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

Hi all,
I had replied to this topic awhile back saying I had to RMA replace my first one the day it arrived due to a horrible video card problem. Well I received my new iMac yesterday and I have not even had the screen flicker once. For those wondering it is a core i7 8 gigs of ram 1TB hdd & it was made week 47 of the year which was last week.

Over and out,
eXodusSquared

That's encouraging. . .

I returned my 27" i7 and reordered another one. The rep at the customer service center was very helpful and understanding. I have to give props to "Duncan", who was unbelievably nice and helpful. He also got my replacement expedited with 2day air rather than the standard 5-7 day at no charge! All in all, this whole experience should have been a big disappointment, but because the way Apple handled the situation, I can come away from this with no complaints.

i received my imac27 i7 yesterday. After using for half of the day, i am already experiencing the screen flickering problems a 3" bar going horizontal across the whole screen appearing every once of a while. sometimes in the middle of the screen, sometimes towards the bottom of the screen.
also the whole screen will blink every once a while, cannot duplicate the problems, it just happens.

it feels like a connections problem (like how the video cable isnt connected to the TV tightly, you get that flicker on the tv screen) , but shaking the table where the imac sits cannot duplicate the problem.

my mac is only 1 day old.... i hope i didn't get a defected model

Wty, if you have flickering..return your mac and get another one or get a refund. You are stuck with a bad model, the problems will not go away.

Message was edited by: Gille_Belgium

has anyone with the issue tried what i stated?

1-turn imac off
2-unplug
3-hold power button down for 30 seconds
4-plug back in firmly and turn on
5-hold down command-option-p-r till you hear startup chime 2 times then let go

let me know if this fixes anyones issues

Message was edited by: seventron

I haven't seen any of the flickering issues or slow downs or anything people have mentioned with my 27" i5 iMac.

But... (there's always a but)... I have seen little flickers, horizontal bars of static, once in a blue moon come across the screen when I stress the graphic card for a few hours say, playing a game. It looks like a classic overheating symptom.

I see it so rarely I haven't complained yet, and it's with only one particular app. But I am keeping an eye on it.

I've had my i7 for 4 days without any problems. It has been on for up to 16 hours straight, sleep mode all night and 2 nights shutdown. No problems or symptoms of any kind. This thing is a beautiful beast. I feel bad for those who have experienced problems but Apple will make it right. As with any new product from any manufacturer there will be some problems to be resolved. I agree with some of the threads I've read that the iMacs should have better packing. Double boxing and styrofoam edges alone is not enough to prevent broken glass if it has been punctured.

seventron wrote:
has anyone with the issue tried what i stated?

1-turn imac off
2-unplug
3-hold power button down for 30 seconds
4-plug back in firmly and turn on
5-hold down command-option-p-r till you hear startup chime 2 times then let go

let me know if this fixes anyones issues

Message was edited by: seventron

As per my post earlier in this thread, I did perform the steps you have described as recommended by Apple Support (PRAM reset) and it stopped the problem for about a week before the symptoms returned. As far as I know no one has ever fixed this problem via software updates, PRAM resets, driver updates, etc. The few cases where people have posted that the problems have gone away always seem to be followed up 1 to 8 days later with 'it has returned'.

My recommendation is that if you have seen these symptoms to return your machine for a refund or replacement.

FYI my week 48 27" i7 is working perfectly on day 3. I won't be sure for another couple of weeks but for now the signs are positive.

Add another to the list. I've been working with it for the past 3 days. I'm just dreading having to take it back to Best Buy. However reading some of these posts, I'm just glad that I can return it. I tried replacing the extensions with no luck. I have noticed that it flickers a lot less when the brightness is at its max. I'm shocked that apple still refuses to address this issue! Oh well, this *****.

Al

I have a week 47 quad-core 27in iMac with 2TB HD and 8 gigs RAM who had intermittent flickering two days ago and yesterday (days 4 and 5 since I got the machine). I spent an hour with technical support and at the end I decided to swap the machine for a new one. I directed them to the excellent video larzy posted on his me.com gallery to see what I saw. Since that conversation, however, I have not had a problem with the machine - so go figure. I hope the replacement unit doesn't show the same behavior. I am getting the new unit before shipping back the current one so I can directly transfer all my data and settings - it took me days to set up this machine and I am not eager to do it from scratch again!

JiminSF,

When you say that you didn't get your money back, are you saying that you didn't request a refund, or are you saying that whoever you purchased your iMac from refused to give you a refund? There's a big difference there.

If my unit were to arrive damaged or defective, and then I received a replacement unit that was also damaged or defective, at this point, I think that I would do one of two things:

1. Demand a full refund, since they have not delivered what was agreed upon.

2. Let them keep my deposit -- but as store credit for a future purchase -- and tell them to hold off on getting yet another replacement, because I want to wait until all of these current problems are sorted out.

Who knows. By the time Apple works out these issues, there could be a newer, better iMac which I might want to get instead. Not only that, but the prices of the current iMac models could fall a bit as well, even if I did want to get the same model.

Anyway, that is all just speculation, as I have not received my original order yet, while some of you have already received your original order, as well as one or two replacements. There is something wrong with that picture in my view.

Of course, I didn't finalize my order until around November 13th.

Maybe that later order date will help me to avoid all of the current problems. I certainly hope so.

Warren, the way it was put to me was that I could return the system for a swap or a refund by calling (800) My Apple, which I gave up on after being on hold for almost an hour and then getting disconnected (this is what I get for having my 14th day be Black Friday and using an iPhone to make the call...), or, that effective as of last Monday, you can bring a CTO unit back to the Apple Store rather than shipping it back, and get a gift card as credit for the purchase.

I didn't press them to see if I could get a refund to my credit card rather than the gift card in the store because that was not the way they put it (they didn't offer it as an alternative), and (ii) I want a new system in any event and plan to buy another Mac with the money anyway, though I know there are a lot of other people who have experienced these iMac problems, some repeatedly, who are getting turned off to Apple.

Can someone please clearly explain to me what this Apple 14-day policy is?

Is there a page where I can actually read it online?

Considering that I have to make my Mac purchases via an AAR, and not directly from Apple, or in an Apple store, I wonder if it still applies to me.

Thanks!

Warren, there is a difference in law between buying something online and buying something from a shop. Online, you always have a cooling off period, which, even under different country legislation, is pretty similar. In Europe it's a minimum of 7 business days to notify the seller that you wish to return it. Apple offer a 14 calendar day return (10 business day) policy, and are able to get away with charging a 10% restocking for purchases in the US and Canada, but not in Europe where the whole amount is returned. A shop does not have to take your product back just because you don't want it, however many will, as a gesture of good will, although some will charge a restocking fee, especially for more expensive electrical goods. Not all shops give a refund - some only offer credit notes, and the maximum length of time to return something for a refund I've come across is 16 days. Your statutory rights are never affected, so of course faulty goods come under different legislation.

Apple US Refund Policy