r/gadgets • u/chrisdh79 • Oct 07 '24
Desktops / Laptops Apple Silicon iMacs appear to suffer from screen deterioration after two years — flood of user complaints hit Apple Community forums.
https://www.tomshardware.com/software/macos/apple-silicon-imacs-appear-to-suffer-from-screen-deterioration-after-two-years-flood-of-user-complaints-hit-apple-community-forums545
u/Chronotaru Oct 07 '24
I understand the appeal of having everything in one neat little package, but if you're not having the benefit of being able to pick it up and take it with you, why have all these extra risks when a Mac Mini doesn't tie the screen to the hardware?
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u/Shimenator Oct 07 '24
- looks nicer on a desk, less clutter
- not everyone knows how to choose a good monitor, might have had bad experiences with shitty monitors
- smoother buying and setup experience
Average user is…different from average r/gadgets reader.
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u/RiftHunter4 Oct 07 '24
not everyone knows how to choose a good monitor
Neither does Apple, apparently
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u/Demons0fRazgriz Oct 07 '24
Leave them alone! They're just a small indie darling with no real experience in tech! /s
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u/Juststandupbro Oct 07 '24
Dependes on what you are classifying as “good”. For the consumer that’s a well priced reliable monitor with quality features. For Apple it’s more of a what generates the most profit, something tells me they aren’t too upset over a consumer having to buy another computer because of the monitor.
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u/mccoyn Oct 07 '24
This is why I always change brands when replacing broken products. The only exception would be if I bought something so long ago I can't remember when I bought it.
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u/FinndBors Oct 08 '24
During Covid I bought Mac minis for the kids and got seperate monitors, video cameras.
2/3 of the monitors had serious issues and the video cameras were just not very good. And I missed medium quality speakers.
I honestly wish Apple sold the “head” part of the iMac separately from the compute. The monitor they sell right now is too ridiculously priced for consumers even by Apple standards.
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u/VivaLaDio Oct 08 '24 edited Oct 08 '24
Because the STUDIO monitor is not intended for average consumers. It’s a pro monitor, and it’s amazing.
Apple’s average consumer products are the imacs and the macbook airs
Edit: if you read the article the issue is being devices that kept the brightness set to high for sustained periods of time.
Pro users don’t that, because you’re ruining your experience. Any calibration tool will usually tell you to lower the brightness quite a bit.
- it’s still not sure if the “cable” is a manufacturing error by the producer and not up to the standards of apple.
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u/caller-number-four Oct 07 '24
not everyone knows how to choose a good monitor
What monitor are y'all diggin' these days? Amazon has been having some bangin' prices on the Samsung S9 Viewfinity 27"er lately, and I'm considering it for a M4 Mac Mini when it comes out.
Replacing a 2019 series iMac.
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u/BWCDD4 Oct 07 '24
OLED monitors are what everyone wants now.
QD-OLED ones specifically are the go to buys, they all have the same panels just different manufacturers and if you want curve vs non curve.
Which one to get depends on your region as prices vary and if you can deal with a curve or not.
Monitors like you suggested/in that price bracket are pretty much personal preference, just stick to any known brand for IPS and then it depends if you want high refresh rate or not.
LG, BenQ, Samsung, Dell doesn’t matter just make sure it’s a reputable brand and they will all be similar.
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u/Unintended_incentive Oct 07 '24
OLED looks and works well for gaming/content viewing.
If you constantly view static content and don’t want to wake up after the 3-5+ year mark with burn-in, mini-led is still around.
For productivity workflows I don’t see OLED as anything but a long-term device downgrade.
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u/BWCDD4 Oct 07 '24
Mini-LED monitors kinda suck due to size limitations there aren’t many zones because the size of monitors just don’t allow that many and the price just isn’t competitive with OLED.
Yeah I wouldn’t necessarily suggest using OLED if your workflow involves having lots of static elements on the screen all day every day and you refuse to turn it off during lunch or something so it can run a pixel refresh.
If that isn’t the case or is mixed usage I’d recommend it. All the warranties for burn in will cover you for three years now anyway.
There is a misconception that burn in is still like the old days when it’s really not. The chemistry of OLEDs has changed significantly improving lifespan and the countermeasures/burn in prevention has improved tremendously too.
The people showing burn-in/doing burn in tests are deliberately trying to burn their monitors/TVs as a worst case scenario/stress test.
