My brand new IMAC is broke - I have to vent

Hello

if you are ready to upgrade now, I would still recommend the i5 quad-core iMac. There have been far fewer problems reported and mine is now running great and I'm consistently amazed by the speed.

You should at least give it a shot, as the people who get everything straightened out seems to really enjoy their machines and shower them with praise.

Landrix wrote:
if you are ready to upgrade now, I would still recommend the i5 quad-core iMac. There have been far fewer problems reported and mine is now running great and I'm consistently amazed by the speed.

You should at least give it a shot, as the people who get everything straightened out seems to really enjoy their machines and shower them with praise.

My personal advice in situations like this is to always get the very best that you can possibly afford, and then take the very best care of it so that it will last as long as possible.

If you settle for anything less, you may end up find yourself kicking yourself in the pants at a later date, and saying to yourself "Why wasn't I a little more patient? Why didn't I save up money for a little while longer and get that i7 instead of this i5?"

I am not knocking the i5's by any means. I am sure that they are fabulous machines, and perhaps it meets your needs. Until recently, the newest machines we used in our family were G4 mini-towers that are five to nine years old. So when we got a 24" iMac about a month ago, we were extremely impressed by it. I can only imagine how much more impressive the i5's and i7's must be.

I'm just saying that it is better to be patient and save, so that you can get what you really want, instead of settling for anything less.

Sportymonk,

Despite what you read on this forum please remember this is a help forum and people don't post here to say good things. These forums represent a population of those having issues not those that are totally satisfied with their machines. In short it's kind of like going to a hospital and then concluding a lot of people sure are sick.

In the rare event you do have troubles Apple has the best service available, second to none! When you buy online you have a 14 day return window and are also covered by Apple's warranty which includes 90 days of free telephone support. However I also recommend getting AppleCare, it's a modest investment and extends the warranty to 3 full years of telephone service and warranty on your machine.

Given the choice of a new iMac or a Windows machine there really isn't any reason to stay with Windows box.

Regards,

Roger

got an e-mail notification from Apple, my replacement iMac has been shipped:

from Shanghai, China... to Osaka, Japan... to Anchorage, Alaska... to Louisville, Kentucky... and who knows where after that... until it eventually arrives at my place in Canada - hopefully, in +one piece+, and no broken screen this time.

i'll report back after i've received it...

Happy ending to my ordeal. Apple finally agreed to fast-track my replacement (core 17, 27-inch computer), and it arrived Monday in perfect condition. I've had it set up and working all week. No flickering issues, no rogue pixels, no cracked glass. I hope that means they have discovered and fixed whatever the problem was in the first place.

I think it would be a thousand times better PR for Apple if they candidly acknowledged the problem and reported how they have fixed it. The most frustrating part of the whole ordeal for me was the stiff no-comment policy of Apple's staff when I had honest questions about the scheduled redelivery of a computer I ordered almost 2 months ago.

Anyway, I have no complaint with the hardware (the multitouch mouse is terrific, in my assessment), and I remain a happy Mac aficionado:

http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-do-you-like-them-apples-now.html

+Happy ending to my ordeal.+

Good news for you:D even better news for the rest of us.

+I think it would be a thousand times better PR for Apple+

Thank the gods that Apple is different than other companies who so desperately neeeeed and rely upon better PR, whether or not they deserve it. Of course, as with most Apple new product launches, we're once again seeing how very deeply frustrating it is for those who spend their every waking moment trying to force conformity upon others.

I would officially like to revive the classic, school bus chant of "UPS, NOT FEDEX!"

I have had countless issues with FedEx, and seriously fear opening any box shipped by them, after it arrives late of course!

At 5.05.pm. this evening, on the ninth day after receiving my new iMac, while I was surfing away on websites seeking information on a piece of audio equipment, my 27" screen suddenly evolved into a shower of coloured pixels mainly at the top and then the whole screen turned black. I immediately thought we had experienced a power cut for some reason or another, but while all my peripherals were showing their usual lights, the iMac was dead and attempts to revive it were futile to say the least. The vents at the top were exceedingly HOT to the touch ! So I decided to leave it and wait for it to cool down. So, after an evening of TV viewing, just a few minutes ago I tried three times to revive it and on the third attempt the Apple sound was forthcoming and it powered up.

Strangely enough, I had to take my 24" iMac in to the Apple Retail Store last Friday for exactly the same reason, after it had failed to power up for the second time while it was under extended Apple Care. I shall phone the Genius tomorrow who handled my case and see what he thinks. Before you think there is something wrong with the power in my home, the 27" iMac was and is plugged-into the same power surge bar that the 24" was plugged-into these past 34 months. And the 24" was plugged-in to a wall outlet that has been used for years to power a Vaio desktop. I had plugged it in solely for the purpose of transferring files via Ethernet over to the 27" iMac.

I wonder if this is as prevalent as the glass shattering that has occurred on the new i7 iMacs ?

Purchased a 27" iMac on Friday Nov 13, 2009 in the local store, NY. We unpacked it the next morning and when the protective film was pulled away we discovered a 3-4" crack in the glass in BOTTOM LEFT CORNER. After the initial disappointment(!), we called Apple. Got an appointment in the local store, returned the 27" with the cracked glass and picked up another brand new 27" iMac, Nov. 14, 2009. The local store said "this is the first cracked screen we have seen". Both the local store as well as the on-line Apple support were very professional and friendly. Nevertheless, we waisted 1/2 day in our week-end.... Having said that and now 1 month further: We love this large, crisp screen and we have not had any issues since that.

my 27" i7 iMac arrived with apparently no problems a few weeks ago (knock on wood).

My first Imac i7 arrived with the cracked screen problem back in November. After a fair bit of back and forth with Apple I managed to get it returned, and my new one arrived 5 days ago. No crack on screen, silent as the grave, bright and beautiful. Its my first MAC.

Now I need to double check there are no other issues -- scratched CD's, etc! But so far I am very pleased with the replacement. As I should be for the price!

Looking at the date of the previous posts, Dec 21, 20, and 14, it appears the problem has been resolved or at least is not as prevalent. The thread on the flickering problem is still growing like crabgrass in the summer.

Has this been resolved and what was the fix? Some mentioned a slight bubble of metal in the lower bottom frame, maybe they fixed in in production?

This story and many of the replies sounds rather scary. I have an iMac to be delivered in a week or so. I think I will invite the FedEx driver in for a cup of tea and open the box before I sign for the delivery.

If the screen is cracked or there is any physical damage I will not sign for the box, reseal it and give it back to the driver.

I do not know it that is possible but I will call FedEx to find out if I can do something like this.

I know Apple is good about damaged goods and I will have to send it back. But your story and the replies give FedEx or someone a bad image.

Well my order was place for dec 31 let's cross finger with this issue on crack screen doesn't happen to me

cracked screen is the least of your worries mate im afraid