27' iMac (2011) Screen turns off

Okay so here is the latest with my dealings with Apple to try to fix their engineering defect.

Two weeks ago the dark screen of death got so bad that I couldn't even wake it from sleep for more than 2-3 seconds before it would go black again. I have usually been able to put it to sleep and then wake it and get the light to come back on.

I was so frustrated that I called Apple and they gathered all the information again. (did this in October) I have tried to convince them that it is an issue with many people and that they need to fix these computers, but I only get sympathy from the senior advisors and they go to check if they can do anything but come back with some excuse why Apple can't cover the cost of the repair.

I did get one senior advisor to make an appointment at the Apple store and I took it in. They imediatly saw the issue as it went black screen when they tried to turn it on. They kept it for two days before I heard back that it needed a new LCD at about $550. I asked them to call the advisor that helped me and gave them the case #. A day later I got a call back that it was a display port cable and that it was only $50. They said they replaced it and that it was running fine with no issues. I paid the $50 and took it home hopeful that this would fix the issue.

Two weeks later, the screen started going black again. It was really bad again and so I called again and went through the whole scenario again with another appointment being set up for me at the Apple store. THis appointment was yesterday and it didn't go well. THe head genius bar kid told me that the LCD would need to be replaced and that they would refund the $50 I already paid for the cable. When I pressed him to look at the case# he basically said I was out of luck. Aplle would not pay for the LCD and then he proceeded to tell me that I had unauthorized Apple parts in my computer. I had replaced my crashed hard drive in October at an Apple Authorized Repair shop.

Well that was the last straw. I told him to refund my money and took my lemon computer home. I am seriously thinking this is the end of my relationship with Apple. This company has become the very thing they loathed in the early 90's. A big company that is trying to dominate the market with substandard merchandise. After supporting this company since '84, I expected a little better from them. It's no surprise that the company stock value is at a 52 week low. I have no confidence in them anymore. Sorry for the rant, but I should, as a consumer, get more than 13 months out of a $1700 computer.

Good luck everyone. I would still push the issue with Apple. Please call Apple Care even it you don't have a warranty. They need to know about this from everyone that has the issue.

<Email Edited by Host>

Hey Charles,

I'm facing a similar fate. Exactly as you experienced, my iMac switched its own screen off most of every day, and it willingly obliged in front of a guy at the Genius Bar, too. In fact, in front of him it switched itself off quicker than ever.

When the Genius mentioned potential costs of repair, I brought up the fact that an 18-month-old iMac, which cost AUD$2700, should last longer than 18 months (and for the last week in the home office I was only able to use it because my seven-year-old Dell monitor, which still works perfectly, saved the day...). But I was told that unless I signed the form agreeing to pay costs, they could not even take it to their workshop to look at it.

So I signed, and I have been told it will cost either $150 or $750, probably for the same things you've had done - but in Australia everything Apple costs much more than in the US.

Anyway, I did manage to take a wonderful video of the old Dell monitor taking up the slack when the new, expensive iMac had yet another heart attack. Maybe it'll become a YouTube hit! I can call it "iMac - it doesn't just work". Or maybe "Saved by the Dell"...

Good luck with your dodgy iMac.

Chris

Hi all. Not good news from me. I'm now feeling a bit sick about my decision to buy an Apple computer.

They replaced the backlight, still didn't work. They replaced the LCD panel, still didn't work. They now say the problem is the logic board, which needs replacing at a cost of $958.

After doing a quick search in Apple discussion strings it seems thousands of people have had this exact problem but Apple continues to charge for the fix. Logic board reliability is very bad in the iMac and extremely bad in MacBook Pro - so bad that it I believe a class action has been set against Apple in the US specifically for logic board problems on the MBP that Apple refuses to recognise.

So my next computer purchase will not come from Apple, which is sad. It has been a long relationship, but all that is left is to vote with my feet...

I have had this exact issue ever since upgrading to Mountion Lion. I finally had enogh and took it to the genius bar at Carindale here in Brisbane. They rang after 8 days of leaving it with them to tell me it was a software issue caused by me installing a non Mac Store approved application called Cleanmymac. They told me that they would have to format and do a new install. Didnt have much choice in the matter so told them to go ahead.

Got it back and on the very first day my screen went blank as it had done previously. It definately didnt do it as much as it did before being at apple but now that I have reinstalled all my apps apart from cleanmymac, it is back to being exactly the same. As soon as it get's hot or I run Lightroom it goes blank. Have to turn brightness down to 2 or 3 bars.

I have had this imac replaced with a completly new one a couple of months after I purchased it for a simialr problem, but now that the replacement it is out of warranty I dont know what to do. Not happy at all that a $3000 imac hasnt even lasted 2 years.

