My 2012 27" iMac has image retention...and here's what Apple said...
I'm a web designer that works on my machine most of the day and sometimes on the same Photoshop PSD. I started noticing image retention almost immediately. I did some online tests where it shows the checkerboard for 10 minutes and then switches to grey. Most of the time it showed retention and I couldn't figure out the inconsistency. So I took it into the Apple Store last night and they did their own image retention test....4 minutes on a checkerboard and 1 minute of cooldown and then if there is retention then there is a problem. REALLY? In what REAL WORLD scenario is this actually the case? This machine is designed for creative professionals that historically work in a single program all day long doing photo editing, design, or video editing. I was told that retention is "normal" for the IPS displays. So after thinking about it...I believe this is also HEAT related. The reason my iMac passed the test at the store was because she pulled it right out of the box, ran a 4 minute test, and of course it passed. I had these same retention issues on my older 24" iMac because of a known issue with heat. Apple finally told me they would replace the LED (they wouldn't replace the machine because I bought it from a reseller although I have 3 years of Applecare) so I'm doing that but I have a feeling it's not going to fix the issue.
Does anyone have any ideas or any similar experiences? This is a machine I work on and I need to get this straightened out before too much time goes by.
iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)