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

Elroyofderovers wrote:
Is it just me or has Bluebermuda went away?

Why would you miss the Troll?

I got mine about 2 days ago..

I bought my iMac on the 13th November. Didn't start to use it until the 24th November and started having problems with the flickering screen on the 26th November.

When it happens I put the iMac into sleep mode, then wake it up a few seconds later and it temporarily solves the problem. However, I'm sure the rest of you (like myself) shouldn't feel the need to do this every time it does this as it should be perfect considering the amount of money it costs.

I do also have the problem with the webcam, I can see 2 red pixels and 1 greyish one when covered with a cloth. After finding this thread today, I booked in an appointment with the Genius bar at the local Apple store, as Apple Care informed me that I would have to go through it with them before I can even attempt a replacement procedure.

Also, when I called up Apple Care they weren't even aware this problem existed, or at least the support staff I spoke to didn't. It wasn't after I pointed him to this post did he realise this problem existed....

It would be nice for an official statement from apple, but I think we all know that's not going to happen any time soon....

So far, not overly impressed with my first Mac

Another follow-up.

Received my replacement i7 today. Transferred all data from old iMac (Started with "T" held down and used a firewire cable). So far so good.....fingers crossed.

PS: Where do I find the "batch" number that is often referred to here?

Bill

I had the same thing. Occasionally flutter just like the videos on youtube.com. Apple came out last week and replaced the LCD display and the interconnect cable. Everything is working great now. I would recommend that same for anyone still experiencing the exact same problem.

If I had to guess at the cause I believe it is occurring in shipment and because of the poor packaging for the larger display the tabs on the LCD are becoming damaged in transit, but not bad enough to cause failure, just the phenomenon we all have experienced. In any case, since I don't know what really caused it just what fixed it, I'll let it go. But call in to Apple and let them know that for my iMac a new LCD display and interconnect cable fixed the problem. If you have yours serviced and it does the trick please add your post to validate the fix. The more that can validate the fix the easier it will be for others.

Hi icats2

How long did it take for them to come and replace the screen after you reported it?

OK POLL TIME - My iMac i5 has been perfect since i opened it! Just noticed one stuck pixel lower mid right screen, can barely notice unless on black screen...even I have to look for it to see it. Have till thurs for 14 days.

QUESTION IS - Do i return it or not?

got my imac thursday, 3 hours after using it, flickering n blacks out started, went to apple store sunday, the personnel was surprised that the imacs are defective, come on apple and steve jobs, you should tell your personnel to read the forums to be aware of these problems, hopefully got my refund and will buy it again when the issues have dissappear :]

Dicebier - Return it.

Well, I give up. I had the iMac for almost two weeks with occasional flickering. However, today the thing went crazy with multiple flickers and complete screen black outs. I called AppleCare and they recorded it as DOA.

They gave me two options. Option 1 was to bill me for a new iMac and immediately send the replacement as I ship the other back. They would credit me when the replacement is received. Option 2 is to mail back the defective iMac and wait for the replacement to arrive. I plan to hold on shipping back for about a week to give me a slightly better chance they'll have this thing ironed out by then. If not I'll just keep shipping them back until I get one that's really worth the $4K it cost.

I hope they get this work out soon. I've been a loyal Apple customer for years but this is starting to weigh heavy on how I view the brand and the quality of the products they provide. Apple stands for innovation, quality and premium products. I don't see these core values in their latest line of iMacs.

Hello again Egrava,

I am really sorry to hear of your continuing problems and frustration with the new iMacs. I think that all of these bad experiences that folks have been posting here are starting to have a negative effect on us all.

When I first finalized my order on November 13th, I was so excited, and I eagerly anticipated the day when my beautiful new 27" i7 iMac would finally arrive. The fastest machine I have ever worked on is this nine-year-old 733 MHz G4 Mini-Tower -- well, besides briefly working on my child's new 24" iMac -- so you can imagine the treat that I am in for.

Now, however, the day of arrival has been transformed into a day of dread, because I am so worried that I am going to end up having a very bad experience just like the rest of you. All of these weeks of waiting will have been for nought.

These things should not be. Apple needs to work harder to correct all of these issues. It is not right that dedicated Mac users spend thousands of dollars, and then receive broken or defective orders, and then one, two or more bad replacements. This is totally unacceptable in my view. What has happened to Apple's quality control that so many people are receiving so many bad units?

If this continues much longer, Apple need to seriously reconsider their current business model, and relying upon China to produce its hardware.

Apple Australia said that they can't issue a replacement before collecting the old machine, so it's going to be over 2 weeks without at machine. I told them I'd just take the refund. I'll stick with my old 24" that's working perfectly for a while longer. Shame, the screen was lovely and the machine extremely fast overall.

As I know, since the move to Intel, it's part of Apple's history of introducing new products and having issue(s) with them in their first revision. I think of it as a buffer to innovation. Apple releases products that are really unique, which probably require more adaptation in the production line and I think its predictable that the first "batch" will have common issues.

For example, I was part of the ones who bought the first generation of Macbook Pro in 2006 and woah, it had problems with the motherboard, the sound output and the screen lost its brightness in spots. Has I remember, they were not the best "batch" of Macbook Pros.

Finally, Apple replaced it with a white C2D iMac (not the first revision which some had screen flickering problems) and it was a charm. Then I bought a white Macbook C2D (not the first revision which some had also screen and discoloration issues) and then again, it holds on to me pretty solid. Also, my girlfriend bought a Macbook Pro in September and it rocks. I think it has to do with the fact that it's a mid-cycle product.

I may suggest to relax when Apple releases a new product (I know, it's tempting), as there will probably be common issues.

Message was edited by: yv

Message was edited by: yv

I'm wating on my 27" i7 8 gig 2 tb iMac that I ordered on the 21st. I like the idea of this iMac but any problems and it will get returned for a MacPro.

ScotMij wrote:

I see I am at odds with Simon here. Now it could be that MA in SL is much better today at rejecting unsuitable things but I would not chance it.

I've always migrated my previous setups without any real issues - the occasional app needed re-serialization or a preference file got corrupted, none of which make a huge difference. Preparing the drive to receive the migration seems to be what's important here. Previously I've simply booted into my clone, run DW on the new drive and then started up from the main HD activating migration. This time I chose to install a fresh copy of OSX over the top first, then ran DW, before migrating. I'm not sure installing a fresh OSX made any difference, but I know DW repaired the drive which put it into a better state to receive. I'm not saying it's as good as starting from scratch - it is a compromise of sorts, especially if you have a lot Apps and other stuff as I do, but it saves hours, which is the intention.