Hate to say this, but i assert that Apple just doesnt want to admit there is a problem here.

I an having th same probelm which seems to be getting worse by the day. Over the years, I have had good and very fair experiences with the Genius crew at the Tampa International Mall store.

I agree with DavidNY63 that Apple is turning a blind eye to the issue. If enough of us take our concerns and Imacs to the Genious Bar to raise a bit of cane while maintaining respect for the messengers, Apple may eventually respond by doing the right thing.

Like many of you, I am a dedicated Apple hippy from the old Lisa days and have invested in every gadget from iPhones to iPads, MacBookPros, iMacs and iCloud for my entire famly. Sadly, since Steve Jobs left us for the big iCloud in the sky Apple has experienced a fall from Cloud 9 and Apple maps still can't find it's way home, as the stock decline of late rightfully reflects.

Thank you for all of your helpful posts from the Apple Support Community. I admt, I too do not have the patience or time to mess around with work around patch fixes & fans. Let's hope Apple maintains customer loyalty and market-share with the Nordstrom "make it right" premium customer service standard of excellence.

Joinging the Club!

Same problem with a 27' iMac (mid-2010 purchased brand new, 2 years ago) with all latest updates on Mountain Lion 10.8.3.

The symptoms started few weeks ago only, on a computer that has been ON 24x7 for almost 2 years with screen saver and energy saver options ON.

Before searching for this problem on the support communities, I also figured out that forcing the computer to go to sleep and awaking it would solve the problem temporarily for few minutes to few hours.

I will go to the nearest Apple Store to check what is the local Apple response to this problem.

If this problem is confirmed, even though not acknowledged by Apple, being an "engineering issue" (ironic expression for what looks like a major design/aging failure), I bet Apple will do its best to avoid recalling.

There are potentially about millions of units at stake...

If I may comment one thing about all the attempts I have read to find "workarounds".

I must say that in the Spirit of what Steve Jobs would have said himself, I have not purchased a 2000€+ computer that I use for ordinary computer use (no CAD, no Video/Picture editing, no Hard core gaming, etc.) to have to find any "workaround" to such a major design/aging failure.

2 years is not that old for a domestic computer of this price despite whatever planned obsolescence.

I want and I need to use my computer "as is", without having to blow air to its chassis, change the internal cooling patterns, load any software (not included in the OS or one of its patches so tested and supported by Apple) to reconfigure anything, forcing low or high backlight of the screen, etc.

It has to work for what I have bought it for and the way I want itperiod]

I understand all those attempts were meant to avoid the cost of "repairs".

But hold on a minute, this is not a failure.

The screen stills works as far as I am aware so why should I change it.

It just do not perform what it should which is a completely different matter.

Forget about being fooled by an internal “computerized cable”.

The screen system in its entirety just do not fulfill its duty while it is not broken[end of the story].

Why would I pay for fixing something that is not broken?

A design failure or a component that does not age well on a fair use is not a failure.

I never heard of “wearing parts” for computer cables.

I'd accept it for a hard-disk of for a LCD screen beyond 8 years but not after 2! I've got a Sony LCD monitor that is 12 years old and that still works perfectly.

Is AppleCare a way to make us pay for something badly designed?

Are we so scared an Apple product would fail that not only we do accept CONSCIOUSLY to paid a premium but also we feel the need to secure this by an extra-premium warranty?

As a matter of principle WHY would I pay for anything beyond the legal warranty when one of the reason why we buy Apple products is for their specifications, performances and reliability?

After two years of service I could (hardly) accept the argument of a failure if the screen would permanently go off. This is not the case. It works when lit.

So I consider it as a design failure or a component aging too early despite a fair use.

I bought it so I could use it this way and the promise is just not kept.

I want my money back ! LOL

As I read it many times in this thread, I've been myself a (late but ever since then) quite loyal Apple customer (all iPhones collection, iPad, iMac, an actual fanboy...).

I do not expect to be treated like a king for such reason but simply as a CUSTOMER.

Which means someone with the choice to choose a competitor when not satisfied: products, specifications - including reliability, prices and SERVICE!

As Jobs said it himself in many of his interviews, I buy Apple products (at such more expensive prices than their competitions) because they are (were...) better and satisfy (ied) me.

If these conditions are not meet anymore, my loyalty will go to the next in line providing those qualities especially for these level of prices.

This is not a treat, this is the deal with Apple!

If there isn't much competition right now, there will be soon if Apple carries one this way.

Alternately I'd go for a cheap solution and then would not complain when they do not stand their promises (they promise less generally...).

