I bought a new aluminum imac about a month ago. Out of the box and on install, it was consant black screens and freezing. Took it back, they gave me a second machine.
This machine has had intermittent but bad and frustrating black screens and freezing, complete with the white horizontal squiggly lines. Most reproduced in the screensaver, iphoto, extensive photobooth filtering, or games. The imac software update didn't fix this problem. I was worried I was going to have to take this back to the store.
Downloaded the firmware update and installed... no problems there. Restarted, everything looks normal. Went though basic usage, no awkward behavior. Pushed it to screen savers, iphoto, etc. Nothing. This initial test makes me thing this bastard of a bug has been squashed.
but not this time, they took their merry-time fixing this one and it's massively inconvenienced so many people - personally I think they should offer to restart the normal applecare from yesterday as it was the first time the machine has been of saleable quality.
but not this time, they took their merry-time fixing this one and it's massively inconvenienced so many people - personally I think they should offer to restart the normal applecare from yesterday as it was the first time the machine has been of saleable quality.
Fat chance!
I had a previous Mac that was away for "service" for over 7 weeks and when I pointed out how much this had inconvenienced me and was almost 15% of the warranty period, they just said bad luck.
but not this time, they took their merry-time fixing this one and it's massively inconvenienced so many people - personally I think they should offer to restart the normal applecare from yesterday as it was the first time the machine has been of saleable quality.
I think ATI shares in the blame... this is a graphics card firmware update, not an iMac firmware update. Who made the graphics chip? ATI. They're responsible for the firmware.
I am new switcher from my world of solid Windows XP. I tried to move to vista few times but ran into road blocks and had to back to XP. So in my frustration I bought a new iMac 20" (running bootcamp for Windows needs"), however the computer only freezes whenin OS X (leopard). I found it started after I enabled the screensaver (the pretty color swirls I forget what it is called, remeber I am new to this).
Anyways, for new switcher this is a frustrating problem, which needs to be fixed and fast.
I am new switcher from my world of solid Windows XP. I tried to move to vista few times but ran into road blocks and had to back to XP. So in my frustration I bought a new iMac 20" (running bootcamp for Windows needs"), however the computer only freezes whenin OS X (leopard). I found it started after I enabled the screensaver (the pretty color swirls I forget what it is called, remeber I am new to this).
Anyways, for new switcher this is a frustrating problem, which needs to be fixed and fast.
I had a previous Mac that was away for "service" for over 7 weeks and when I pointed out how much this had inconvenienced me and was almost 15% of the warranty period, they just said bad luck.
Uh, you expect a different response from HP? Or Dell? Or any other computer maker?
Yes, but are your complaints still valid after this update, and the OS updates released this week?
???-WTF- If the dudes has had freezes for months the update doesn't erase the frustration of purchasing and using a lemon that should have never been released in the first place. You must be an Apple salesman- you sound like an Applecare drone.
I think ATI shares in the blame... this is a graphics card firmware update, not an iMac firmware update. Who made the graphics chip? ATI. They're responsible for the firmware.
Wrong. It's in and part of an Apple product.
Is GM responsible for airbags that don't inflate or the airbag manufacturer? You better believe GM is responsible. It obviously wasn't tested properly. Apple's fault.
I don't understand why some of you are thanking Jobs and Apple for the iMac freezing fix. It should have been fixed before it went on sale. Doesn't Apple check new products for bugs?
Thanking Jobs is like getting hit on the head and thanking the perpetrator for handing you a bandaid.
What am I missing here?
One of the problems current consumers have is that they expect faulty products and are wildly grateful when the product actually functions correctly.
Is GM responsible for airbags that don't inflate or the airbag manufacturer? You better believe GM is responsible. It obviously wasn't tested properly. Apple's fault.
GM engineered the deployment mechanism. They didn't invent the actual airbag used, just the entire deployment system. The major functionality of the airbag is under the control of GM and thus they should be held responsible.
The ATi chip is under the auspices of AMD/ATi. The functionality of the airbag is controlled by GM just as the functionality of the ATi GPU is under the control of AMD/ATi. Putting a fan design to cool the chip down is under the control of Apple.
Without AMD releasing a Firmware update then tested by Apple, this chip wouldn't be updated and thus Apple wouldn't be able to release a firmware update to satisfy it's customers.
The ball was in AMD's court and they have been working hard at trying to secure more business with Apple, so you can bet your ass they don't want this fiasco, once it was proven by Apple to be their problem--to continue going unsolved.
ASUS doesn't make the GPU for their graphics cards. They do control how those chips work on their Motherboards. If their motherboards pass all safety and functionality tests with flying colors and the GPUs still crash their motherboard logic system, who do you think will have to step up to the plate?
ASUS or nVidia/ATi?
The GPU chip manufacturer.
