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Jan Sampermans

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

I have been experiencing some problems with the all new iMac 27inch display.
At non-fixed intervals i will get one of the following:

Screen distortion/flicker somewhere random in the screen (feels like it is more in the lower part) that looks like a horizontal bar of about 2-3inches just popping in and out of the screen.

Screen will go completely black for a second and then come back on. Sometimes 2-3 times in a row.

Somebody else already made some video-clips about these problems, I am experiencing exactly the same behaviour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjOxlxVz5Os
http://gallery.me.com/larzy#100025

Just to not that in the course of writing this post my screen has flickered 13 times and has gone black 2 times.

iMac 27inch 3Ghz 4GB 1TB ATI 4670, Mac OS X (10.6.1)

Posted on Oct 27, 2009 3:56 AM

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

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  • by Dino1956,

    Dino1956 Dino1956 Feb 6, 2010 5:25 AM in response to jafrica
    Level 1 (41 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 5:25 AM in response to jafrica
    I could be jumping the Gun here, but I've heard not much talk about Screen Flicker. Please report if your iMac is still flickering after the 2 firmware updates. Thanks.
  • by Eric Fauque,

    Eric Fauque Eric Fauque Feb 6, 2010 6:27 AM in response to Dino1956
    Level 3 (989 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 6, 2010 6:27 AM in response to Dino1956
    Dino,

    My machine is still flicker free 5 days after the last update.
    So far so good.

    What's the latest count on still flickering machines since last update?
  • by Dino1956,

    Dino1956 Dino1956 Feb 6, 2010 10:54 AM in response to Eric Fauque
    Level 1 (41 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 10:54 AM in response to Eric Fauque
    Good News! My 21.5" has been Flicker Free also for 11 days. The first one started to Flicker after 5 days. I think the Flicker issue on the 21" is very rare. Leave it to me to get one. But the 21" is definitely not free of Yellow tinge, that's for sure. 2 in a row! Yellow!
  • by pazuita,

    pazuita pazuita Feb 6, 2010 12:02 PM in response to Dino1956
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 12:02 PM in response to Dino1956
    dawage and nzac10............ I think most of us here appreciate and understand your comments.

    Apple warranties and service are the best. Part of what makes them so good to the "real Americans" that use them, is the fact that we still have one company that we can call, and actually get someone who understands English, and speaks it fluently. I hope all of our foreign user friends have the same type of experiences when they seek Apple Care services.

    Although it may be a bit off topic, it does raise a bit of my curiosity .......

    Those of you who use a language other than English as a first language....... Are you able to communicate with Apple in your native tongue, or do you have to converse in English as well?

    It seems that virtually every other call for service I make these days is routed through Bangladesh, or Bhopal, and while the voice on the other end generally speaks English, it is usually difficult to communicate. We all know the reason that our service was shipped to a foreign source.
  • by Ettore dn,

    Ettore dn Ettore dn Feb 6, 2010 12:16 PM in response to Eric Fauque
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 12:16 PM in response to Eric Fauque
    Nexus600 wrote:
    What's the latest count on still flickering machines since last update?


    Should be 5.
  • by pazuita,

    pazuita pazuita Feb 6, 2010 12:20 PM in response to Dino1956
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 12:20 PM in response to Dino1956
    Dino........It looks like this thread is about to become history. Only a couple have claimed that they still had the flickering after the update, and they obviously had other issues at play.

    In my little universe, it is now official. The flicker is history.

    Murphy's law is the dominating force in my little universe, if anything can possibly go wrong, it will.

    I was stuck with two absolutely perfect i7s, after receiving a replacement machine on the day that the firmware update came out. The new machine was perfect out of the box, and the update cured the flickering on the other. No yellowing, no dead pixels, both were perfect.

    Of course, I had to send one back. Either the perfect, out of the box, untested unit, or the month and a half older, formerly flickering unit had to go. The only difference being the extra few weeks of warranty I would get with the newer machine, I gave Occams Razor the benefit of the doubt (Keep it simple stupid), and shipped back the old machine.

    The way my luck runs, the machine I kept should have started flickering as soon as I returned from FedEx, but it didn't.

    Still flicker free after the update.

    Hope everyone else fares as well.
  • by citrus101,

    citrus101 citrus101 Feb 6, 2010 12:37 PM in response to pazuita
    Level 2 (235 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 12:37 PM in response to pazuita
    Those of you who use a language other than English as a first language....... Are you able to communicate with Apple in your native tongue, or do you have to converse in English as well?


    Hi pazuita,

    Sorry, OUT OFF TOPIC

    we can communicate in our native tongue in Europe. Apple Store Italy and Apple Support Italy are top. I love Apple products for their multi-language software. I speak German, but I can buy without problems in the Apple Store Italy. They change immediately the keyboard, when you order an iMac, and as I already said, there is never a problem with the software: iPhone, iPod , Mac OS X ... everything is multi-language. I LOVE APPLE PRODUCTS for this reason!
  • by pazuita,

    pazuita pazuita Feb 6, 2010 12:51 PM in response to citrus101
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 12:51 PM in response to citrus101
    Thanks Citrus, I was really curious about that.

