Some Core i7 iMacs Arriving Damaged or Dead On Arrival

Ed Sutherland ()

quad_core_i7_iMac

Do you know a lucky Mac cultist who will get Apple’s fastest and largest iMac under the tree this year? Before you wrap one of the new 27-inch iMacs with Intel’s Core i7 processor, you might want to test the machine. A number of customers of the quad-core custom-built iMacs are reporting damaged screens or computers that show up dead on arrival.

Owners on Apple’s support discussion boards report Core i7 iMacs arriving either with a crack in the bottom left corner of the computer’s screen or the desktop computer won’t boot. Some customers report a two-week waiting period for a replacement.

The damaged Core i7-powered 27-inch iMacs arrive in boxes appearing unharmed, leading some on Apple’s Discussion boards to speculate the packaging may not fully support the large display.

“There’s no apparent damage to the styrofoam or box so it looks like that’s a weak spot in the screen and how they are being packed in the boxes,” a user identified as ‘scopro’ reported. The Apple customer said it might be Dec. 7 before a replacement arrives.

Another user, calling himself ‘drpixel,’ questioned having to wait for a replacement after a delay in original shipments. Apple reportedly began shipping the i7 iMacs in mid-November, nearly a month after some customers ordered the new machines.

Along with Apple’s support forums, the Engadget blog reports receiving an i7 27-inch iMac that wouldn’t boot.

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The 27-inch quad Core i7 iMac are special order, costing $200 extra to be equipped with Intel’s 2.8 GHz 860 processor. The i7 runs 2-to-3 times faster than the equivalent 27-inch iMac using the Core 2 Duo chip. The iMac using Intel’s quad-core i5 750 processor retails for $1,999.

[Via AppleInsider, Engadget and Apple Support Discussions]

8 comments »

About the author

Ed Sutherland

Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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  • Charli

    “Another user, calling himself ‘drpixel,’ questioned having to wait for a replacement after a delay in original shipments. ”

    what part of ‘build to order’ is hard to understand.

  • Ryan

    And people don’t expect this? Apple are shipping out thousands so I’d be surprised if a fair few weren’t damaged at some point or DOA. Obviously that doesn’t help those who received a faulty machine but they should be prepared for the worst when they’re being shipped all the way from China.

  • Erin’s Dad

    Must be the reindeer hooves… Don’t blame Santa.

  • Robert

    I expect that ‘drpixel’ figured he should go to the head of the line for creation instead of waiting through all of the orders that have occurred since he placed his original order.

  • Drpixel

    Uhm, no.. if you actually read the post I left in the discussion forums, it has to do with the fact that an alternative option is available. You can take it into an Apple store and have the glass replaced instead. I completely understand that a custom ordered system takes more time to arrive. I waited three weeks for that system and it arrived damaged. I simply didn’t want to wait another two to three weeks for a replacement.

    Thanks for the quote in your blog though!

  • ged

    ours is real, working and spectacular!!!

  • Drpixel

    For what it’s worth, the machine ran fantastic! I didn’t setup the appointment at the Apple store until after the weekend. Virtual machines run FANTASTIC on it. It is also part of the reason I decided to go with a repair option… you never know what you’re going to get as a replacement.

    I do seriously hope that everyone else gets theirs in working condition. I would highly recommend it once they get the glass/packing/shipping issue resolved.

  • imajoebob

    Are they shipped in bulk containers to a port in the US? Or are they sent individually through a common carrier? If the former, then it seems like somebody may have dropped a container and kept quiet about it. If the latter then it looks like poor packaging. Maybe someone can check a DOA unit to see if there’s a loose component(s) or a cracked board.

    As for Drpixel, I actually agree with his point of view. He paid for his first, he should get it first. If it were a singular breakage, I’d feel differently. But Apple shouldn’t make these guys wait because of problem in their delivery system. At the least, they should express ship it, and offer a loaner until the new one arrives. It won’t be an i7, but they shouldn’t be left without any machine for 3 more weeks. These are probably fully tricked out, but maybe do some sort of hardware upgrade free of charge (bigger HD?), or toss in some software.