This reduced heat output solution is a stop gap to the known fact that Apple gave ATi the specs for heat convection and ATi insisted these specs were well within their levels of Chip use.
They weren't.
The firmware update reduces the convective heat output from the chip. The decreased performance results were negligible.
We now have a solution that doesn't cause the system to result in an unusable state.
Future revisions of ATi chipsets will have to include these concerns and pass more rigorous tests with each revision of Apple's ever thinning hardware designs.
Apple will reach a design threshold limit where thin has reached it's limits until future GPUs on-board can manage to reduce their power consumption and increase their peformance metrics to warrant making their designs even more thin.
I imagine the whole design issue will have to be addressed with LEDs and OLED displays in the near future.
I don't understand why some of you are thanking Jobs and Apple for the iMac freezing fix. It should have been fixed before it went on sale. Doesn't Apple check new products for bugs?
Thanking Jobs is like getting hit on the head and thanking the perpetrator for handing you a bandaid.
What am I missing here?
One of the problems current consumers have is that they expect faulty products and are wildly grateful when the product actually functions correctly.
Correct. We live in a Microsoft/Comcast/Ford world. We expect the OS/DVR/Vehicle to have design flaws and not work 100% or even 90. If we get 75% out of the box, we complain but when the next update makes it 78%, we are thankful.
That being said, Apple is NOT like the above companies, releasing beta for full-product price. But you are right. Nobody should be thanking them for intially releasing a buggy system and then fixing it.
Correct. We live in a Microsoft/Comcast/Ford world. We expect the OS/DVR/Vehicle to have design flaws and not work 100% or even 90. If we get 75% out of the box, we complain but when the next update makes it 78%, we are thankful.
That being said, Apple is NOT like the above companies, releasing beta for full-product price. But you are right. Nobody should be thanking them for intially releasing a buggy system and then fixing it.
Beta to you may be gold pressed latinum to others. It is always good to thank them. Every-time an OS is released, people say it is still in beta. At some point, you have to sink or swim. If you think we are still in Beta, I would hate to see your time frame for a "good release" would be.
Actually... it seems that the ATi 3850 is the way to go as far as mid-range video cards these days. They completely blow the nVidia 8600 series away and are close to the 8800 GTS cards.
Comments
This machine has had intermittent but bad and frustrating black screens and freezing, complete with the white horizontal squiggly lines. Most reproduced in the screensaver, iphoto, extensive photobooth filtering, or games. The imac software update didn't fix this problem. I was worried I was going to have to take this back to the store.
Downloaded the firmware update and installed... no problems there. Restarted, everything looks normal. Went though basic usage, no awkward behavior. Pushed it to screen savers, iphoto, etc. Nothing. This initial test makes me thing this bastard of a bug has been squashed.
If so, Apple, bless you. This rules.
I think they have worked a miracle. I have almost given up on my 24 Alum Imac. Thank you Steve, Thank you!
Talk about easily impressed. It's a "miracle" that they stopped their computers from crashing?
but not this time, they took their merry-time fixing this one and it's massively inconvenienced so many people - personally I think they should offer to restart the normal applecare from yesterday as it was the first time the machine has been of saleable quality.
Fat chance!
I had a previous Mac that was away for "service" for over 7 weeks and when I pointed out how much this had inconvenienced me and was almost 15% of the warranty period, they just said bad luck.
but not this time, they took their merry-time fixing this one and it's massively inconvenienced so many people - personally I think they should offer to restart the normal applecare from yesterday as it was the first time the machine has been of saleable quality.
I think ATI shares in the blame... this is a graphics card firmware update, not an iMac firmware update. Who made the graphics chip? ATI. They're responsible for the firmware.
How do you know that the update slowed down the video card?
i would suspect that it did also. it's even more dubious if only some of the macs need it.
Anyways, for new switcher this is a frustrating problem, which needs to be fixed and fast.
Any word on if the 1.5.1 update fixes this up?
I am new switcher from my world of solid Windows XP. I tried to move to vista few times but ran into road blocks and had to back to XP. So in my frustration I bought a new iMac 20" (running bootcamp for Windows needs"), however the computer only freezes whenin OS X (leopard). I found it started after I enabled the screensaver (the pretty color swirls I forget what it is called, remeber I am new to this).
Anyways, for new switcher this is a frustrating problem, which needs to be fixed and fast.
Any word on if the 1.5.1 update fixes this up?
Read the posts above yours.
Oh, and welcome to AI.
Fat chance!
I had a previous Mac that was away for "service" for over 7 weeks and when I pointed out how much this had inconvenienced me and was almost 15% of the warranty period, they just said bad luck.
Uh, you expect a different response from HP? Or Dell? Or any other computer maker?
Yes, but are your complaints still valid after this update, and the OS updates released this week?