    Most of us in the US really fall behind the rest of the world when it comes to speaking multiple languages. It's good to know that Apple takes care of everyone, regardless of their point of origin.
  • by Dino1956,

    Dino1956 Dino1956 Feb 6, 2010 12:56 PM in response to pazuita
    Level 1 (41 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 12:56 PM in response to pazuita
    pazuita, I think you may be right. I'm glad to hear you got a perfect one. You deserve it after all your hard work here. I called Apple & I'm sending my 21" back cause they want to test it. I'm Keeping this one till the new one arrives. They had no idea there was a problem with the 21" model. They Thanked me for writing a letter to Apple & asked me if I would mind, upgrading to the 27" ATI 1TB Model? Of course I said, No, I would not Mind. So my new 27" does not Ship until Feb. 18th. But like I said before, "Good Things Come To Those Who Wait"!! I also told the rep if there is a problem, with the 27", could I swap it out & she replied yes. So we were right, With a little Patience Apple takes care of Polite & Courteous Customers who do not rant, scream, yell & whine on the Phone. Someone else on the 21" Yellow thread was offered & Upgrade & she refused. She said the 27" would not fit on her desk. I say buy a bigger Desk! It's been Real! I wish everyone much success & luck with their new iMacs. May they last & be perfect for a good 12 years.
  • by citrus101,

    citrus101 citrus101 Feb 6, 2010 1:01 PM in response to Ettore dn
    Level 2 (235 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 1:01 PM in response to Ettore dn
    Should be 5.


    Hi Ettore,

    you're correct, we had five negative reports. These posts were all very short and it's a little bit strange, that nobody of them reported twice (please correct me if I'm wrong). It would be important to hear them again. Probably they fixed the flicker in the meantime.
  • by pazuita,

    pazuita pazuita Feb 6, 2010 1:26 PM in response to Dino1956
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 1:26 PM in response to Dino1956
    You're gonna love the 27" model. I upgraded from a 24", and this one is huge compared to it.

    I got a similar deal from Apple after my mid 2008 refurbished dual 3.06 failed shortly after the 1 year warranty expired. Thank you Applecare.

    Since they didn't have any of the same model available, they offered me the upgrade to the 27" dual 3.06. My old machine was just a 24", and used the ddr2 memory, and a refurb on top of that. The machine they offered me was brand new.
    I told the rep that if they were gonna treat me that bad, I'd probably just have to settle for an i7.

    She said they couldn't do that, but if I wanted to pay the difference between the upgrade they offered and the i7, they'd be glad to do it.

    I had a hard time getting the Heck yes out of my mouth quick enough, I was afraid they would change their mind. A few hundred dollars later, here I am.

    I assume they offered you the Core2 27". If you've got the extra cash on hand, they would probably let you upgrade to the i7, it runs circles around the 3.06, especially the sound and video editing. I have a Tascam 144, and Roland VS 1680 connected to mine.

    You wouldn't regret that upgrade.
  • by citrus101,

    citrus101 citrus101 Feb 6, 2010 1:29 PM in response to Dino1956
    Level 2 (235 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 1:29 PM in response to Dino1956
    I could be jumping the Gun here, but I've heard not much talk about Screen Flicker.


    ON THE TOP OF THIS PAGE WE CAN READ:
    +This question is not answered. "Helpful" answers available: 2 . "Solved" answers available: 1 .+

    Dino, who is changing this, when the question is answered, and who is stopping this thread? Does it finish, when we're quite for a while or can it be, that Apple takes a decision to close it.

    Maybe the wait until the five cats are gone.
  • by Dino1956,

    Dino1956 Dino1956 Feb 6, 2010 1:48 PM in response to pazuita
    Level 1 (41 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 1:48 PM in response to pazuita
    If I had the $, I'd upgrade. But for my simple uses, I think since the NVidia is working out fine, the ATI will only be better. And the screen increase from 21.5" is going to blow my mind.
  • by Dino1956,

    Dino1956 Dino1956 Feb 6, 2010 1:49 PM in response to citrus101
    Level 1 (41 points)
    Feb 6, 2010 1:49 PM in response to citrus101
    I certainly am not stopping this thread. It's your thread more than mine. I still ghave the 21".
  • by Eric Fauque,

    Eric Fauque Eric Fauque Feb 6, 2010 2:00 PM in response to pazuita
    Level 3 (989 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Feb 6, 2010 2:00 PM in response to pazuita
    pazuita wrote:
    dawage and nzac10............ I think most of us here appreciate and understand your comments.

    Apple warranties and service are the best. Part of what makes them so good to the "real Americans" that use them, is the fact that we still have one company that we can call, and actually get someone who understands English, and speaks it fluently. I hope all of our foreign user friends have the same type of experiences when they seek Apple Care services.

    Although it may be a bit off topic, it does raise a bit of my curiosity .......

    Those of you who use a language other than English as a first language....... Are you able to communicate with Apple in your native tongue, or do you have to converse in English as well?

    It seems that virtually every other call for service I make these days is routed through Bangladesh, or Bhopal, and while the voice on the other end generally speaks English, it is usually difficult to communicate. We all know the reason that our service was shipped to a foreign source.



    Here in Montreal, French speaking province of Quebec, in Canada.
    We can get service in French from Apple. It's usually not perfect French, but good enough for the job.

    BTW Pazuita, what do you mean by "real american"?
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