Stupid lawsuits aren't limited to apple. Every company in America is subject to this type of litigation. Apple just happens to have a high public profile so the cases are widely publicized.
I have been going crazy trying to calibrate the iMac 20" screen (had it for two months) and you know what, it can't be done. The 20" iMac screen is utter CRAP.
When I bought the iMac, the guy at the shop they told me the screen is similar to the my 20" Cinema Display so I sold it.
I have just got off the phone with Apple Support, they were very sympathetic, especially after I told them I am a freelance Artist on a budget, and I was having problems getting correct colour.
After listening to my case the Tech had a look at a 20" iMac in the office to fully appreciate what I was talking about - and yes, he was shocked.
They seemed afraid to go on a limb and help, they then read the standard script - said bad luck and better luck next time and maybe I should sell it and buy the 24" version, They also gave me a $125 voucher for discount next time I buy something from the apple store.
Was that an Apple Store? That really is unacceptable. The Cinema Display uses a totally different panel.
It was in the mac section in a department store.
Also Apple Support couldn't grasp what I was talking about. I had to explain to them the difference between an 18bit and a 24bit panel. Once the tech actually saw the 20" iMac, I told him to use a Grey Back ground he was shocked at the amount of colour shift while moving his eyes around the screen. He then agreed that it was extremely difficult to do any kind of colour work, still though, Apples policy didn't allow him to do anything.
I know it's not what you want to hear, but never believe anything a salesman says to you. None of them (not even in Apple Stores) understand the products they are selling, and they almost always work on commission, so they will say anything to make a sale. Some stores might not be as brazen as others, but you should never expect a minimum-wage flunky to have the knowledge of a highly-paid consultant (or even of AppleInsider forum members.)
Do your own research before entering the store. Then sit down and try what you're interested in buying. If the store doesn't have a working demonstrator that you can use to test out your normal workflow, go somewhere else (or make sure the store has a no-questions-asked return policy).
Hopefully, you'll be able to get some kind of satisfaction with your iMac. If the store won't take it back, maybe you can sell it, or get an external (higher-quality) display for those activities that require accurate colors.
Thanks for the pointers shamino. sometimes I'm forced to shop from these places because they have longer opening hours - I work long hours.
I also shop at these stores. I just do my research and make my decisions in advance. By the time I get to the store, I know what I want and just go buy it.
By far the best scenario on the thread(concerning the newspaper guy). I didn't buy my imac to do safari and ilife. I'm a pro tools user who needs to trust specs to facilitate my job/passion. Fortunately I have the 1st gen 20". If apple was to claim a spec concerning my imac's ability to resolve audio at x or y resolution and it ultimately could not, I would try to sue them as well. It doesn't matter what you use you computer for. This newspaper guy has to live with a decision he made based on specs that are still posted on the imac website. He (or any one really, not even my grandmother) should not have to research the dark back alleys of cupertino to see if the manufacturer's claim "actually" pans out before purchase as some have suggested. What if the aluminum in the keyboard wasn't really aluminum. It's just cosmetic right? No one really uses it for its metallurgical properties right? I guess we shouldn't complain about that either.
BTW the issue about the eye not resolving millions of color is BS. That's not the point. Technically we're not suppose to hear anything beyond 20KHZ either but that region of audio has long beet touted for its psychoacoustic effects. You won't find a decent studio in the land that doesn't run Macs or can't process audio beyond 20KHZ.
I guess you've never been to a studio that uses a Studer A80 for 2" tape then. You know, the kind you find in high end studios?
The screens are very nice. It's that 1% Pre-press/National Geographic/Playboy Magazine photographer wanting to save $700 - $1500 and not buy the cinema display that are bitching the 20in miraculously doesn't have the same color quality as the Cinema Displays of equivalent screen size.
Hardly. It's not just that the Cinema displays are better, most other LCDs are better too. The low-end LG external monitor that I hooked up to my iMac is significantly better than the iMac screen. If LG can source low cost LCDs that are of acceptable quality, why can't Apple?
Sorry to be a bore ? but do we know for sure that the current 24" iMac has a proper 8-bit 16.7 million panel that doesn't rely on dithering, FCR or some other work around?
I have been going crazy trying to calibrate the iMac 20" screen (had it for two months) and you know what, it can't be done. The 20" iMac screen is utter CRAP.
When I bought the iMac, the guy at the shop they told me the screen is similar to the my 20" Cinema Display so I sold it.
I have just got off the phone with Apple Support, they were very sympathetic, especially after I told them I am a freelance Artist on a budget, and I was having problems getting correct colour.
After listening to my case the Tech had a look at a 20" iMac in the office to fully appreciate what I was talking about - and yes, he was shocked.
They seemed afraid to go on a limb and help, they then read the standard script - said bad luck and better luck next time and maybe I should sell it and buy the 24" version, They also gave me a $125 voucher for discount next time I buy something from the apple store.
Welcome the new apple.
I call bullshit. I have yet to come across anyone who has gone to a Genius Bar and come away without a fix or replacement for a problematic component if they politely insisted and there was the tiniest bit of evidence of a real problem. There have been other boneheaded issues like delays and wiped/inadvertently swapped HDs, but never a "go away and sell your machine". That just goes into the realm of unbelievable.