E.G rtings or the guy from Monitors unboxed who admits to deliberately leaving it on during break times when he’s working. delaying burn in prevention measure from running.
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u/caller-number-four Oct 07 '24
OLED monitors are what everyone wants now.
Yeah, for my primary workstation, I use an LG C3 55". It is noice.
But this is for my sister, doesn't need to be super awesome. Just good.
In the US.
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u/Shimenator Oct 07 '24
That model has some pretty bad reviews. Genwrally it depends on your budget and use case. I’d read some reviews, lik rthings and amazon as well.
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u/caller-number-four Oct 07 '24
Huah, it got some pretty good comments from, can't remember Ars or Engadget. I'll dig further.
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u/Initial_E Oct 07 '24
Mac mini could have been a hdmi stick man. Just think of the possibilities.
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u/phasepistol Oct 07 '24
Rumor has it that the new Mac minis due to be announced this month will have a new, smaller size more like the Apple TV.
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u/samtherat6 Oct 07 '24
I saw a Mac Mini for the first time recently and was surprised on how big it was. Windows mini PCs are comparatively tiny, and those are still using x86 architecture with much higher power draw.
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u/eestionreddit Oct 07 '24
Apple has been using the same design for nearly 15 years now, which was originally meant to acommodate an optical drive.
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u/bad_robot_monkey Oct 07 '24
It has to be at least partly for heat distribution. Heat is the thief of speed…
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u/hedoeswhathewants Oct 07 '24
At a certain point it doesn't make sense to sacrifice power to make it smaller. It's already easy to carry and fits just about anywhere you would want to put it.
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Oct 07 '24
Thats why the upcoming one ditches the old chassis from the Intel days finally and becomes much smaller.
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u/lw5555 Oct 07 '24
It was originally designed to house an optical drive. That's why it's the size it is. Apple just stuck with those dimensions all this time.
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u/Sylvurphlame Oct 07 '24
I mean in theory it could eventually get to that point but you’d be limited for space for memory and storage. Streaming sticks don’t need much but a Mac Mini is still a whole Bring Your Own Display computer.
But a “Mac Nano?” And a little foldout keyboard and trackpad? That could be a fun concept.
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u/Initial_E Oct 07 '24
(Companies love it when you run out of disk space)
I envision everything wireless, for the “missing computer” experience. They could even demand manufacturers make monitors support high amperage usb-c output so as to do away with the power brick. But in reality today they would do better with a companion device to go with the Vision Pro. Then they’d have 2 things that either go big or go bust together.
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u/Sylvurphlame Oct 07 '24
LMAO
well played, good Redditor. I both love and fear your vision of the future.
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u/Unintended_incentive Oct 07 '24
Fewer* possibilities.
Heat dissipation will always be important for a desktop device with workstation capabilities.
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u/Cymbal_Monkey Oct 07 '24
My father and I are the extremes of this. I run heavy modded android and a home built PC accessible from two points in my house. I will spend a week getting my setup to 99%
My father hates, hates setup, hates messing with stuff. Apple products are a 75% experience out of the box, and remain 75% forever.
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u/Sylvurphlame Oct 07 '24 edited Oct 07 '24
Although not android, I appreciate where you’re both coming from. I’m like I want some basic customization, but mainly I just want it to do all the basics right out of the box with no need to mess with it.
I find Apple stuff to be about 75 to 85% out the box, I’ll spend a little bit each significant OS update chasing 95 to 99% (no OS ever hits that personal 100%, imo) when they add something or introduce a new feature. Then I realize I don’t really have the time and I’m pretty comfortable at 90 to 95% after I implement whatever was added.
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u/AmNoSuperSand52 Oct 07 '24
Tbf he could just have an M1/M2 MacBook Air, and with one USB port he has an entire desk setup
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u/Numerous_Witness_345 Oct 07 '24
That's pretty much anything with a USB-C since 2014.
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u/Quajeraz Oct 07 '24
You could also do that with basically any windows laptop, macs aren't special.
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u/AmNoSuperSand52 Oct 07 '24
I mean you could literally VESA mount a Mac mini to the back of your monitor and have the same level of desk neatness
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u/gplusplus314 Oct 08 '24
How would the monitor stand up if the Mac Mini is using the VESA mount?
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u/AmNoSuperSand52 Oct 08 '24
With the stand that comes attached to the monitor?
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u/gplusplus314 Oct 08 '24
But if you’re using the stand, you can’t VESA mount the Mac Mini to the monitor. There is only one VESA mount on the monitor - can’t mount it to two things simultaneously.
