30th. Here's hoping the inherent problems have been abated and a healthy machine is soon to arrive.

Yes JapaneseLonewolf, you are not alone.

There have been several post here in the last day or so saying that they have received shipping notices.

I just received mine as well, originally scheduled to ship on Feb 11th, has already shipped, and scheduled for delivery on Feb 3rd.

Obviously the rumors of delays are not true, and are in reality, just more organic fertilizer. This forum is full of it.

There seem to be more trolls than there are legit posters.

Take anything you read on this thread with a grain of salt.

pazuita, Who you calling a Troll? L.O.L.

Pazuita, we are not "trolls" and it is not "rumours" - Apple's websites (North American and International) all acknowledge a 3-week shipping delays for 27" imacs.

However, it could be that REPLACEMENT imacs are being shipped ahead of this delay, who knows.

I hear ya. Definitely not my first time to the dance. It's a shame a company with pride of 'It just works' had to come to a situation that is badly handled. Proper customer service and support goes a long way in resolving client problems. Will this issue finally come to complete resolution and customer satisfaction? Yes. The only question is when.

There seem to be more trolls than there are legit posters.

There seem to be more defective machines than there are good ones ... sorry, but this after all remains my fear.

pazuita, I appreciate your positive way of thinking, but at the end you will have to admit, that the problem was bigger you thought.

I only see one positive fact at the moment: Apple shows reaction and we can hope, they soon present a fix ... and Dino, let's hope for the 21" too.

Yea Citrus101 Let's hope they care of the 21" Models this time around. So far 2 Days No Flicker on my 21" NVidia Week 51 iMac. But only the Paranoid Survive! So I'm not counting my Chickens only 2 Days In. What I've learned from experience, is ANYTHING is possible. Good & Bad!

skypeable wrote:
Oh!

Almost forgot. Check out Gizmodo:

http://gizmodo.com/5459384/the-faulty-imac-saga-chapter-3-we-have-your-internal- memo-apple

Assuming that the copy of the Apple internal memo that is posted on that site is legit, it certainly contains information which will raise the ire of more than a few people who have been affected by the yellow tinge problem.

I don't think that the Gizmodo site could post a fake document and get away with it. Apple's lawyers would be all over them. As it is, Apple is probably already sending them threatening "desist" letters, and I feel sorry for the person who leaked the memo, should they be discovered.

But anyway, if you've read the memo, the opening paragraph makes it sound as if this yellow tinge issue is all in our heads and isn't real.

Rather than admit that they have shipped many faulty units, in the memo, Apple claims that the yellow tinge is the product of "certain combinations of lighting conditions and onscreen content".

WHAT???

So if I change my lighting conditions, and view something else on my screen, the yellow tinge might go away?

I think what they are REALLY saying -- as I've been saying all along -- is that it is obviously most noticeable against a white background, and if you have something on your screen other than a white background, you don't notice it.

Well, sorry, but just because you can't see it against other darker backgrounds does NOT mean that it is not there, or that the problem does not exist. You simply can't see it as well, but it is STILL there, nevertheless.

But to make matters worse, Apple tries to reinforce the deception that -- according to some users - they started earlier, by claiming that the yellow tinge issue is just something that "some customers may perceive".

Oh, I get it. It's not REALLY there; we are just perceiving that it is there.

My gosh! What a load of nonsense!

As if that isn't enough, in the memo, Apple tries to convince us, or better said, wants their customer reps to convince us, "that slight color variability is normal for LCD displays."

Sorry, Apple, but I did NOT pay $3,000.00 for "slight color variability", and your "slight color variability" is bothering me the more that I have to look at it.

What confuses me about this memo -- again, assuming that it is real -- is that it seems to contradict what was posted a few messages back. I am referring to the letter where Apple allegedly states that their repairs have not worked to date. If that is the case, then why does the memo state that Apple will arrange for LCD panel replacements in three weeks? LCD panel replacement has been one of the repairs that they've already tried. Some users here have stated that changing the panel and cable has resolved the flickering issue, but according to that letter, Apple says that their repairs haven't worked, so why implement a wide-scale panel replacement three weeks from now?

And if -- as the memo states -- the "slight color variability" . . . "in general does not warrant replacement", then why has Apple been willing to exchange so many units for so many people over the past three months?

All I can say is, it seems to me that this alleged internal memo is a serious attempt to sweep the issue under the carpet, and make it appear as if we are all just imagining things. Well, like many of you, I am NOT imagining this yellow tinge extending from the lower right corner of my screen; and as I said, the more I see it, the more it bothers me, so much so, that I am now seriously considering contacting my local Apple reseller this coming week.

Has anyone else read the memo on the Gizmodo site?

Do you think that it is real?

What are your feelings about it?

Thanks!

citrus101 wrote:

There seem to be more trolls than there are legit posters.

There seem to be more defective machines than there are good ones ... sorry, but this after all remains my fear.

pazuita, I appreciate your positive way of thinking, but at the end you will have to admit, that the problem was bigger you thought.

Agreed - plenty of folks, including myself, got emails notifying them that their orders were delayed. I was supposed to receive my replacement i7 this week after waiting 3 weeks. But the delay ended up being just an extra week instead of two; I also just received a shipment notification. Feb 4th is the date.

Little bummed that I can't postpone the order now that the internal support article (that got leaked to Gizmodo) indicates Apple plans to replace LCD panels in 3 weeks time. Though I'm hopeful that the fix Apple seems to be working on has already been incorporated into the new iMacs getting shipped out now.

skullcat........I stopped short of calling the names of the trolls on here for a good reason.....

I didn't want to unintentionally leave somebody out. There are more than a few.

Yes, it is very likely that replacements are handled differently than regular shipments, however, if the delay was due to either the flickering, or yellowing problem, and as some have alluded, and the delay was due to waiting on a fix...........No units would be shipping.

I think that would be especially true for the replacements.

27" imac deliveries are continuing.

If there is a delay, it is not due to the alleged issues with the machines, but more likely due to the reasons that Apple, and several analysts have stated, a shortage of both 3.5" drives, and DRAM. Those shortages have been caused by the overwhelming demand for the 27" models.

Demand has simply outstripped Apple's ability to supply.

Apple's website lists a shipping time of 3 weeks for the 27" models, and 24hrs, for the 21.5s, macmini's, and MacPros.

I would hardly consider the 24hr shipping a delay since it is posted on the site as expected delivery time. The three weeks for the 27's should be viewed the same way.

It becomes a delay when they say three weeks, and it does not ship for five or six weeks.

Although mine was scheduled to ship on Feb 11th, it has already shipped, and should be delivered on Feb 3rd. That is within the 7 to ten business days that Apple originally listed, even though the website now says three weeks.