iMac 2011 27inch i7 screen flicker dark left side

My iMac Mid 2010 has just developed the same issues.

Spoke to Apple support and guess what... Its out of warranty and I did not take out Apple Care.

Removed the screen as per the instructions above and can confirm that the issue is the plug. I was going to have a go at soldering 6 wires but the connections are way to small for my eyes. The original poster must have super eye sight to have got 6 wires soldered on those tiny connections.

Dilema now.... do I write this off and buy a New one after they are released in December or do I go to Windows 8

Wouldn't blame anyone for going to Windows8 after this DEBACLE from Apple.

One thing .. it's proof that separate monitors are just much better for certainly professional use, in many situations

iMacs are remarkably well designed, it's clever to have an all-in-one. But there's just too much to go wrong. it's so, so much easier to just plug in a new monitor - the mac mini is great in this regard.

Great pity the mac pro doesn't exist :-/ Maybe next year ...

Have you tried to use a magnifiying glass to help with the soldering? No need for supereyes :P

Windows8 is the only reason I'm still struggling with Apple. 😝

I would like to add my name to the long list of people experiencing left side of 2011 imac screen goes dark issues. My computer is 40 days out of the one year warranty and Im not excited about the prospect of spending another $1k for repairs after just spending over $2k a year ago for the computer, which i thought was high quality. Still debating taking the thing apart myself and soldering the connector in the back which apparently fixes this issue... If I screw something up I will not be buying another imac - it seems from doing a little homework on this issue that imac screens have been having issues since 2009, and continue to through the current year models.

I'm not one to jump on the lawsuit bandwagon, but this seems like a widespread issue that could warrant a class action suit. I know someone tried this before but they didnt go about it quite right and had a judge rule against them. As more people experience this problem and apple refuses to acknowledge it, lawsuits may become the right move.

get your act together apple, and do right by your customers. we all know you can afford it.

Wouterr, did this fix still work for you?

I've got this screen flickering problem and the machine is just out of warranty. I've checked the connector in the bottom left hand side of the screen but that doesn't appear to be the problem as touching/moving it does nothing. There is a little dust in my machine but not what I would call a lot and it doesn't get hot at all!

I have vacuumed the system but this didn't do anything so will go buy a can of pressurized air today and see what that does....I just can't see it being this though.....there is almost zero dust now but it still flickers....

Heat is not the cause, the cause is a misaligned connector (heat may accelerate the process).

Check this out: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4041042?answerId=20485986022#20485986022

Hi Kaos2K, thanks for your prompt response. Your idea is what I have been going with all along and I have seen that thread however if I still have my screen connected but open so I can touch and move the suspect connector then the screen does not flicker. In fact the screen only flickers when it is installed propperly and not when the bottom part of the screen is lifted by 5cm.

The suspect connector on the display board is fixed very well and does not want to come off and I'm reluctant to force it off in case I break something else. This is why I'm not 100% convinced that the connector is in fact the problem in my case.

H Aviator ..

"however if I still have my screen connected but open so I can touch and move the suspect connector then the screen does not flicker"

Just to be clear, Aviator, DID YOU REMOVE THE METALLIC TAPE ?

it's possible you are thinking of the WRONG connection?

if you go to the page with KAOS video and images. Go to the currently very last post, where there are a couple of posts by me. (Look for my bottle of wine image where I got some wine cork.)

Note that it very clearly shows exactly which connection is the problem.

Note that YOU MUST REMOVE the metalic tape, before you can even see the connector that is the problem.

I just mention this, because it's possible you are looking at a DIFFERENT connection to the usual problem connection.

once again - if you have not completely removed 6 inches or so of the metallic tape, you're looking at a different connector.

Please note the VIDEO I posted also, which absolutely shows the problem, with my finger tapping on and off the connection.

Hope it helps !

It doesn't have to be the connector itself, it may be a broken/damaged pin of it that is not making contact properly. The thing is that the flickering is caused by the power not reaching the backlight LEDs in that zone of the screen, and the power on that zone comes trough such connector.

Tagging this post to stay in touch. Was at a client's home today and she has this issue.

I am expriencing the same issues as described but have not sompleted the fix. My machine as well a 27 inch Mac is three weeks out of warantee, flickering acoupe of months ago, into the apple store for the problem but there was nothing found. Flickering was inconsistent but this morning the display went grey halfway across the monitor propigating from the bottom left corner, darker grey from left to right. By squezzing the glas I was able to brighten the display again and it seems to holding. I would think that a problem with an identified soultion would be a no brainer to repair for Apple to repair. If I had read about this problem prior to buying my Imac I would not have purchased, hope it does not turn into a paperweight.

I too had,and still have a faulty screen.They even gave me a new one,but that to is starting to develope a fault.

There are 3 Faults 1.Flickering Screen 2.Yellow Tinging 3. Grey streaks across the screen.

Fortunately i still have the Apple Care Plan,and Apple still are not saying much about this topic.

I too wished i did not buy this iMac,because i do not like these all in one`s. Then you would have the chance to by the Monitor of your own choice. I am sorry to say the only way you can get it fixed is take it to an Apple Dealer,but this will set you back to pay for the screen about $500.

You might has well buy a new computer. To be quite honest i am thinking of switching back to a PC. It`s a pity because i find the Apple system far user friendly.

I know how you feel,but thats all i can say.

I agree with you 100% I thoght if they scrapped the iMac,and has you said use the Mac Mini,and even if it was twice the size it would not bother me. I have an old Mac Mini with a 19 inch LCD screen Packard Bell Monitor,about 6ft away from me. I bought it about ten years ago,and it`s still working has good has new. If i could upgrade it, i would get rid of this iMac.

Hi Folks,

OK so I finally followed the guide to replace the connector and solder wires directly to the board, which is very tricky by the way, however this has not solved my problem.

I still have a flickering screen as before, anyone else have any other ideas?