Greyish Smudge marks behind the glass screen.

me too:

Late 2009 27 in. iMac i5 bought in April, 2010. Used regularly with Logic 9.1.3, never gamed, and never left on over night. Grey splotches first became noticeable around November - December of 2010 and have grown and multiplied since. Yellow tinge has also developed on this monitor, coming only after the blotches set foot. I will be taking her in for repair this week.

I will post with how all that goes when it goes.

P.S. - really, really not looking forward to being blamed for this, of course I love nothing more than purposefully sabotaging what costs me upwards of two grand.

Same here, 27" i7 iMac. Smudges behind the glass that show up on anything that is on the screen and white (and it's gotten worse as time goes on). On the phone with AppleCare. They've set up a pick-up for service. We'll see what happens.

Update to my post re: imac purchased 08/10/08-took to Best Buy under warranty and is being shipped to New York AGAIN!!! Defintely will update my warranty bc it will just come back. I did check the black tie warranty and it said it covers normal wear & tear, including dust issues, so they have no choice but to clean or repair. Will post the conclusion when they return my mac in TWO TO THREE WEEKS!!!! UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I bought my 27" Imac i5 in November 09, in February 2010 it had to go back to Apple with the screen smudge problem. The smudging came back about a month ago.

I don't have Applecare, does anyone know what sort of cost i'll be looking at to get it fixed?

Hi my advise/opinion and current experience with apple and the new imac 27" is dont buy one and if you have one don't turn it on because it will get contaminated if you use it, make sure you have apple care because you will need that to cover the 8 or 9 new screens you will probably need over the 3 year course, or sell it as quick as possible and cut your loses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVok1MBNJqE&feature=related

It seems that dust inside the LCD and on the backlights is a widespread problem. From the thousands of posts on Apple Support and the numerous forums YouTube videos, this is a design defect!

There seems to be no solution as apple where unwilling to help and blamed the grey smudge marks on environmental issues and my fault because i use my mac in my house, When i asked if i paid for a new screen would it be fixed or will it happen again, Apples response was we can't guarantee it won't. The only solution i am now left with, is to follow this link below and pry open the LCD and directly clean the insides and backlights. http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...1#post11976152

Something apple should be doing from the start.

I will be opening my LCD and wiping away the dust that has leaked inside the sealed LCD display

I will video document my repair and see apple in the small claims court

Will keep you posted

Can anyone confirm if these gray smudges / spots are dust between the LCD and backlight, and if so, can it be cleaned by removing the LCD and separating the screen from the backlight (and any other components in there)? I have no idea as to the complexity of taking apart the LCD, but if it is possible has anyone confirmed if it is a stain (thus requiring a replacement LCD) or simply dust that can be blown/wiped away? Thanks.

I was glad there are so many reports of this because I have the same issue, apple representatives are collecting my imac sometime in the next two days to inspect the lcd.

The gentlemen I spoke to on the telephone mentioned "environmental factors" which I assured him could not be the cause as like most people I live in a clean and dust free house! I did take from this that they may try and use this as an excuse not to repair the hardware.

I will keep you posted.

Paul

England

UK

I have the same problem on my 3 month old iMac (21.5"). I noticed the dust a few weeks ago. I called Apple and was notified that there was a service center 25 miles from where I live (the nearest Apple store being 100 miles away). I went there and they told me it was probably due to smoking. I told them I don't smoke, I never smoked, and I live in a smoke-free home. They said they'll have their technician look at it, but it he thinks it's related to smoke, they won't repair it.

The very next day I get an email (not a phone call) that the technician opened it and found burn marks and he smelt the unique odor of cigarette smoke. I was completely baffled at this. I was so angry. I called them and asked to speak to the technician. He was out for lunch. I asked if the computer was ready and the girl said it was. I went to get it. When I arrived, I asked if the technician was here. They said yes but he was busy with other machines. I wanted them to open my iMac again and show me these "burn marks" and let me smell inside of it. They declined.

I can't open it because I'll void my warranty. I don't know what to do.

I got a call back from the company who are collecting / repairing the imac (to be picked up in two days time) I explained my concerns that apple may try to blame environmental factors and therefore decline to repair my machine. The gentlemen on the phone seemed a really cool fella and explained that they had seen numerous of these lcd faults and that it was not an environmental issue but rather a fault with the hardware.