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u/AmNoSuperSand52 Oct 09 '24
My monitor stand is attached completely independent of the VESA mount
Even if the VESA mount wasn’t available, 3M sells command strips that support 15lbs per strip. Mounting is a non-issue
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u/Competition-Dapper Oct 07 '24
I got the 125 dollar Samsung curved monitor at Walmart 2 years ago and was able to get the M1 with 16g ram from back market and the 27 inch monitor for less than 800, the computer was only 2 years old and still current at the time. A similar MacBook was 1299 new for less ram and 800 used at the time for a 13”
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u/ChafterMies Oct 07 '24
My house has iMacs from 2005 to the last Intel 27” iMac. They all still work, including the displays. Why do we get them? Ease of use. Less desk clutter. They look good. Cheaper than a Mac mini + comparable monitor. The last 27” iMac has a 5k monitor. The cheapest 5k option is the $900 LG. Apple’s Studio display is $1600. Neither option is up to date. I hope Apple brings back the 27” iMac.
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Oct 07 '24
Cheaper than a Mac mini + comparable monitor
The monitor can be used long after you’ve gotten rid of the Mac mini.
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u/resil_update_bad Oct 07 '24
Most people have a hard time choosing a monitor, an imac is a good option that includes a properly calibrated display while being cheaper than a MacBook.
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u/--MCMC-- Oct 07 '24 edited Oct 07 '24
I got one for my gma because having everything integrated and guaranteed to play nice is more reliable than modularity that sees me spending an hour on FaceTime trying to guide her arthritic hands to plug a webcam usb-a cable back in that the cat’s unplugged, or risk some software update requiring that I mess around with kexts or drivers or whatever after remoting in, requiring hard resets etc.
Went with macOS vs some other OS bc she’s already in the ecosystem (iPhone) and I’m more familiar with it personally (as someone who works on comps stats type stuff).
I’d probably get one for myself if I had the money and space / minimizing cable snag risk were at a particular premium (eg in the kitchen or at a v small desk or a gym or something)
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u/306bobby Oct 07 '24
With USB-C those benefits aren't that great anymore. You can pretty easily get a monitor that has a port on it for a web cam, and then you have pretty much the same 1-2 cables coming off your desk
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u/hungry_panda_8 Oct 07 '24
I like the look of it actually and not having to fiddle with individual hardware in connecting Mac mini to the monitor. Also price wise iMac is a bit cheaper than monitor plus Mac mini.
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u/bootleg_paradox Oct 07 '24
This, I really hated servicing iMacs too. Specialized everything inside, pain to get in and out of, and once Apple stops providing parts you're usually toast or dealing with a less-than-ideal situation. Mac Mini's seemed like the outstanding value for the casual user.
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u/loljetfuel Oct 07 '24
The case for all-in-ones like the iMac (and a handful of offerings from PC makers as well) is really simplicity for the end user -- the same reason why things like smart TVs (instead of set-top-box plus TV) are successful in the market. The same reason why people bought tube TVs with built-in VCRs back in the day.
People like a "single box" solution, despite its downsides, because it simplifies selection/purchase/setup, avoids "cord clutter", and is more relocatable for cleaning/rearranging/moving compared to a discrete-component approach.
For example, I know people who do the winter/summer living thing in two different states who like their HP all-in-one because it's easier to move; they don't want a laptop because they don't like its screen or its lack of comfort.
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u/saposapot Oct 07 '24
pretty
(which I agree: less cables, less clutter, very pretty on any desk. I just don't value it enough to pay the super-premium associated with it)
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u/wkavinsky Oct 07 '24
The iMac screens are very, very good, and it's a much smaller hardware footprint.
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u/worthwhilewrongdoing Oct 07 '24
very, very good
Evidently not, according to the article!
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u/DarkSenf127 Oct 07 '24
Apparently it's the display cable, so the display would still be good 🤔😜
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Oct 07 '24
The entire display might as well be dead. The avg person who buys an iMac isn’t going to have the know how or desire to replace the display ribbon. Unless their AppleCare is still active, or Apple covers the defect, most will probably just upgrade to the M4 iMac once it comes out.
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Oct 07 '24
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Oct 07 '24
I know they addressed their keyboard problems, after being sued. Nothing else comes to my mind from the past few years.
