Q: OSX Lion + 2011 iMac 27'' + Video = Freeze

For me, it's software as SL never does this and i can run games for hours without an issue.

I don't think Apple would recall that much hardware.....or even admit it's a problem! The 10.7.3 release notes don't even mention any issue!

I think you are right, MusioMan, about Apple unwilling to recall their products.  Several years ago there was a problem with the old style monitors' backlights.  I had one of those monitors.  We went through the same thing as is being experienced here.  Page after page of comments and Apple denying they knew anything about the problem, until a class action suit was filed in California.  Living in WI I couldn't join the action and never did get any satisfaction, as did millions of others with the same monitors.

This post will probably be removed shortly, but...

Marjean54: In same area and I am sure your comment will be removed as mine was. I am reduced down to using a very good but stripped down version of a iMac, as I did not want to be a guniea pig for what is going on.  I left the PC world because of similar crap from Dell, which I still loathe! At this point with more and more people hopping on board there should be a recall.

jmarchalonis: I basically did the same thing and I am using a Mac Mini and Macbook Pro for now. SL latest updates and then going to Lion basically turned my iMac into a machine that ran slow and froze up everytime I tried to use it.  Apple tried several fixes and came up with Nada, and basically said the Machine was DOA.

the funny thing is, go into the apple store and proform these freezes in front of the techs and they still deny it. its at a point where it is getting rediculous. a good friend of mine works as an apple hardware techinan in the back doing repairs and he wouldn't even talk to me about the issue, simply denying it and this is someone i have know for four years now. they treat it like it is one big joke... i mean seriously, this is getting old.

Ironically you posted that as first technican did not like what I had to say. I told him my iMac 27" previous model running Leapord was rock solid zero issues with it. I never had a tech support call in the almost 3 years I had it, before I upgraded to my new "Brick" iMac version with lastest SL and then Lion. Told him costant kernal panics freezes they blamed it on the SSD Drive, took it out. I came back a second time blamed it on memory, replaced it, took it back a 3rd time and they called me back and said the SSD was bad again and the logics board. Well no kidding, I told the same tech I would be back because they had no clue what they are actually trying to fix, granted in the past the upper level techs were very helpful online. If you do a google search now, this problem has been on going since 2007 in one form or another and is increasing in volume as they become more popular.

Thought I'd update my post...

Have been using the MBPro consistently since with 10.7.2 with no sign of the freezing issue.

I have no idea what I did to stop the problem apart from performing one Software Update.

But

Lion does not run smoothly by any means. SL was a much more reliable OS, I rarely if ever had a problem with it.

Problems that exist with Lion include

• TextEdit crashing - TextEdit! when writing html
• Sometimes taking a long time to wake up from sleep
• Occasionally get the spinning beachball when only 1 or 2 apps are running (SL would do this too, but not as often)

I think the lesson here is to never upgrade to the latest OS straight away upon its release. I would normally follow this rule, but had no choice when I bought my MBPro, Lion was the only option.

Yeah, for the last month my Imac has decided to start working properly after constant freezing issues, inability to log in and slowing down excessively.

As stated before, this is an almost $3000 brand spankin top of the range imac I bought in July.

Sure it works now but it has taught me a great lesson.

I WILL NEVER BUY A NEW MAC AGAIN.

Second hand all the way, that way my rear end will not be as sore if anything goes wrong

Rob has stuff: That bites!  If your a new Mac user and have just come over, to what I still think is the better side of things. I use to sell Health Care PC/Apple software and did high end tech support for hospitals and back in 2003 we had to have both platforms my Mac's never broke down, and that lasted from 2003-2011 June when my iMac took a dump and never recovered.  I had Apple care and after 3 repairs I requested a credit. I have had and used dozens of Macs: MacPro/Macbook Pros/Macbooks even iMacs new and old, and next to zero issues in almost 8 years. I too spent 3000+ as I got the most decked out iMac you can buy only to have it go from a screaming machine down to dead stall. Not sure if you have Apple Care but if you do request a new machine and or a credit. I will buy again, because a 8 year run to me is still impressive, but if this iMac issue goes on for another 3-4 months I will just keep on using what I have and be content for now.I almost feel like buying a used MacPro with Leapord on it.

I too am a long time Mac user ( about 9 years)

for me this is the second time they've treated a customer as just another number, the first was when switching to the Intel from Power PC 2 months after my first Imac, its not that they changed ( I appreciate why) its they lack of support, answers and an explanation I recieved.