???-WTF- If the dudes has had freezes for months the update doesn't erase the frustration of purchasing and using a lemon that should have never been released in the first place. You must be an Apple salesman- you sound like an Applecare drone.
I think ATI shares in the blame... this is a graphics card firmware update, not an iMac firmware update. Who made the graphics chip? ATI. They're responsible for the firmware.
Wrong. It's in and part of an Apple product.
Is GM responsible for airbags that don't inflate or the airbag manufacturer? You better believe GM is responsible. It obviously wasn't tested properly. Apple's fault.
Yes, it works, so far no more freezing!!!
I can enjoy my iMac finally
I also am VERY VERY HAPPY that I can finally enjoy my iMac without freezing (knock on wood). So far so good.
Thanking Jobs is like getting hit on the head and thanking the perpetrator for handing you a bandaid.
What am I missing here?
One of the problems current consumers have is that they expect faulty products and are wildly grateful when the product actually functions correctly.
I restarted it again and it still is doing it.
The whole desktops moves in the directions the cursor is moving.
Very disconcerting.
I'm about to take some dramamine and call Apple.
Anyone else had that issue?
Posted on Apple support and I received the fix to my problem:
you probably have zooming turned on.
Go to >System Preferences...>Universal Access and uncheck zooming.
good luck!
No idea how it was turned on, but it is working fine now.
Wrong. It's in and part of an Apple product.
Is GM responsible for airbags that don't inflate or the airbag manufacturer? You better believe GM is responsible. It obviously wasn't tested properly. Apple's fault.
GM engineered the deployment mechanism. They didn't invent the actual airbag used, just the entire deployment system. The major functionality of the airbag is under the control of GM and thus they should be held responsible.
The ATi chip is under the auspices of AMD/ATi. The functionality of the airbag is controlled by GM just as the functionality of the ATi GPU is under the control of AMD/ATi. Putting a fan design to cool the chip down is under the control of Apple.
Without AMD releasing a Firmware update then tested by Apple, this chip wouldn't be updated and thus Apple wouldn't be able to release a firmware update to satisfy it's customers.
The ball was in AMD's court and they have been working hard at trying to secure more business with Apple, so you can bet your ass they don't want this fiasco, once it was proven by Apple to be their problem--to continue going unsolved.
ASUS doesn't make the GPU for their graphics cards. They do control how those chips work on their Motherboards. If their motherboards pass all safety and functionality tests with flying colors and the GPUs still crash their motherboard logic system, who do you think will have to step up to the plate?
ASUS or nVidia/ATi?
The GPU chip manufacturer.
This reduced heat output solution is a stop gap to the known fact that Apple gave ATi the specs for heat convection and ATi insisted these specs were well within their levels of Chip use.
They weren't.
The firmware update reduces the convective heat output from the chip. The decreased performance results were negligible.
We now have a solution that doesn't cause the system to result in an unusable state.
Future revisions of ATi chipsets will have to include these concerns and pass more rigorous tests with each revision of Apple's ever thinning hardware designs.
Apple will reach a design threshold limit where thin has reached it's limits until future GPUs on-board can manage to reduce their power consumption and increase their peformance metrics to warrant making their designs even more thin.
I imagine the whole design issue will have to be addressed with LEDs and OLED displays in the near future.
I don't understand why some of you are thanking Jobs and Apple for the iMac freezing fix. It should have been fixed before it went on sale. Doesn't Apple check new products for bugs?
Thanking Jobs is like getting hit on the head and thanking the perpetrator for handing you a bandaid.
What am I missing here?
One of the problems current consumers have is that they expect faulty products and are wildly grateful when the product actually functions correctly.
Correct. We live in a Microsoft/Comcast/Ford world. We expect the OS/DVR/Vehicle to have design flaws and not work 100% or even 90. If we get 75% out of the box, we complain but when the next update makes it 78%, we are thankful.
That being said, Apple is NOT like the above companies, releasing beta for full-product price. But you are right. Nobody should be thanking them for intially releasing a buggy system and then fixing it.
Day 2 after install.
No freezes yet.
Correct. We live in a Microsoft/Comcast/Ford world. We expect the OS/DVR/Vehicle to have design flaws and not work 100% or even 90. If we get 75% out of the box, we complain but when the next update makes it 78%, we are thankful.
That being said, Apple is NOT like the above companies, releasing beta for full-product price. But you are right. Nobody should be thanking them for intially releasing a buggy system and then fixing it.
Beta to you may be gold pressed latinum to others. It is always good to thank them. Every-time an OS is released, people say it is still in beta. At some point, you have to sink or swim. If you think we are still in Beta, I would hate to see your time frame for a "good release" would be.
this tells apple never never go with ATI!
nVidia the way to go
Actually... it seems that the ATi 3850 is the way to go as far as mid-range video cards these days. They completely blow the nVidia 8600 series away and are close to the 8800 GTS cards.