Greyish Smudge marks behind the glass screen.

So they've ordered me a new screen and coming to fit it in next few days. On site job so no complaints from me. Not sure this is really a recall case - of course the internet will now be absolutely crucifying Apple over what is a small issue at the end of the day!!

I have 2 x 21 inches (I think they are 21) and a 27 that developed these smudges within months of owning them. I had them changed out 3 times each. Even the rep told me that this has been a situation they've dealt with before they are not going to take care of it after the apple care expires. They only option I had was to purchase a other lcd.

I use in a very clean retail environment.

I strongly suggest you to go asap to ask for screen replacement, they must do it, I'm same as you, before ending of the two years warranty and they did it. By the way the screen costs something like 600€. GOSH.

I've picked up my iMac yesterday. Brand new screen and it's really ok. It's also less yellowish and more whiter or perhaps it's just that I feel it :-)

What amazed me was that, while waiting for my iMac coming from the Apple store lab repair.... I noticed brand new models exposed and checked the screen. Can you believe that one of the exposed iMacs had the same exact problem ? In fact was a smaller grey spot, in the bottom left. I suspect that this become more and more visible an big as time passes.

So, that' s really a bad design flaw and would be very curious to check other iMacs, even because not everybody complain and I think they should, perhaps they don't because 1 year has passed and they shoult spend 600€ and do not have Apple Care. That's crazy. Apples store staff said it was the firs time they saw a problem like this (???) and that they ever not aware of Apple doing something about it.

So be warned iMac users out there...check your screens before warranty expires and rush to Apple store to ask for screen replacement.

By the way.....I'm not really sure that it will not happen again to mine, I think I will 100% power off (no sleep) when I got to do some errands during the day, lunch etc and used to put it in sleep mode (during the night I used to power off).

Hi Guys, just wanted to update you with my experience: I live in HK, Humid climate for 9 months of the year. I have had 3 apple iMacs since 2009, including my current one and the problem has appeared on each one after about a year of use. The term that apple uses for the problem is "LCD panel contamination issue". This is what you should quote if you meet someone who says they don't know about the issue. I believe these are the keywords for the entry in their support database. It appears to be associated with humid environments. I have also been told that it also occurs when the machine is left on for long periods of time and also when the machine is located near to an Air-con vent.

Anyway, for the previous 2 iMacs, they were on apple care and the LCD panel was replaced with an on-site repair - very good service each time. I sold each mac to upgrade before I noticed the problem return.

For this mac, late 2012 model, it has just started to appear about 18 months after purchase. This one is also covered by Applecare. When I chatted online with support they said they would replace it, however speaking to the local support guy, he tried to get me to take the screen off and clean it myself and also suggested that I leave the imac on for 24 hours at maximum brightness. I told him I was not happy with this solution and they have now relented and offered an on-site replacement , coming tomorrow.

I believe that Apple should acknowledge this issue and let customers know if their advice is not to leave it on continuously etc.

For information, I also have a HP screen (24 inch) in the same environment as the iMac with an apple mini attached and never have problems with that screen.

I think I will give up with the iMac after selling this one and but a macbook pro retina (when the new ones come out) and attach it to a third party manufacturer screen.

All just for information on this topic in the hope it might help others when discussing with Apple support.

I'm in HK too and from the phone call I got from AppleHK I get the impression they're repairing my screen rather than replacing it? They're coming on Friday so will update after that!!

OK, the technician has come and replaced the screen. Very neat job too and I can't tell that it's even been done! He had a special tool with a thin plastic wheel that separates the adhesive from the screen then pre cut and shaped new adhesive strips that are all sequence numbered etc - very easy job. Two connections from screen to logik board and done in around 30 minutes! There was very little actual dust inside, the fan had accumulated a bit but I would expect that anyway, so it's surprising how little it takes to cause the screen issue! Hopefully if I get another 18 months out of it it'll be time to upgrade anyway!!

I noticed a large, grey, oval smudge behind my screen in the upper right corner, and did a search for the issue. That brought me here. Even though I have a 27 inch cinema display, I think this could be relevant.

I suspected some kind of burn, and was extremely bummed out. I don't even use this monitor very often, and the computer attached is a laptop - it's usually somewhere else in the house. The idea that such moderate/low usage could create a burn was annoying.

However, while I was reading this thread, the smudge started to look smaller. I thought it was my imagination and ran my mouse around behind it, and the edges were shrinking. By the time I started typing this post, the entire mark was gone - about 10 minutes.

As Paulie mentioned: Humid environment (New England in summer) and very close to an air conditioner. I think some humidity developed behind the glass, and when I turned it on, the warm air burned it off.

HTH.