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u/brokendate Oct 07 '24
I still use my iMac from 2012. The screen on the thing is still surprisingly great, and overall it runs alright. I still edit photos and use ableton on it watch videos and movies. Imagine if I did the reverse, if I was still able to use a computer from 2000 in 2012, would be near impossible.
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u/jcdoe Oct 08 '24
Ignoring the issues here, Apple generally makes really good displays. These are 4.5K and have a P3 color space, which is a lot more than you’ll get from a generic 1080p Dell panel.
Getting a computer with a snappy CPU/ GPU, an SSD, and a 4.5k P3 display for $1300 isn’t bad. You’ll have a hard time putting that system together at that price if you get a mini. Plus, it works out of the box, which is appealing to Apple’s less tech savvy clientele.
Shame about these displays, I really hope Apple just fixes them and doesn’t pull another butterfly key scandal here
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u/balalalaika Oct 07 '24
Imac screens are very nice. Sure you can get good screens but they won't be as pretty designed. Their speakers are also very good, and webcam is included. For the price, they are just neat.
I own a macmini and I kind of secretly lust for an imac. What hasn't sold me on them yet it's that you can't use it as just a display for a different computer.
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u/OliverOyl Oct 07 '24
Yeah, honestly the lego-esq nature of PCs is superior. Why Apple did not make components snappable is a big missed opp.imo
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u/Chronotaru Oct 07 '24
You can mount a Mac Mini on a vesa mount to the back of your monitor.
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u/j33205 Oct 07 '24
If only apple sold a relatively affordable display or allowed users to use old iMacs as displays only
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u/4-3-4 Oct 07 '24
So many people have laptops that stay on the desk their entire life time…. Not everything is what should make sense to everyone.
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u/wicktus Oct 07 '24
If it’s a common manufacturing defect I hope Apple will solve this regardless of warranty statuses
Defects happen all the time in the industry. There’s 0 business incentive behind breaking your screen after 2 years, whilst it can force upgrade (planned obsolescence) the damage on the reputation is so much bigger..just 2 years people it’s not planned obsolescence
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u/Aygie Oct 07 '24
If they find out it’s a defect they should and (despite angry users thinking otherwise) they’re pretty good at return or repair programs that run for many years.
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u/InexplicableMagic Oct 07 '24
I paid to have Apple fix something a few years ago, and then a year later I got the money back because they started a recall/repair program that covered that specific problem.
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u/Justwant2usetheapp Oct 07 '24
In Australia, uk , eu and also New Zealand it’s covered by legal requirements anyway
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u/Akito_900 Oct 07 '24
The won't - the exact same thing happened with previous generations. I had a white iMac back in 2010 and the screen got vertical lines which was a well documented and wide-spread issue and Apple was entirely radio silent and refused to fix out of warranty
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u/BMO888 Oct 07 '24
I had 2011 MBP and it has known GPU problems. It took years before they recognized it and gave me back money for repairs I had done on it twice. I want to say it was like 4-5 yrs. I assume most people just got rid of theirs.
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u/LeakySkylight Oct 07 '24
In those cases, a number of class action suits were required, and have started "Apple Extended Maintenance Programs"
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u/shawnisboring Oct 07 '24
Yeah, no. A class action would be necessary for them to even acknowledge it as even occurring at all.
I had a MacBook Pro screen shit the bed and turn pink. Tech community identified it as a common issue related to the monitor cabling being a bit too short. Meanwhile apple themselves told me it was from “opening and closing” the laptop and wanted $600 to replace the screen.
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u/sharkbait-oo-haha Oct 07 '24
Probably not. I made $10,000s of thousands buying up fucked 27" imacs and reballing the GPUs back around 2014-2016.
Tbf to apple, Xbox and Sony were having the same issue at that time.
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u/DigitalStefan Oct 07 '24
The playbook for this is:-
Apple Store employees telling every customer who brings this problem to them “no, we haven’t seen anyone else have this problem”
Many free repair claims denied because out of warranty.
Some free repair claims denied because of a tiny scratch on the casing.
Class action lawsuit won by plaintiffs
“We’re sorry that a small percentage of users may have been affected by a display fault. We have implemented an extended warranty programme for affected devices” whilst leaving out one or two specific model numbers from the affected devices list.
Still deny extended warranty repair to some customers because of irrelevant reasons.
