Greyish Smudge marks behind the glass screen.

It looks like "PRfromBG" posted a response yesterday that was flagged/removed by Apple. The terms of use (https://discussions.apple.com/static/apple/tutorial/tou.html) state that we cannot "post polls or petitions or links to same" which is unfortunate since it would be great to be able to tell everyone to do a Google search and find and sign it.

First, I've been following this thread for a while and posted more than a couple times about my personal iMac "screen smudge" experiences so I hope you can understand why I wouldn't continue to preface every comment I make with "I'm having this problem too!" when I've already said it in the past. Understandably there are newcomers to this thread and the fact that it's 30+ pages long doesn't help things!

Which leads to my second point; as for being a mind reader, I guess I just assumed that someone who posts in this thread would be familiar with its past postings:

Aug 25: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2300580?answerId=16022276022#16022276022

Jun 20: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2300580?answerId=15447914022#15447914022 (from me!)

And another post back on Feb 24 from user "Controllo" which also references the other macrumors post (I keep getting an error when I try to link to that one... it's towards the bottom of Page 11 if you're that interested)

Bottom line; these were posted in this thread and nobody was expecting you to be a mind reader.

Glad we've cleared the air, but again it's comments like "Rational Land" that might drive your point home but they do it in a very condescending manner.

I agree with your final point, these are expensive machines and it's not unreasonable that we expect them to work.

Add me to the list. This is my second screen. It only took a month or so for this smudges to come back after replacement. It is almost certainly heat related. I have been using SMC fan control to keep the temperatures down while gaming since the issue showed up a second time. For some reason, by default the iMac allows itself to hit close to maximum allowed thermals before cranking the fans up. It then only runs the fans just fast enough to maintain below 97C or so on the processor. When it is in this state, the back of the machine is almost too hot to touch. It is really disappointing this is happening. Since installing SMC fan control and running the fans around 50% of max, the back never gets above warm even while gaming.

I have finally decided to build a proper gaming PC, then get the screen replaced a second time and retire my late 2010 iMac to non-gaming duties only.

Apple really needs to take this into consideration especially since there are heavy rumors that the Pro line is going away. This will push power users and Mac gamers to the iMac platform exclusively where there is definately a thermal issue in regards to screen damage.

It seems the thermal dissapation capabilities are there, but the firmware is not taking advatage of them by allowing the machine to get so hot.

It looks like you have time to buy AppleCare. From reading their policy I realized that there is carrot and there is a catch. You can buy it anytime within first year but it starts from the purchase date. So simply it makes sense to buy it at the end of the warranty IF you will you have issues or take a risk (having a test run of 12 months). BUT you don't get phone support (3 month from the start?) and you pay 3 year price for 2 year warranty.

Can I purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan anytime?

You can purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan anytime within the one-year limited warranty period. Your eligibility for coverage under the AppleCare Protection Plan starts from your hardware purchase date. Apple strongly recommends that you purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan when you purchase your Apple product to maximize the additional benefits provided under the plan. http://www.apple.com/support/products/faqs.html

I'm afraid some people may be needlessly lugging in their iMac to Apple Stores and Authorized Service Centers.

Onsite service is available for many desktop computers if the location of the Covered Equipment is within 50 miles (80 kilometers) radius of an Apple Authorized Onsite Service Provider.

Note that this is only in regards to the US. For other countries the plan may be different. But it should be checked out.

Whenever it was time for a new LCD the technician came to my house and did the repair. There was one time that Apple insisted I take my iMac to the facility being they wanted it repaired in a "controlled environment". After doing that the technician looked at me like I had 2 heads when I mentioned "controlled environment". It was nonsense. What I didn't realize is that I could have had them pick up the iMac and return it after repair. It's in the Apple Care plan. It's more costly for on-site service. They don't like to do it if they don't have to. Insist on it. This is what makes the AppleCare Plan a pretty good deal. The URL to look up the available Apple Stores and Service Centers is http://www.apple.com/buy/locator/service/. It will display a map and each of the facilities and their distance from the zip code you enter. Look on the Services tab for each facility to see if they do on-site service. I have 3 facilities within 50 miles. The funny thing is is that Apple sent a technician from a company that I couldn't find on the map.

AppleCare Plan

Under 6. Hardware Service Options:

(ii) Onsite service. Onsite service is available for many desktop computers if the location of the Covered Equipment is within 50 miles (80 kilometers) radius of an Apple Authorized Onsite Service Provider. Certain parts serviceable under do-it-yourself parts

service, as described below, are not be eligible for Onsite service. If Apple determines that onsite service is available, Apple will dispatch a service technician to the location of the Covered Equipment. Service will be performed at the location, or the service technician will transport the Covered Equipment to an AASP or ARS location for repair. If the Covered Equipment is repaired at an AASP or ARS location, Apple will arrange for transportation of the Covered Equipment to your location following service. If the service technician is not granted access to the Covered Equipment at the appointed time, any further onsite visits may be subject to an additional charge.

The link on the Belgian Apple site is

http://www.apple.com/befr/legal/statutory-warranty/

I have to commend Apple to give a correct information for the European customer.

