Is The Imac's Screen Covered With Glass Or Plastic?

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Level 7

24,242 points

Is The Imac's Screen Covered With Glass Or Plastic?

My old G3 iMac and G4 eMac both have a tough glass cover over the front of the monitor.

Is the outer covering of the LCD screen on the latest iMacs glass or a plastic material?

The reason I ask is because I have never had to take any particular care to prevent my CRT screens from getting marked, but if the LCD one is plastic, then it will probably be comparatively delicate and easily damaged. (Don't get me wrong - although I have a sledge-hammer I never use it near the computer!)

This query arose from the threads I have read about massaging dead or stuck pixels.

Ian.

eMac 1.25 Superdrive (768MB RAM) LaCie 160GB FW HD + 250GB USB2 HD, Mac OS X (10.4.7), FCE 3.0 HD.

Posted on Sep 24, 2006 3:11 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 24, 2006 4:23 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Not sure what the material is, but it is much easier to damage than a CRT screen.

CRT's can take quite a bit of abuse as the front glass is very thick (hence the weight), but on an LCD it is quite thin and fragile.

Ian

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Answer 2

MartinR

Level 7

24,366 points

Sep 24, 2006 9:14 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Hi Ian,
It's a plastic material, not glass, and it has a bit of texture to it. I think it's fairly rugged, and of course good caretaking is always advisable. I make it a point not to touch the screen and when I do clean it, I use Windex & a paper towel (I can hear the gasps even as I type this ...). Never had a problem with any of my laptops or other LCD screens cleaning them this way.

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Answer 3

Ian R. Brown Author

Level 7

24,242 points

Sep 24, 2006 10:03 AM in response to MartinR

Thanks for both your replies.

Although I haven't got a new iMac yet I have used G5's belonging to friends, but under those circumstances you are not thinking about the constructional details or contemplating strength tests!

I was all set to dash out and buy one last week when I suddenly realised that I'm only using my Macs for browsing the web etc. at the moment, so I might as well wait a few more months and get an uprated one with Leopard and iLife 7.

I just hope that when the next version does come out I don't use the same argument!

Ian.

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Answer 4

Sep 24, 2006 10:11 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

for cleaning, I use just straight H2O on a paper towel and then dry with a dry paper towel. no need to bring chemicals into the equation, you're more likely to do damage.

if you really need, a VERY small dab of dish soap (VERy small) can work nice.

also 3M makes a real nice screen cleaner kit thats small and compact and works great!

also if you use compressed air on your screen, do not shake it so that it freezes on the screen, that will ruin a matte finish screen

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Answer 5

Ian R. Brown Author

Level 7

24,242 points

Sep 24, 2006 10:24 AM in response to Michael Payne

Thanks for the extra info - I must admit I've never used H20 - just a spot of water now and again!

Ian.

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Answer 6

lenn5

Level 4

2,537 points

Sep 24, 2006 10:58 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

I would never use a paper towel on an LCD screen. Some PTs are very rough and can damage the delicate outer layer of an LCD screen. And once it is scratched there's no going back. I use a product specifically made for LCDs. iKlear does a fantastic job on LCDs along with the lint free soft cloth. iClean also is very good.

lenn

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Answer 7

Ian R. Brown Author

Level 7

24,242 points

Sep 25, 2006 12:29 AM in response to lenn5

I have used soft toilet paper for cleaning glass and plastic lenses etc. for over 30 years and never caused a scratch or blemish.

I have found it every bit as good as expensive specialised lens tissues and infinitely cheaper.

Ian.

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