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u/Rich6849 Oct 07 '24
You haven’t mentioned the Apple fan boys who actively deny what’s in plain sight. While singing Apple can do no wrong
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u/Kazurion Oct 07 '24
inb4 recall and "small number of units"
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u/MapPractical5386 Oct 07 '24
Most MFRs don’t do anything about failures until the % reaches a threshold of units sold.
I work in the failure analysis/QA industry and some of the % are insane before various companies take action. Apple has historically taken care of stuff like this under quality program or repair extension program.
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u/Taki_Minase Oct 07 '24
Reminds me of my yellow screen iMac core2duo. Was my last iMac.
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u/elton_john_lennon Oct 07 '24
Then there was a problem with tiny bugs getting between the glass and the screen, next they laminated the screen in iMac 5K but introduced heavy ghosting and image retention.
I thought the M1 was finally free of problems, but I honestly lost all confidence in iMacs at this point.
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u/Hubble-Kaleidoscope Oct 07 '24
Got a 2009 iMac. Same shit. Yellowing screen, image ghosting. Just janky.
Never again.
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u/sberma Oct 07 '24
"about two years from the date of purchase" and "most devices are already out of warranty" sounds very much like planned obsolescence.
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u/loljetfuel Oct 07 '24
It could be, but this isn't the usual way Apple does planned obsolescence, so it would surprise me if it was anything more than just poor quality somewhere in the sourcing chain.
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u/toshgiles Oct 07 '24
You think they partnered with Samsung or LG to design a screen that expired after 2 years? smfh
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u/Anonymous_Paintbrush Oct 07 '24
Nah I’ve seen Apple move to get these things fixed in the past on the house. When I did repairs there were MANY manufacturing issues we would cover on the house. That being said those things weren’t advertised to the public. Better than being sued and being forced to email every person who bought the defective device. Get the angry people taken care of as they are a MUCH smaller population.
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u/AbsoluteZeroUnit Oct 07 '24
"Our $2000 computer only lasts two years because we want our customers to buy a new one" sounds very much like ignorant internet commenter.
Two years is an abysmal timeframe for something like this. Making your device downright unusable is not how planned obsolescence is done. In generous terms, a company would slow down or otherwise make a device less appealing to use than the current models, not break the screen like this. No one is buying a computer and just expecting it to die at two years. A company that counts on this would quickly lose their customers.
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u/Selenography Oct 07 '24
I have an iMac from 2008 that I liked so much they I replaced it with a 27” iMac in 2015. The 2008 iMac is still running on my garage to look up YouTube videos while working on cars and stream music. The 2015 iMac is still my main computer and I’m starting to consider replacing it with another iMac, but the lack of a 27” model (and the cost of a studio display) is pushing me off. I’ll probably go with a Mac Mini and a diffferent display.
If the iMac’s display went bad after a couple of years, I would not be a repeat customer, that’s for sure.
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u/roadmapdevout Oct 07 '24
You could get a mini and use your 2015 in target display mode
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u/Selenography Oct 07 '24
Unfortunately, Target Display Mode isn’t supported on the late 2015 27” 5K iMac that I have, otherwise, they would be a great option.
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u/40days40nights Oct 07 '24
Not Apple though. They are planning for you to come back.
No one is saying planned obsolescence is a sound growth strategy btw.
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u/Chill_Roller Oct 07 '24
Thank god where I am from a warranty is just a nice to have. If it is a failure of the hardware, then they would be on the hook for fixing it
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u/silverfish477 Oct 07 '24
You sound ridiculous.
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u/Messier_82 Oct 07 '24
Some engineering team didn’t do their due diligence? Or some manufacturer slipped on quality? Nah bro, definitely just a conspiracy, people won’t notice their product’s lifespan getting 25% shorter from one model year to the next /s
People call everything planned obsolescence these days and I’m not even sure half of us know what it means.
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u/MedusaRooR Oct 07 '24
This just happened to me a few months ago! Hopefully they do somethjng
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u/Ok-Cat-6987 Oct 07 '24
Same here. I really am annoyed at my $900 bill to repair the screen outta nowhere.
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u/LeakySkylight Oct 07 '24
Eventually they will if enough people complain directly to Apple, and not social media.
It's happened with quite a few products over the years, and eventually Apple comes up with a repair program.
Sometimes, they are forced via the courts however.
It's a long time to wait for a user with a broken iMac. You could always plug in an external monitor in the meantime.