I don't know about Apple becoming "anything" since Jobs passed away, or whichever new market they might be chasing now.

What I know for sure is that they should not consider their existing customer base as locked in their ecosystem. Apple's success since the iPod/iPhone/iPad was due to the excellence of these products which condemns Apple to excellence in all their product lines, especially the expensive ones. As I said, I've switched from Windows to OS X therefore PC to Mac after the positive experience of the iPhone.

I will switch to other options if necessary.

Pascal - Paris area France

I too am having black screen issues. I've tried the fan app and running a lower brightness. That helped for awhile. Now I can't get it to stay on for 3 seconds even on initial startup. In other words the machine is cool. No heat built up yet and it still won't stay on. I'm out of warranty and am ready to abandon apple completely phones and computers. This is rediculous. Anyone still running fine after an LCD replacement. Also where can I get an led replacement and new cable. And how can I be sure the replacement screen won't have the same issue

Hey Oreo8716,

I wouldn't spend money on the LCD replacement. First have it tested at an Apple shop. Mine had a backlight replaced, then the LCD replaced, then the entire logic board replaced, and it still didn't work - so they haven't charged me. They're now saying the iMac has suffered 'catastrophic failure' (yeah, I kinda knew that...) and as it's only 18 months old it should be replaced for free, but I have to go through the original re-seller (I bought it from a local electronics shop as we didn't have an Apple store locally until about 8 months ago). Not sure yet whether this will cause new problems. I'll post a new message when it's done.

In Australia the media has caught on to an internal email that went out to all Apple Stores from Apple head office saying all Mac products should be fixed or replaced if faulty during the first two years, rather than the first 12 months. So I'm still hoping for a positive result after this very long period without my iMac.

Just don't pay for the extra parts in advance, as they probably won't make a difference. These iMacs truly suffer a serious problem.

Chris

Tks Chris that's good advice I'm going to call apple tomorrow. State my concerns. And see what happens. Possibly take it to the apple store for them to have a look at it. There's no way I'm shelling out 700+ For a computer to be fixed that's not even two years old it's ridiculous. Especially when soo many others are having the same exact issues. Chris does yours turn on for a brief moment then turn black and u can wake it back up and it goes black like 3 seconds later or was yours totally dead 100% no display at all?

Hi Oreo,

The Apple store were pretty good with me - they told me beforehand the cost if the thing they were testing for was the right fix, but once it didn't work they continued testing, trying new fixes, then finally decided the computer was shot. For all of that testing I'm paying $35. But for the most expensive potential fix (the logic board) it would have been something like $900. I'm secretly glad that didn't work...

I did have a problem similar to what you're describing, but it very quickly, over about a week, went downhill and became much worse, to the stage where the screen only came on for maybe 30 seconds each morning then stayed off for the rest of the day. I could access the computer via an external monitor, making the iMac the biggest, heaviest Mac Mini ever made, but that was a bit of a rubbish solution.

Good luck with your fix. Keep us informed.

Chris

I have the same problem, however someone in another thread posted that changing the resolution fixed it for them

see https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4053857?answerId=21651748022#21651748022

Seems that also works for my iMac. Not really a solution but may give a hint of what's going on. Anyone with more technical expertice having an idea?

Markus

Spoke too soon. Just blacked out on lower resolution. However when it was running for a long period the brightness was reduced, so that might be working better.

Btw I set up the bottom right corner as "put monitor to sleep" so when the screen goes black a quick trip to the bottom right and out again brings it back.

Update: almost got scammed by the company Mytechhelp.com they posed as apple when I called and wanted me to send my computer to Florida. No way Jose. Called apple and reported these frauds. Beware of them people. Anyway I remembered I bought my Mac with my Amex card. They extend the manufactures warranty by a year. So Amex is paying for the repairs or replacement. Going to the apple store to drop it off get a quote to repair, send that to Amex to get approval and then let apple fix it. I'm a happy camper as of now. Will keep you posted.

Quick and positive update from me. I have just got my iMac back - it seems to be working perfectly. Apple in Australia, since they decided three weeks ago to fix major problems with all Mac products that are less than two years old, had a change of heart with my iMac and just did $1926 of work for free.

They replaced logic board, video card, power supply, and LCD panel (everything but a new computer...) so I'm now a happy camper and have renewed faith in the brand.

Oreo - I looked into the Amex solution, as I had bought mine on an Amex, too, but they had a clause in the 'extended insurance' contract saying they will not cover anything that can be described as 'office equipment', including computers. Check that out with them before you take things too far. Hopefully this clause is not in the US version.

Good luck!