Now if it is a hardware issue as most people appear to believe then apple are not doing themselves any favours by refusing to correct the problem. Apple users are a relatively loyal bunch and alienating them would harm the company in the long run.

Are the guys who are being declined new lcd's mainly from the USA?

I have been following the post regarding the smudges. I am unable to determine the location of the individuals with the LCD issues. It appears to me everyone is in Europe. Is anyone in the US experiencing the same problem?

I'm in the US, and I am experiencing this same issue. I bought a 27" iMac in the late summer of 2010, and within a few months it had these smudge marks inside the screen. Took the iMac in to my local Apple store, and the "Genius" was very helpful and replaced the screen no questions asked. I was sure to mention specifically that I'm coming from a smoke-free home and that I take very special care of my expensive hardware. Now, approximately 6 or 7 months after getting the screen replaced, the smudges are back. At this point they are more subtle than before, but I'm wondering how much it builds up over time or if I just didn't notice it until recently.

I'd still like to know if anyone can confirm that this is dust between the LCD and backlight / diffuser or if this is heat damage or what. It would give the rest of us much more clout as we attempt to deal with repair technicians if we have a good idea of what the problem is. Has anyone experienced this issue with an out-of-warranty machine and/or taken it upon themselves to dismantle the screen and investigate the smudges? For those of us still in-warranty, that really isn't an option given we've got more to lose by voiding our warranty through disassembly than taking our chances with Apple continuing to replace our screens until our warranty expires.

I'm from the US and am having this issue. What's interesting is that my sister, who doesn't live with me, has an iMac (2007 model) and smokes in front of it constantly and her screen is just fine. I don't smoke and mine is screwed.

mhhh…

problem is, your mac will get dusty from the inside. no way around that fact, unless you operate it in an actual sterile environment. neither your common home or office is sterile. it's just reasonable clean (meaning there isn't any noticeable dust). computers are not hermetically sealed and they have fans, that suck air inside and there's also an electrostatic charge that will attract dust particles. if you smoke, nicotine fumes will get inside. if you cook, oil & fat fumes will get inside. if you dust (cause even dusting will get dust in the air) or don't dust, dust will get inside. hairs will get inside. particles from your carpet will get inside. moisture will get inside. open up any pc after some years of use… and it will be full of dust & dirt. pretty normal and no big thing, cause a) normal PCs you have no difficulty to open up and vacuum the dust out, and b) as long as there's no integrated monitor, the dirt can settle on from the inside, you probably won't notice it, until your machine gets hot fast, because it can't breath anymore with all the dust blocking the airflow, in which case you return to "a", to solve the problem

same thing with stand alone LCDs. but it won't happen so fast, because they normally don't have fans, to suck air inside. in the imacs however, you have. you also have an additional glass screen that covers the LCD panel, and while preventing the panel from scratches and seemingly from dust (that would normally settle directly on the LCD panel and which you would just wipe away, whenever you feel the need), it also pretty much forces the dust that went in through the air intake, to stay between the LCD and the glass screen. its only way out is through the exhaust at the top of the imac and to reach that, it must be constantly sucked deeper into the machine, where much of it will stick. depending on your actual home conditions and your behavior, and depending on the specific assembly of your mac, how fast and to which extend this smudge marks will appear will naturally vary.

i actually see no way to prevent this, given the construction. in a way, it's an environmental issue. yes. but it's also a case of bad engineering. looks good, works bad.

PS: a very bad idea is probably to park something like an ashtray or a cup of coffee or sparkling water right in front and under the imac, where one air intake is.

Think you might be missing the point. Yes dust is always going to get into machines

This is the nature of the beast. But it shouldn't be getting into the sealed led unit and resting

Between the back light and the inside of the led screen

None of the other apple products have this fault. I use multiple macs in the same environment

It is only the edge to edge screen imac that has the fault.

As soon as I get my mac back from apple. It is currently in to have the case replaced that they scratch

Whilst it was there for them to look at the screen. One and a half weeks on from drop of they are telling me

They still haven't had the part arrived yep. Anyway when I do get it back I will be pulling the led unit apart to wipe clean. I will video the repair to show the exact design fault.

Will keep you all posted

Thank you for doing this. I look forward to seeing your video.