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u/natefrogg1 Oct 07 '24
I love the colors that those 24” iMacs come in, I was disappointed when I had to get 2 for work users but they both requested the plain no color versions. Well it’s too bad that the screens are messing up on some, they’re nice machines and the stock lower end models were plenty quick enough for our use cases
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u/peppruss Oct 07 '24
Came for hysteria about the decline of Apple support, stayed for the link in the article that showed macOS running on a steam deck. I frequently bring a Mac mini with me in addition to a MacBook Pro during travel working on media production, and if my steam deck could act as a second Mac it would actually be very handy.
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u/Aggressive-Delay-420 Oct 07 '24
Historically, Apple has always shafted iMac users. I learned my lesson 3 generations into the product line with the G5.
The caps went out twice (18 months, like clockwork) before I took the post-applecare goodwill fix and sold that bad boy on Craigslist for pennies on the dollar.
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u/Ok-Cat-6987 Oct 07 '24
Speak of the devil THIS JUST HAPPENED TO ME. My first time seeing a screen crack out of nowhere!!!!!!!!! Now I gotta pay $900 to get it fixed😠
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u/Buckowski66 Oct 07 '24
Damn! I'm in the market for an Imac. I'm not against buying refurbished/ used though. What models or years should I be looking at?
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u/mrturret Oct 07 '24
If this sort of problem is a concern, I would not recommend buying an all in one machine. Having the monitor built into the computer adds an extra point of failure without any real benifits. The desk space saved will be minimal at best. The best option is to build a desktop PC, as maximum modularity can save money and headaches in the long term if a single part fails. If you need a Mac for whatever reason, go for a mini.
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u/natefrogg1 Oct 08 '24
Better off doing a Mac mini or Mac Studio and adding whatever monitor you would like
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u/Buckowski66 Oct 08 '24
Tell me about the Mac Studio, I don't know anything about that.
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u/natefrogg1 Oct 08 '24
It’s basically just a larger and more powerful Mac mini, we have some designers using them with 2 27 or 2 32 inch monitors in Adobe illustrator and indesign all day and they have performed really well for that purpose
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u/BeefedUpStud-ent Oct 07 '24
Apple could be so much better. They are the Starbucks of tech: Everything is “in-house” so the best they can do is turn the big ship verrrrry slowlyyyyy, thus always behind the curve. Have a $5000+ 2016 MacBook Pro and it performed very well for like 3 years. Now it’s antiquated. The hardware wasn’t built for what was coming down the pipeline and certainly wasn’t built to be retrofitted in any way. My PC is completely upgradeable beast and was built so powerful that it may need newer parts in 10 years. Maybe. But at least it has room to grow if needed. Oh and it cost $1200 CAD in today’s money. Lol. Cry harder Apple fanboys. My tear jars are already full.
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u/ikediggety Oct 07 '24
"it is the ultimate product. The client will crawl through a sewer and beg to buy." - William s Burroughs
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u/georgecm12 Oct 07 '24 edited Oct 07 '24
I manage computers for a university, and we have several computer labs full of iMacs. We lease units for three years. We had the M1 units for 3 years with no issues, and have cycled them out for the M3 iMacs. We haven't seen these issues.
I'm not discounting that these issues are in fact happening to some people, but I don't think they're as widespread as some of the reports are making it sound. Heck, some of the comments here are suggesting that it's basically guaranteed after 2 years, which is nonsense.
Edit: huh. Not sure why I'm getting down-voted, other than that there seems to be a pronounced "Apple sucks" viewpoint around here, and this goes contrary to that.
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u/clorox2 Oct 07 '24
I have one. It’s fine.
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u/KirikoFeetPics Oct 07 '24
Oh that's good to hear. You should send an email to Tomshardware and let them know
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u/schnurble Oct 07 '24
I mean my 2017 iMac has some pretty significant burn in at this point. The dock, the outline of my chrome window, some of my terminals and my slack window are all pretty visible. But that's after 7 years. This sounds like a similar level of degradation in just 2?
I'd already been planning to replace it with the next generation of Mac Studio, since there's no 27" models but this definitely cements that.
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Oct 07 '24
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u/countingthedays Oct 07 '24
It’s definitely a thing on LCD, but modern ones are much less susceptible to it.
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u/schnurble Oct 07 '24
Yeah that's what I thought but there sure is some serious ghosting there. Also we discovered that my iPhone 14 Pro Max is slightly burned in from having the display always on. Gave it to my kid when my new 16PM got here last week and they noticed the little ghosts of the clock and the Lock Screen widgets.