Comments
I work on a 24 inch iMac and love it, but am not as fond of the 20 incher.
When I bought the iMac, the guy at the shop they told me the screen is similar to the my 20" Cinema Display so I sold it.
I have just got off the phone with Apple Support, they were very sympathetic, especially after I told them I am a freelance Artist on a budget, and I was having problems getting correct colour.
After listening to my case the Tech had a look at a 20" iMac in the office to fully appreciate what I was talking about - and yes, he was shocked.
They seemed afraid to go on a limb and help, they then read the standard script - said bad luck and better luck next time and maybe I should sell it and buy the 24" version, They also gave me a $125 voucher for discount next time I buy something from the apple store.
Welcome the new apple.
When I bought the iMac, the guy at the shop they told me the screen is similar to the my 20" Cinema Display so I sold it.
Was that an Apple Store? That really is unacceptable. The Cinema Display uses a totally different panel.
Was that an Apple Store? That really is unacceptable. The Cinema Display uses a totally different panel.
It was in the mac section in a department store.
Also Apple Support couldn't grasp what I was talking about. I had to explain to them the difference between an 18bit and a 24bit panel. Once the tech actually saw the 20" iMac, I told him to use a Grey Back ground he was shocked at the amount of colour shift while moving his eyes around the screen. He then agreed that it was extremely difficult to do any kind of colour work, still though, Apples policy didn't allow him to do anything.
It was in the mac section in a department store.
I know it's not what you want to hear, but never believe anything a salesman says to you. None of them (not even in Apple Stores) understand the products they are selling, and they almost always work on commission, so they will say anything to make a sale. Some stores might not be as brazen as others, but you should never expect a minimum-wage flunky to have the knowledge of a highly-paid consultant (or even of AppleInsider forum members.)
Do your own research before entering the store. Then sit down and try what you're interested in buying. If the store doesn't have a working demonstrator that you can use to test out your normal workflow, go somewhere else (or make sure the store has a no-questions-asked return policy).
Hopefully, you'll be able to get some kind of satisfaction with your iMac. If the store won't take it back, maybe you can sell it, or get an external (higher-quality) display for those activities that require accurate colors.
Good luck.
As the saying goes, once bitten twice shy, this will never happen again.
Thanks for the pointers shamino. sometimes I'm forced to shop from these places because they have longer opening hours - I work long hours.
I also shop at these stores. I just do my research and make my decisions in advance. By the time I get to the store, I know what I want and just go buy it.
By far the best scenario on the thread(concerning the newspaper guy). I didn't buy my imac to do safari and ilife. I'm a pro tools user who needs to trust specs to facilitate my job/passion. Fortunately I have the 1st gen 20". If apple was to claim a spec concerning my imac's ability to resolve audio at x or y resolution and it ultimately could not, I would try to sue them as well. It doesn't matter what you use you computer for. This newspaper guy has to live with a decision he made based on specs that are still posted on the imac website. He (or any one really, not even my grandmother) should not have to research the dark back alleys of cupertino to see if the manufacturer's claim "actually" pans out before purchase as some have suggested. What if the aluminum in the keyboard wasn't really aluminum. It's just cosmetic right? No one really uses it for its metallurgical properties right? I guess we shouldn't complain about that either.
BTW the issue about the eye not resolving millions of color is BS. That's not the point. Technically we're not suppose to hear anything beyond 20KHZ either but that region of audio has long beet touted for its psychoacoustic effects. You won't find a decent studio in the land that doesn't run Macs or can't process audio beyond 20KHZ.
I guess you've never been to a studio that uses a Studer A80 for 2" tape then. You know, the kind you find in high end studios?
The screens are very nice. It's that 1% Pre-press/National Geographic/Playboy Magazine photographer wanting to save $700 - $1500 and not buy the cinema display that are bitching the 20in miraculously doesn't have the same color quality as the Cinema Displays of equivalent screen size.
Hardly. It's not just that the Cinema displays are better, most other LCDs are better too. The low-end LG external monitor that I hooked up to my iMac is significantly better than the iMac screen. If LG can source low cost LCDs that are of acceptable quality, why can't Apple?
I have been going crazy trying to calibrate the iMac 20" screen (had it for two months) and you know what, it can't be done. The 20" iMac screen is utter CRAP.
When I bought the iMac, the guy at the shop they told me the screen is similar to the my 20" Cinema Display so I sold it.
I have just got off the phone with Apple Support, they were very sympathetic, especially after I told them I am a freelance Artist on a budget, and I was having problems getting correct colour.
After listening to my case the Tech had a look at a 20" iMac in the office to fully appreciate what I was talking about - and yes, he was shocked.
They seemed afraid to go on a limb and help, they then read the standard script - said bad luck and better luck next time and maybe I should sell it and buy the 24" version, They also gave me a $125 voucher for discount next time I buy something from the apple store.
Welcome the new apple.
I call bullshit. I have yet to come across anyone who has gone to a Genius Bar and come away without a fix or replacement for a problematic component if they politely insisted and there was the tiniest bit of evidence of a real problem. There have been other boneheaded issues like delays and wiped/inadvertently swapped HDs, but never a "go away and sell your machine". That just goes into the realm of unbelievable.