Greyish Smudge marks behind the glass screen.

Still out of focus but now I see the problem....

It could be anything dust or heat problem.

It looks more like a heat issue.

rockjano

I'm in Romania and we are not apple store but I spoke with Apple Authorised Service (iStyle) and said they have to pay out of warranty change! imacu has 13 or 14 months and has no warranty! 🙂

I'm in Romania also, having the same issue only worse. This is a 27'' mid 2011 Imac and I also have an early 2011 Macbook Pro that had the display replaced once for two grey dots in the middle of the frame that now reappered on the new display a year after it has been replaced. They won't replace the Macbook display the second time and I suspect that they won't replace the Imac display either. I'm planning to write some hate mail to Apple UK, has anyone had any success with that?

Hi

We are also having iStyle here in hungary and they are authorised resellers as far as I know.

They told me that if the iMac is younger than 3 years they change the LCD panel because it is a known issue.

Mine unfortunatelly is over 3 years so I could not do anything....

rockjano

This looks to be very similar than I had before my HD died.

Is this problem always on or if you turn on the machine??? (after a night it disappears and comes back when the machine worms up (after about 10-20 minutes)

If it is allways on than it is a dust issue which can be cleared out (risky but managable process)

If it only shows when the machine heated up than it might be a heat issue. (my iMac is OK now after my HD stopped working the dieing HD overheated and that caused the screen problem probably)

rockjano

It seems to have gotten better after replacing the hdd with a ssd but it didn't dissapear. It might be heat related, I will check if it goes away after some time that I turn the machine off. Unfortunately, being a pro photographer, I need it and use it all the time, it will be a big issue to turn it in to Istyle for a verdict. Mine is 2 and a half years old.

Hi Mine is late 2009 27" iMac. 4 and half yeras old. I changed the DVD to an SSD 1 moth ago (I ordered a frame from china E-Bay) but it was still very bad. Than sudenly my HD died (after about 2,5 years the original which came with the machine died after 1,5 year these HD's are cheap but they also die soon) and there is almost no smudge now. Problem disappeared about 98%.

I did not put a new drive into yet but I will it will come 2 days from now and I am curious if the problem comes back. Hpe not. But it is defenatly a heat issu. When the machine was cool there was no problem when it heated up it came back.

I am a graphic designer also using the mac 18 hours a day... :-)

koszi 🙂

szívesen :-)

tmp9 wrote:

It seems to have gotten better after replacing the hdd with a ssd but it didn't dissapear. It might be heat related, I will check if it goes away after some time that I turn the machine off. Unfortunately, being a pro photographer, I need it and use it all the time, it will be a big issue to turn it in to Istyle for a verdict. Mine is 2 and a half years old.

Interesting. I'm sort of in the same boat. I'm thinking about adding a SSD as a 2nd drive, and putting the system on that. I was wondering how much heat is from the stock HD, and what's from the actual chips.

I've got a 2010 iMac, 27". The "stain" pretty much extends over two thirds of the monitor, but seems to go away as the machine is used. This is my 2nd LCD, Apple having replaced the first one.

Had this issue yesterday. My iMac was turned off over the Christmas break for about 2 weeks (usually left in 'sleep' mode at all times not in use). Also room was not heated. During this period (in NW Ireland) there was a lot of rain. On switching on I noticed a large smudge behind screen (oval shape, about 20 x 10 cm) - white when viewed side on and right in the middle of the screen. After reading about 7 or 8 pages of this thread, decided to leave the computer on overnight on max brightness with 'sleep' disabled. In the morning (and still now) this apparent condensation has gone <phew!>. Was not looking forward to doing battle with Apple Inc.

Not that this should be happening on a c. 2 year old machine. It is not as if I am living in a rainforest, or Florida, or North Queensland. But I won't be neglecting the computer for so long again (so much for work-life balance!). pezza5

Peaaz5, your description is identical to mine with the same favorable outcome.

After reading this thread I too believed dust could be my problem. I live in the desert southwest in a home built in the 1880's that includes vintage windows. So in the event dust was also a contributing factor or one I would like to avoid, after the humidity issue cleared up I went ahead and took my 2009 27” imac to a trusted (non-apple) repair man and had the interior cleaned for preventative maintenance.

To my surprise and after five years of near daily use the repairman stated that while the cleaning was a good idea and will help cooling, it wasn't that bad. The charge for his service was $40.00. Through the years I've learned the cooling fans of electronic equipment are prone to collect dust and also that cooling is the killer of all things electronic. Take a look at your ceiling fan blades if you don't think you have a dust problem and visualize what might be trapped in your computer after several years of use.

Your and my experiences support Apple's claim that the smudges are environmental in nature and that the units are designed to used in areas of reasonably controlled environmental conditions. I think to often people expect to be able to leave a computer in a cold damp environment or operate without cleaning and expect them to run properly. While they will for a period of time, the life expectancy of your electronics will be shortened.

Hola!

Hi Pezza5

It is very interesting. So your problem was humidity and condensation. Mine probably heat related and others have dust issue.

This can really drive people crazy...

It might be not the best idea to put a big sensitive monitor on top of a powerful warm computer aftre all.

All these problems semms to be construction related. The iMac as a concept could be problematic.

I really would like Apple to make a Mac which is bigger and better than the mini but no monitor inside. (and not as expensive as the MacPro) Some kind of mini tower... that would be cool...

I have a 27 inch mid 2011 iMac. I bought it while living in Germany. I got the grayish smudges (but only on the right hand side of my screen). I had the display changed out under warranty but right at the end of the warranty. After it was changed a few months later I got the grayish smudges again. At this point it was no longer under warranty and I didn't buy the extended warranty. I started noticing black fuzzy stuff sticking to the back of the desktop. If I touched it, it would smudge. I talked to the place who handled my repair and they said it may be dust. Now in Germany we didn't have forced air heating so I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I made sure to not burn candles in that room with the computer (just in case). Now I have moved back to the states was in an apartment for six months with forced air heating and central air did not have any problems with black fuzzy stuff even though I burned candles in the apartment. Now after buying a home and the computer only being set up for a week I am seeing the black fuzzy stuff again. Could this be the problem causing the grayish marks on the right side of my display? And what in the world is this black stuff and why is it so attracted to only the back of the computer? Also My iMac seems to be running really warm but only at the top.