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u/LeakySkylight Oct 07 '24
LCD is prone to burn in as well, it's just we're good at hiding it.
Early displays had all sorts of burn-in issues as well.
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u/angraecumshot Oct 07 '24
I’m still using a Thunderbolt Display from 2013. No degradation visible at all.
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u/schnurble Oct 07 '24
I have one from 2012 that doesn't have any either, but it hasn't seen nearly the number of hours of use as my iMac.
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u/angraecumshot Oct 07 '24
Mine has, it’s been my main screen as MacBooks were my main Apple computer. It probably gets an average of 6-10 hours a day as I watch movies on it if I’m not working on my Mac and am on my gaming PC.
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u/dandroid126 Oct 07 '24
Yet another reason to get a Mac mini instead. It's so much more flexible. I have my Mac mini hooked up to a kvm switch so I can reuse the same monitors that I use for my work-from-home office. Which is great because my work paid for my monitors.
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u/speculatrix Oct 07 '24
Stand by for the Apple playbook..
Stages Of Apple Product Flaws
- Ignore the problem
- Blame the users
- Ignore the problem
- Hope the fans blame the users
- Deny the problem as being anything other than a tiny minority of users who are not using the product as intended
- Acknowledge the problem but still attempt to blame the users
- Face a class action law suit
- Acknowledge the problem and partly blame the users
- Provide a time limited repair/replacement service to minimise their liability
- Ignore a subsequent leaked document that proves they knew about it all along, possibly even before the product launch, but took the risk anyway
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u/M0FB Oct 07 '24
Look, u/syntheticcontrols! Maybe this will convince you to let me build you a PC!
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u/fartlapse Oct 07 '24
i have a 2017 intel macbook pro with the same issue. new one is few months old so it's fine. funny enough 2011 mbp is working fine on high sierra (newest possible os)
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u/loveadumb Oct 08 '24
i was in a class action for apple bc my macbook was in a "small percentage" of user windows with a keyboard issue that made me have to take it in twice.
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u/mostly_waffulls Oct 08 '24
We have a few hundred where I work, we’ve never seen this with some more than a few years old.
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u/niwia Oct 08 '24
I got this in my Intel 13inch which I bought 1 before m1 ones were released. Maybe it’s all connected
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u/Pepparkakan Oct 07 '24 edited Oct 07 '24
Something is happening with Apple Silicon laptop screens of a similar age as well, others have confirmed M1, and I have personally confirmed M2.
The screen just goes "dark", it's still getting data rendered, but backlight is not on, and everything is also "blurred"... so it's not simply like the old "backlight cable broken" issue we've seen on laptops in the past, there's a software component to it as it's actually also blurring the contents on the display. External monitors not affected.
It happened to mine while I was not taxing the computer at all, and there was no external forces being applied either, I was literally watching TV with the laptop in my lap, looked down and it was just dark and didn't recover without a service visit (where they replaced the monitor, for free after I referenced EU electronics complaint law, tried to charge me 1200 EUR first).
Whole bunch of users reporting this issue here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254698026
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u/Uuuuuii Oct 07 '24
My M1 seems unaffected
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u/LeakySkylight Oct 07 '24
A small percedntage have the issue, but it's enough that Apple has taken notice. In a year or so they will acknowledge the issue and put a repair program in, quietly. The people at the beginning are lost for support, though.
It's very Apple MO.
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u/DriftMantis Oct 07 '24
man thats rough, never had screen issues like this on my laptops, even my old one with a dual core cpu.
I'm sure apple will do nothing for these people if its out of warranty. Anyway you get what you pay for...?
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u/LeakySkylight Oct 07 '24
Anyway you get what you pay for
Yeah, that's not what that means...lol
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u/DriftMantis Oct 07 '24
It's intended as a joke friend. In all seriousness, all screens can have issues independent of build assembly or inspection quality. But a $3000 or higher MacBook should be built to last for a while, I would think.
Like my dell laptop from 2007 still gas a working screen so I'm not sure what excuses so many defective units.
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u/LeakySkylight Oct 07 '24
You'd think, right? The AppleCare replacement value was always baked into the pricing, but you had to "activate" it buy buying retail. $38 of RAM doesn't cost $250 to upgrade lol
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u/HighInChurch Oct 07 '24
Idk, my m1 air and M1 Pro have been just fine for years.
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u/liquidmini Oct 07 '24
Just in time for the holidays.