As for the court arrest, see

http://www.agcm.it/stampa/news/5829-sanzioni-per-complessivi-900mila-euro-al-gru ppo-apple-per-pratiche-commerciali-scorrette.html

And the arrest itself (pdf; 82 pages; in Italian)

http://www.agcm.it/trasp-statistiche/doc_download/3042-ps7256chiusura.html

All this of course pertain to Europe.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for that.

Just managed to locate the UK version of this which was certainly not clearly displayed.

On this page http://www.apple.com/uk/support/products/ In small writting they have a click here for further details, which takes you to this page:

http://www.apple.com/uk/legal/statutory-warranty/

Wish I had known that before before as my smudges started apearing during the second year and Apple told me I wouldn't be covered. Seems I would have been. My computer is now over two years old, but still might take it along to local Apple store to see what they say.

yet another reason not to buy another imac...I note the following from another thread..this guy had white stripes on the screen ..

MazMacMan

So i spend 2hours today opening my iMac. At first glance i could see there was some amount of dust in different places which i blew away with air on a can. Afterwards i disassembled the LCD and opened it. There was a big amount of dust on the backlight (white) plate and some burned dust on the backside of the LCD (yes it was burned onto the screen!!).

I cleaned it all through, blew all dust away and assembled it.

The screen is much brighter now and all the smudge is gone! It looks like new. :-)

Reading all these stories brings so much disturbance to my eyes. I myself am another iMac victim. Below i will share my letter to T.Cook. I don't know where else to go to if I cant get any resolution from the CEO himself.

Hi Tim,

Sorry to have to contact you in this manner, but this has lead me to its last resource for assistance. Hopefully by contacting thru email and explaining my plea this can help resolve not only my issue but many others who speak out for the assistance I’m seeking.

I have been a Supporter to all Apple Devices. Owning multiple devices (i.e.) 5 iPhones well every iPhone since birth, 2 iPods, Multiple iPods, 2 Macbook Pros just to start. Where my issue begins, I purchased an iMac back in June of 2011. Because I have had so much faith and confidence in Apple’s product’s, I did not enroll in any protection plan on the iMac.Now I am about 260 days over the extended warranty coverage is where the issue falls in place. I have not utilized the device because I use my other computers. Now when I finally have an opportunity to utilize the iMac, I discover a smudge in its upper right corner. And to reiterate again, I hardly ever, ever, ever had the time to utilize it to its fullest to because I use my Macbook Pros that I use on a daily basis. The iMac has less than 100 hrs of usage from the time of purchase.

I decided to bring this in for repair. After getting no assistance from the genius bar, speaking and explaining my plea to several advisors, even a Customer Relations at Apple Corporate, I am now left in the dark with no choice but to pay a full price of $526 out of pocket to replace the lcd display. Reading similar issues on different Discussion Boards, related to this, even on the Apple Support Communities Board, it’s clear to say that this appears to be a manufacture defect. I am not looking for a freebee fix, but for a little sort of customer courtesy for being a valued customer would be appreciated. ( Apple Support Communities) https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2300580?answerId=16896959022#16896959022

Up till today, I have lived and bleed all of Apple products. The thought of a bad relationship sickens me to my stomach. I honestly ask you to look into this. The Apple company I used to know would have addressed this issue to the fullest with compassion for its people. I hope there can be a simple solution.

Thank You for taking to time to read this.

With Sincere,

“You have to trust in something or someone - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
― Steve Jobs

viv0147 Wales

I just got a call back from the AASP last night and Apple has approved the LCD replacement. The AASP has only seen the issue once before, but knew it was a defect with the machine itself as already stated, the greyish smudge marks are inside the LCD and between the glass and the panel.

On the other side, they haven't found an issue with the video card despite that being the main reason I brought it in and the fact there's a replacement program at the moment (http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5167).

I think at least one of my LED Cinema Displays, described in my previous post today, are merely suffering from burn-in, at least on one screen. The round circular mark is exactly where the soccer ball icon appears for my user name. That doesn't explain the other monitor's marks, but it's worth pursuing.

I saw an Apple support page about burn-in on LCD displays, and I'm going to try using that to burn-in white. My screensaver is set to show a single white image that fills the screen. Soon, I should know if that fixes the issue, maybe in a couple days.

Avoiding image persistence on Apple LCD displays - Apple Support

No way to edit my earlier post here, yet I can edit this later post. Hmm.

Hey, all:

Just wanted to drop by and update my experiences with the iMac screen smudging. Quick recap: iMac 27" bought in Oct 2010 developed the smudges by Oct 2011. Apple was good enough to replace the screen even though it was out of warranty.

We're approaching the five month mark and so far, so good. I've made a few adjustments when using my iMac since then:

1. I've eased up on playing games. I was playing Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress 2. Not sure how much stress they put on the GPU, but the graphics in both games probably heat up the computer.
2. I've been turning off the computer at night, rather than letting it go to sleep.
3. Prior to Smudgegate, I got lazy and had a DVD sitting in the disc drive. I've since made sure discs are ejected when they aren't in use.

I have no idea whether these adjustments make any differnece or not. My gut feeling is that they don't, but who knows? I'd like to avoid any more screen replacements. I probably should look into smcfancontrol.

Good luck to everyone and talk to you later.