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For the second time in six weeks, Apple has offered a firmware download to address problems on its new iMac 27-inch liquid crystal display. A 294-kilobyte download from Apple’s web site entitled 27-inch iMac Graphics Firmware Update 1.0 comes on the heels of a similar but much larger update in December that was 683 kilobytes.<\/p>\n
\nWhile the first update was for the ATI Radeon HD 4670 and 4850 graphics cards, the latest release is for the display firmware, or closed control program.<\/p>\n
\nComplaint Forum<\/p>\n
\nThe fixes are in response to hundreds of complaints on Apple’s support page about flickering or discolored screens since the iMac went on sale in October.<\/p>\n
\n“After several hours of continuous use with the brightness set between 6-8 bars (halfway), Intermittent screen flicker both horizontal and vertical occurred with the occasional black screen for a brief second,” wrote a U.K. user posting as AGPCard For Pm on Nov. 15. “The problem persisted and became more frequent, especially after waking from sleep.”<\/p>\n
\nThere have also been numerous video clips of malfunctioning iMacs on YouTube. <\/p>\n
\nApple hasn’t acknowledged discolored screens and the update does not address it. An electronics blog this week published what it said was an internal Apple memo instructing support staff not to “attempt to repair or replace at this time. Explain that slight color variability is normal for LCD displays and in general does not warrant replacement.”<\/p>\n
\nSome units have also arrived with cracked screens, users said. Despite these problems, sales of the iMac, which starts at $1,199, continue at a brisk pace. Sales are expected to reach as high as 2.9 million this quarter, even as production delays have held back shipments.<\/p>\n
\nMichael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret, said he doesn’t think the production and defect issues are related.<\/p>\n
\n“It doesn’t appear that Apple is sacrificing quality for speed,” he… <\/p>\n
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