I had the same exact experience as you at the Apple Store, I am very disappointed in Apple for many reasons. First of all, why can't they own up to a design flaw? Second, how can nobody I talked to from Apple (Chat, Store, and Phone) have not ever heard of this? What a complete crock of ****. All 3 people I talked to were told about this very thread on their own website. I bought my iMac in 2012 and three weeks afterwards these smudges started to appear in the right upper corner and has spread to the left and top. The guy at the apple store jumped right into trying to sell me a replacement screen. Why would I buy a ******* replacement screen for $400 when this will just happen again and again????????????????????????????????????? I would like to thank Apple for not giving a flying **** about its customers and and lying when something they ****** up in production starts popping up. Im just gonna clean the screen myself, if anyone else wants to know how to do it, you can find great info here http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1101370 and here https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2308+Display+Replacement/1 764

I had the same exact experience as you at the Apple Store, I am very disappointed in Apple for many reasons. First of all, why can't they own up to a design flaw? Second, how can nobody I talked to from Apple (Chat, Store, and Phone) have not ever heard of this? What a complete crock of ****. All 3 people I talked to, I told them about this very thread on their own website. They really didn't have much to say after that.

I bought my iMac in 2012 and three weeks afterwards these smudges started to appear in the right upper corner and has spread to the left and top. I didn't think much of it until I looked it up on the internet months ago and noticed how many others were having problems. Last week, I finally got a suction cup to pop off the first layer of protective glass, hoping that it would just be underneath that. Obviously I didn't get lucky and these smudges were inside the actual LCD panel. That lead me to chatting with someone from Apple who wasted no time in setting up an Apple store appointment for me, which I took as he just wanted me to get into the Apple store so I would spend money there, such a sad sham.

Today, the guy at the apple store jumped right into trying to sell me a replacement screen after seeing the smudges and taking a screenshot to make sure it wasn't the video card. Why would I buy a ******* replacement screen for $400 when this will just happen again and again?????? Does this make sense to anybody besides Apple? With or without warranty the screen should be replaced, one time, for free considering all the evidence against Apple for this particular issue.

I then received a call from corporate after my appointment today. That phone call went exactly how I thought it would go. "Theres not much we can do besides replace the screen". I then told the guy that I would clean it myself and he didn't like that idea so much, but I don't really care because Im not under warranty anymore. Can somebody tell me why they dont take the screen out and clean under the actual LCD panel at the Apple store? Oh yeah!!!! They wouldn't be making as much money if they did that.

I would like to thank Apple for not giving a flying **** about its customers and and lying when something they ****** up in production starts popping up. This is something that cannot be prevented by the consumer, but Apple likes to tell you otherwise. To me, this seems like an issue that should have a recall attached to it, but Im just some ******* who bought a mac because of my previous experiences with them. Sadly they are mainstream now and aren't made like they used to be, Mr. Jobs is rolling in his grave probably.

Im just gonna clean the screen myself, if anyone else wants to know how to do it, you can find great info here http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1101370 and here https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2308+Display+Replacement/1 764

Regards,

A very ****** off iMac owner

I also had this issue with a 27" Thunderbolt Display, but leaving it on at max brightness for a few hours took care of it (the display is not used very often). Smudge was in upper right hand corner, somewhat oval shaped. It started shrinking after an hour or so, then was gone several hours later. Clearly, there is humidity inside and the heat of the display dries it off.

It's only happened a couple of times, and only during very humid days (I also live in New England). I have noit seen it occur when the air is drier, especially during the winter.

"Apple Support Communities has discontinued support for your current browser (Firefox) go get Safari" Really? That's is pretty lame. In any case, isn't the late 2012-2013 imac's glass sealed into the panel so it is one unit? If so I understand that it can't be taken off and cleaned behind the glass for that reason. Is that not correct?

As my standard warranty was due to expire soon (2 year warranty in Czech Republic for all electrical items) I decided to contact Apple about my smudges. Apple support didn't ask me any questions, just advised me to take it to an authorised repair centre, one of which is only about 10 minutes away from me. I left the machine with them last Monday and collected it today with its brand new display (Part No. 661-7169) My smudges were very small (not the point I know) but I'm glad I made the effort to get it sorted prior to the warranty expiring in a couple of weeks.

Eighty-five pages and years of complaints! This is TOTALLY pathetic! Apple should be ashamed of treating loyal customers that have paid a premium price for their product just to have performance like this - and then to have the gall to blame it on environment. I've had this problem on all but one of my iMacs as many as three times in three years on one of them. It's inexcusable and should draw the attention of a class action lawyer.

so after 1 year of use, in the bottom left and right corner on my 27" imac i see some stains . how can i resolve this issue? i must make some heat in that area with let's say hairdryer or turn the brightness at max but for how long?

thank you

Same problem. Not happy about it.