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

Just ordered my i7 last night...Ship date Feb 23, I can't wait. One thing I've noticed about this post so far and I've been following for a while. Where are all the builds after week 53/54? No one has been commenting on those....

SilviaRacer,

After week 53 it goes to week 01 (first week of 2010)
There has been reports here about the problem still being present in weeks 01,02,03 units.

+"While the problem also seems to affect 21.5" iMac models as well, the Apple support information doesn't address those models."+

Yea, Why Are They Not Addressing The Problem! At least this Article does. Finally, the first article that states the 21.5 does in fact have the same problem.

WOW, WOW, WOW!!! Look what I found!!!

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=776002

Is Mac OS X 10.6.3 the solution?

Apple seems to stop iMac production...

http://www.hardmac.com/news/2010/02/01/production-of-all-imac-27-core-ix-models- stopped-by-apple

Citrus101, I have never had ANY problems with Snow Leopard. But that's just me. I believe Apple can & will fix the Flicker with either 10.6.3 or a Firmware Update. As far as the Yellow screen. I believe the screens get misaligned in shipping, like that one user explained. It makes sense to me. It seems these screens are more sensitive. That & a combination of Other factors. The lack of packing materials, (being Apple is staying Green). Also different environments,(extremely hot & extremely cold temperatures, + humidity) during Shipping causes the screen to misalign. I can't believe that Apple Shipped this many defective units from Shanghai. But what do I know?

If this is true it's music to my ears - finally some positive action!

Never heard of Hardmac before. Is this a reliable source? Always suspicious of sites that don't don't reveal their sources (e.g. copy of an offical email from Apple or similar).

For those of you who have ordered iMacs recently - have you been contacted about a hold up? I suggest if you are called you ask specifically if this is because they're looking for a solution to the screen problems and production is on stop.

Ciao cirus,
Another thread that suggests a software/firmware update fix so.

Yesterday i found another technical instersting link about AVIVO & related stuff and i got a question for who is experiecing flickers:
Try to play a video (dvd, xvid..) in a window (not fullscreen), and wait for the flicker. Does the flicker affect also the video window? Both with vsync on and off (assuming your player let you change the setting somewhere).

I thinked about this question expecially when someone wrote some posts above that when screensaver is active the flicker doesn't appear.

Note: for who wants read some tech stuff and maybe understand why i thinked about this:
http://ati.amd.com/technology/avivo/pdf/AvivoDisplay_Engine_Whitepaper_v2final.pdf

Update:
iMac Week 51 21.5" NVidia
5 Days = No Flicker
Has Yellow Tinge from Day One.

*Note: My last iMac started Flickering on the 5th Day.

Something to keep in mind here is that a lot of the "reports" of an impending fix are the result of bloggers repeating stuff they read here (or heard about second hand). Thus, an infinite loop has been created: somebody says something in this thread, it gets repeated on a blog, a Mac newssite quotes the blog, then the "news item" gets quoted back in this thread.

HardMac is the English version of MacBidouille, a French mac news website. They are usually very reliable.

Apple seems to stop iMac production...

http://www.hardmac.com/news/2010/02/01/production-of-all-imac-27-core-ix-models- stopped-by-apple

This looks like Apple is now admitting to being in a redesign cycle. Please be aware that this involves a lengthy debug cycle to avoid a repeat of a similar situation. The flickering was not found in the initial reliability testing done on all new designs and I doubt Apple is willing to jump at the first redesign. No one is out buying thousands of the new design until everyone in Apple manufacturing is happy with the reliability results.

And to the person above who ordered their 27" yesterday. please give that decision some thought or you may be amount the 537,000 who have already logged in to this board.

John,

"This looks like Apple is now admitting to being in a redesign cycle."

Apple is not admitting anything!

The text says "According to one of our sources".
No where does it say that this source is Apple.

Again, no official statement in this!
So lets take it for what it's worth, an other rumor!

Hello everyone,
I've been reading this thread almost since the beginning and today, after I spoke with the fourth guy from Apple Support, i decided to finally make a post myself to ask for some advice and try to understand something more about the situation.
As most of you I bought an iMac 27" from a local Apple store, mine coming with i7 processor and 8gb ram, and as most of yours it flickered from the early days, I think it was on the 3rd day. I immediatly called the phone support and the guy, after checking if the firmware update was installed, asked be to bring it at the store where I bought it at and have them take care of it. Which I did. They told me it was a known issue - the tech from the store had a pile of 27" (and a couple of 21") behind him proving the problem was really common - and that they would check it and take care of it in a week. After a couple of days they called me again and told they would have to change V-sync cable, monitor and I can't remember what else, having to wait for the pieces to arrive first.
I waited for almost a week and they called me back, saying that they couldn't repair my mac as they promised since Apple had told them to give all the defective units back to their owners and make them call the Apple Support (don't know in other countries but the number they gave me charged 48 cent/min!). So i called them and then the confusion started, since it seemed that every guy I spoke with knew a different version from the previous: the first one stated that Apple would be releasing a firmware update in 3 weeks to solve the problem, and in case it still flickers after that, I can only ask for a refund since the time for substitution is over. And this seems weird to me since I gave my mac back to them after 3 days from purchasing: if they let so much time pass uselessly it's not my fault. Had they told me that was my only chance to ask for a substitution I would have done it then.
Then the second girl I spoke with told me that in case the firmware would not solve my flicker they probably could have made an exception and give me a substitution model, or the refund: she then passed my call to the Customer Relation service (or whatever it's called) and all started to become ridiculous.
The very kind girl I spoke with told me that the substitution was no longer possible in any way and that there is no firmware update in 3 weeks, but that in 3 weeks the tech from the store would be able to repair it (so let's say an "hardware update" instead) since they're near to understand the problem. "So no firmware to download?" "Yes no firmware at all, but in 3 weeks call the store and bring your machine to them and they'll be finally able to repair it". I asked then: what if the flicker persists, can i have a refund then? And to my astonishment she said no. She seemed to fail to understand the option of their new "solution" failing as the previous one (firmware update, cable substitution and stuff like that). I spent 20 minutes trying to explain the case when my mac would return again from the techs hands and still flicker and she finally said they might (might!) consider a refund.
After boring you with this long story, what i ask is: was this girl just an isolated case of an employee who couldn't understand my problem and gave me wrong infos? I mean, I cannot believe they might not refund me if my mac still won't be perfect after the repair coming in 3 weeks. It's a 2000€ product after all!
Ok I'll stop now and apologize for the wall of text and for the tons of errors I have maid, not a simple story to explain in english.
Thank you for your time, it's much appreciated.

Salut Nexus600,

Very good post yesterday.

I have done research on the backlighting used (model LM270WQ1 from LG).

In the IMac 27" (or 21" Dino ...), the backlight is produced by *white LEDs* and though I have no further details (and have not yet dismantled one - as 'ifixit' did) it is clear, in my opinion, that a backlight diffuser is used to ensure even lightning and that this diffuser must be perfectly parallel to the LCD panel.

It is just a clue to investigate for the "yellow" tint default, but the spatial alignment of the diffuser bend in relation to the LCD panel is critical. How is it fixed to the rest of the panel. Could it be moved by a bump?

Realignment by software .... hum??

I was told that a *RGB LED backlight technology* -that would allow to correct the temp of white -would make the screen over 3000$

All this to be confirmed.

Cheers.