Q: Design fault? 27" 2013 iMac stand just gave up!

I had the exact same problem with my 27" 2013 iMac. I was using it and it just went crack in front of me and tilted forward. Took it into the Apple store on 4 March and the Genius there made remarks like, "I've never seen this happen before. Are you sure you didn't drop it?" I said no and he conceded that there would have been more damage or bending to the stand and said that it'd be a repair inside the warranty. They said 3-5 days. After 1 week I phoned and was told they were waiting on a part that should arrive today or tomorrow. Two days later I called and got the same reply. I asked to speak to one of the repairers and he said that they were having trouble finding the rear housing and that no one in Australia had any in stock so they had to source one from another part of the world. I finally got my iMac back on 20 March.

I got it home and I noticed that I could not insert my thunderbolt display into the rear port or couldn't connect the lan cable. It appears that the housing is slightly askew and is blocking entry to these ports. Also there is a strange burn mark on the bottom left hand corner of my screen that was not there before the repair. Lastly they didn't take OSX out of diagnostic mode so when I booted it up it flashed the globe icon and took ages. I found a fix for this myself however.

I've called the Apple store to relay my dissatisfaction but they want me to bring it back in again. I use the iMac for work (self-employed) and its absence has impacted me quite a lot in the past two weeks.

Is this standard?

Not standard, give AppleCare a call and let them know what has occured. If you need ask for your case to be escalated. Be polite, have your facts straight and be persistent.

There have been a very few reports of these failures, not enough to warrant a problem however if the issue occurs to you as it has then that does not matter. Just contact AppleCare and ask for the case to be escolated, you may even want to request a replacement machine.

Hello, as of last night this has happened twice (2x) to me within a 4 month period, I have a genius appt. later today and am so frustrated by this that I may try to go another route. I was told they would work with me to find a better solution, possibly just go for a macbook pro or a different display setup Idk... I did not hear any cracking noises as previously described with my first stand failure however, last night I did hear what sounded like someone dropping a box of matches on the table, lo and behold my monitor will not stay up now. I hope Apple realizes they have an issue, however small.

Just had the spring mount fail on my 2013 27" 3.4 iMac.  I do have Applecare and would be really interested in hearing more from others with the issue, regarding the repair time.  Like "translucent18", I too operate a small business (video), and this is my main editing machine.  While it may be annoying for moderate use, the 8-15/hr edit sessions I have to do for work are brutal right now, as the screen is increadable dificult to view.  That said, it really nees to be fixed, where a single day with out my machine is highly inconvenient, anything more than 3 days would be disastorous for my workflow.  Any info or advise on fast-tracking a repair would be appreciated.

The spring mount on my Imac just failed, its less than a year old. I am supprised at how few postings of the problem there are here. Even more amazed the the typical genius bar response is I have never seen this before.

Same thing just happend to my 27" mac (purchased new almost exactly a year ago, in March 2013).

I heard a very loud sound coming from the computer while streaming a tv show last night. It sounded like something heavy hit it. All I saw was the screen slightly shaking, as if someone just moved the computer desk. Couldn't figure out where the sound came from until I sat behind it the next day and tried tilting the screen up. It just fell back to it's lowest position. 

I called Apple Care immidiately and got the same answer - the technitian never heard of this problem before - happy to find this thead to help establish that I'm not alone in this problem!

From the sound of it, this issue is starting to happen to more and more people! Taking it in to the genius bar tomorrow.

Same issue here. Just bought it (Imac 27'' 2013) nearly a year ago, Just like the case in the post above...

2 days ago i heard a very loud noise comimg from the inside. Dindnt noticed any malfunction until today. The screen just falls like theres nothing holding it in the right angle...

Let's add my iMac to the list. Bought a year and half ago, crack! and droop last night while I was in the room but not using it. I have a roll of duct tape wedged in between the back of the screen and the stand to hold it up. If I found out it will be insanely costly or they will have my computer forever, this may have to be my 'permanent' solution. If you think about it, that screen is terribly front-heavy and it is predictable that something like this would/could happen. I have had one Apple or another for 20+ years and I am honestly not surprised. They used to build a much sturdier product in the old days,

I'm a member of this growing club as well.  Bought my 27" iMac in summer 2013 and one day in march 2014, *crack* - and my screen hangs limply down.

As a temporary fix, I've propped an old 6" ruler between the curve of the base and the little rubber collar of the power cable, and this is presenting the screen at a comfortable angle for work.   It's of course not ideal, as I can no longer adjust the screen for various lighting conditions.

The real question for me now is when I can afford to be without my computer for the week it would take to get repaired.  This is a classic 'threshold' question -- so long as the annoyance owing to the decreased functionality of the screen stand is less than the hassle involved in hauling it off to the Apple Store (risking further damage by dropping, banging) and the loss of use for a week, it's not going to get fixed.   But I need to get it done at some point  if only to preserve the resale value of the machine. 

Rats.

Hey Endfallow,

Since you're running this for business, you may be interested in Apple's business support, Joint Venture. It has a lot that could help you out, including loaner machines.

http://www.apple.com/retail/business/

Bah! That happens to me right now, April 28, 2014. I don't have Apple Care and my iMac was purchased in May 1, 2013. Hum, I still under warranty! Let's see what can I do!

I strongly suggest getting the AppleCare Protection Program, since you have two days left before the year runs out. Once in hand, if you're within 50 miles (80 KM) of an Apple repair station, you might be eligible for an onsite repair since yours is a desktop machine (depends on where you're located).

Same here, 27" Imac bought in late may 2013 and a couple days ago outta nothing the screen is always facing down, such a bummer for a 3k computer.

Same happened here.. bought mine less than a year ago in Singapore. Did find a temporary solution though!

Since it's less than a year old, have Apple repair/replace it.