My household/office currntly has 3 imacs, 4 Macbook Pros, 1 macbook a Macbook Air, 2 ipads and 3 Iphones.

The last 3 items were second hand (2 MBPs, 1 MBA)

As an Illustrator/Graphic artist, Im commited to a platform and do like Mac products in general but Im not supporting them directly anymore.

Ugh I finally downloaded the update and I swear it's made things worse!

Just had another spontaneous crash/restart.

****!!! Lion is the worst piece of crap ever to come from Apple...From the very start I had problems with Kernel Panics, fixed with it with Khyax solution...then frequent wifi dropouts, fixed it with downgrading Atheros driver...and now with the 10.7.3 update the Kernel Panics AND the wifi dropouts are back...*** is Apple doing, someone please get Jobs back from the dead....

A lot of venom here, and I can see why. No upgrades to LION for me at 10.6.8. I too have these problems which ARE NOT limited to Lion, although they seem to be much worse in Lion. I can remember back to 10.6.5 or 6 when I had no problems at all with crashes coming out of sleep or freezes. Absolutely all I have done is to do the Software Updates which makes me feels that the problem is rooted in the software provided us someplace.

So we sit and wait for a fix. Where are the heavy guys with zillions of points?? Why are they NOW so quiet on this issue?? I did all that was asked to no avail, and told by one guy 'to come back if things offered as cures didn't work.'  I went back to that guy, but he disappeared. I am sure this is a problem that Apple wished wasn't there . . . BUT IT IS!

So I've come to the circumstantial conclusion that this problem is affected by anything animated.  Aside from video, this occurs when I drag my mouse cursor through my dock, anytime a Growl notification pops up, playing a flash game, when Time Machine updates and the icon animates in the menu bar, and sometimes when Twitter updates.

Ironically, for some reason this problem seems to be worse in Safari than it is in Firefox.  Also, I have better luck watching a video that embedded in a facebook feed than I do watching it in say YouTube or some other site. 

I've also noticed that sometimes if I'm watching a video in a tab and close the tab, the audio lingers for a few seconds before shutting off.  I wonder if there's some kind of issue with timing or a lag in the feed of the video that's causing this?  Or maybe is a result of whatever the issue is?

Has anyone else experienced these behaviors to back up my conclusion?

For me, what I can say is that definitely after watching a video the freezes/crashes increase--like for a day or two or three. What I also have noted recently--but just once--is that while the video and everything on my screen freezes (except the cursor), the audio continued for 10 or 15 seconds. I pressed the keys trying to "force quit" hoping to shut down, and the audio THEN quit leaving things completely "paralyzed." In this event, I had to kill power with the power  button.

OK I just got off the phone with Apple Support.  They could not troubleshoot me because my warranty and Applecare are expired, but I told her I really just wanted to document this problem with Apple Support.

The first thing I want to say is, if you haven't done so already, DO IT.  The reason why is because while they do not currently have any known fix or even idea of what the problem is, if more people speak up about the problem they will look at it more closely.  If you are on record as having logged your problem, they will contact you regarding it if and when they do find a solution.  This is direct from Apple Support, not my opinion.

She must have done a quick search while on the phone with me, because she did say she sees several discussions of this on the forums (likely this one here), so she was aware that a problem exists. 

She asked me if I had done a clean install and I told her no, that I couldn't get into Time Machine because it caused a freeze.  I did tell her I did a clean install of Snow Leopard on a separate partition, and that the problem appeared on SL as well.  I suggested that maybe Lion did a firmware upgrade that also affected the SL partition.  She informed me that the last time Apple offered a firmware upgrade it was a graphics upgrade for iMacs to version 3.0, given in August of 2011.  As I was still running SL in August, I don't know that this could really be the cause of the problem.

She recomended I back up all my important data to another external drive, not Time Machine, and do a totally clean install of Lion and see how that goes.

She also recommended that, although I no longer had warranty coverage, I could take my iMac to the Genius Bar for a 15 minute diagnostic where they will check the hardware profiles and make sure there are no underlying issues.  I believe some people here have already been to the Genius Bar with no success in solving this issue, but I'm just reporting what she told me.

At this point, I would again reiterate that everyone with this issue absolutely call Apple Support, even if only to log the complaint with a live person.  When the actually hear from enough of us they will have to take this more seriously.  You can start contacting Apple Support at http://www.apple.com/support/contact/