iMac screen problems

This doesn't seem to have come up before so I figured it was worth mentioning, apologies if I missed an earlier thread.

There seems to be a growing number of complaints about display issues on the new 20" and 24" iMacs. Specifically a color or brightness change across the screen. It's not apparent on a textured background, but switch to something plain and if you've got it its obvious. I only know one person with a Mac and she just bought one of these. We switched the background to gray and immediately could see a 2" dark gray band on the left side and a 2" pale gray band on the right.

Its not a huge issue, people only seem to notice if they use a plain background. Of course if you do photography on the computer having uneven screen brightness/color is certainly something to deal with. Unfortunately Apple seem to be being dicks about it and are locking/deleting threads on their user forums when it comes up.

More info over here.
And a lot more if you google it.

My macbook pro experiences what you are explaining only when coming off screensaver, sleep, or booting initially until the screen has "warmed up" and then the screen goes back to normal. I took it in last week to have it looked at by the genuises at the apple store and they said it is totally normal, which I just wanted to ensure it really was normal.

Is yours staying like that all the time? I would find that pretty annoying if it is, but I am not often dealing with a plain background.

Have you tried calling apple directly about this issue?

nothing wrong with my new 24". Seems like a beautiful display. Doesn't seem too bright as many have stated, either.

I love my 24", but its way too bright even with the system brightness down all the way. I had to get a separate app to manage the brightness that was hurting my eyes.

http://www.charcoaldes​ign.co.uk/shades

This app is great, puts a slider bar at the top and you can adjust it based on need.

Jeff Allred wrote in post #4536362
Have you tried calling apple directly about this issue?

It's not actually mine, its my in-laws, and she's keeping an eye on teh intarweb to see if Apple ever admit there is a problem. She does do a lot of photography so it is a concern for her. She's hasn't called them specifically about it though. I was actually surprised it was that notable. You read about this type of thing and assume its just 3 whiners with too much time on their hands. Seeing it on the only Mac I have access to was unexpected. Oh, and it had been on for several hours when we checked.

Too bright with it all the way down? Wow... you must have some sensitive eyes. I wish my mbp was brighter than it is at full power.

Citizensmith wrote in post #4536575
It's not actually mine, its my in-laws, and she's keeping an eye on teh intarweb to see if Apple ever admit there is a problem. She does do a lot of photography so it is a concern for her. She's hasn't called them specifically about it though. I was actually surprised it was that notable. You read about this type of thing and assume its just 3 whiners with too much time on their hands. Seeing it on the only Mac I have access to was unexpected. Oh, and it had been on for several hours when we checked.

Okay well I would definitely get on the phone with apple and see what they have to say.

If they dont live close to an apple store, they will overnight a box to their house and pay for shipping to their nearest store and have it looked at, if under warranty.

Is this happening with the newest iMac model?

Jeff Allred wrote in post #4536591
Is this happening with the newest iMac model?

Yeah, the brand new 20" and 24" iMacs. Hers is only a few weeks old so very definitely under warrantee. If it was me I'd be asking for a replacement independent of what else is going on. The issue is obvious and always present so its not like they could disagree with you. They probably just had some kind of manufacturing problems like the did with the iPhone, iTouch, and some MacBook Pros. But, admit it, deal with it and look good. Don't try and hide it and turn yourself into the bad guy.

Well I wish you the best of luck...

There's a real issue with many of the displays on the Aluminum iMacs. Apple has dropped the ball on this and is getting hammered in their own support forums.

I'd take it back and get a Mini. That way she could get a 24" matte display to go with it. Unless there's a compelling reason for the iMac (e.g., FW800, 802.11n, more RAM, dedicated graphics card, second display, etc.), a 2 gig Mini is an admirable performer. She'd probably need an external FW hard drive, such as the MiniStack 2.

Tony-S wrote in post #4536856
There's a real issue with many of the displays on the Aluminum iMacs. Apple has dropped the ball on this and is getting hammered in their own support forums.

I'd take it back and get a Mini. That way she could get a 24" matte display to go with it. Unless there's a compelling reason for the iMac (e.g., FW800, 802.11n, more RAM, dedicated graphics card, second display, etc.), a 2 gig Mini is an admirable performer. She'd probably need an external FW hard drive, such as the MiniStack 2.

They're 23" displays

Forget the mini..... get a mac pro! and a 30" monitor. Splurge a bit.

Jeff Allred wrote in post #4536910
They're 23" displays

Apple's is, but there are plenty of other DVI displays out there. Mine's a 24" Samsung.

Forget the mini..... get a mac pro! and a 30" monitor. Splurge a bit.

Yeah, would be nice. Refurb Pros aren't too bad.

Tony-S wrote in post #4536937
Apple's is, but there are plenty of other DVI displays out there. Mine's a 24" Samsung.

I just figured you were talking apple's cinema displays

I am a relatively new owner of a 24" aliMac and this isn't the first time I have read about such a problem. Thankfully, mine is fine. If mine was having that problem, I would more than likely contact Apple and ask for a replacement. Perhaps that is the avenue to go...

Elphaba wrote in post #4538197
I am a relatively new owner of a 24" aliMac and this isn't the first time I have read about such a problem. Thankfully, mine is fine. If mine was having that problem, I would more than likely contact Apple and ask for a replacement. Perhaps that is the avenue to go...

They certainly cant help you if they dont know there's an issue.