[hezekiahb]

i tried to purchase a new intel imac from apple store in singapore. when the staff opened up the box he took it under the light to check for scratches. then he told me to check. as a cust who is paying a premium for apple products i did the same.

to my surprise, i found dust particles on the back panel inside the acrylic plastic. and hairline cracks below all the ports, and a hairline crack on the right side of the on/off button. these hairline cracks cant be seen under normal light. but the store had those orange warmlights so i did what the staff did, help up the imac n looked for scratches. and found more than i should.

he opened up another box n the cracks were at the exact same spots. after opening up 4 boxes the management decided to give me a refund without me asking for it first. i was ready to choose the least defected one though until one of the managers told me "it's like that, made of acrylic" that i took the refund and walked out of the store.

i went to another apple store as on of the staffs answered my mac os questions flawlessly and expressed my concern. he was confident enough to open up a brand new imac with no obligation to buy it. i told him if he opens it up n cracks can be found i will not buy it nor will anyone. by the end of my sentence the imac box was opened. i told him where the cracks will be and he shone a maglite on it. true enough cracks appeared below all the ports n the right side of the power button. he was dumbfounded and told me its a first. he walked over to the demo set and shone the maglite. walked back to me and said might be batch defect. i told him if it happens after 2 years of using imac i can accept it but all these 5 boxes of imacs were brand new shipment. the first 4 boxes i witnessed myself the stock coming into the store n the 5th box the staff showed me the invoice. i asked him if its normal for all imacs. he could not answer me.

so my dear imac intel users, please give me feedback on the purchase of your new imac intel machines. check for hairline cracks below all the ports n the side of the on/off button.

if these cracks are there then im convinced to get one myself, if there isnt any most prob its a batch defect from the manufacturer in singpore

[f1000]

What you're seeing aren't cracks but mold lines. Mold lines are inherent flaws in the plastic casting process and are not considered defects.

Mold lines have been discussed before with regards to Apple's other translucent/transparent plastic products. See this link for an example: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58491

[harrisjamieh]

My Intel iMac (17") has the same hariline cracks, in the same place. So did the one I had before my current one (my 1st iMac CD was defective, though the case wasn't the defective part). I also had an iMac G5 (iSight) before my Core Duo, and that too had the same cracks, in the same places. This is not a product flaw as such, it is more of a product trait - all iMacs have them, and have done for a while.

Just for reference, im in the UK, and got my 1st Core Duo a week after they were anounced, and my second (and current) one at the end of Feb.

[hezekiahb]

Originally Posted by f1000

What you're seeing aren't cracks but mold lines. Mold lines are inherent flaws in the plastic casting process and are not considered defects.

Mold lines have been discussed before with regards to Apple's other translucent/transparent plastic products. See this link for an example: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58491

thx for the feedback. however im still concerned as out of the 5 imacs one of them had really bad "lines" im still using the word cracks as this 1 had cracks more than 2 cm. and im wondering will these lines get worse over time?

[DavidC]

My 17" iMac has the same lines that you describe.. I thought they were cracks at first, but they don't appear to be..

[hezekiahb]

however im still concerned with these hairline cracks thingy. im not sure if these cracks will get worse over time... we cant compare a brand new intel imac with last years G5. cracks would have inevitably appear after 1 or 2 years.

i called up apple service support and these cracks are not insured in the warranty even though u decide to purchase one with these hairline cracks... apple singapore just wants to make business. all apple stores here are authorised dealers. and prices are competitive and they sell with bundle promotions giving mac office, free ram upgrade or vouchers. they are not really concerned with after sales care. eg. the support team asked me what my problem is, i hung up the phone.

one of the managers even told me abt cracks on ibooks. specifically appearing on the apple logo on the cover. im not sure if any users have seen the cracks. but since its made of the same acrylic material it should appear ard the ports?

[applesnapple]

can someone take a picture, im buying an imac soon and i wanna see how bad the cracks are

[hezekiahb]

these hairline cracks are ard 1-2cm. however they are not surface cracks. which is my main concern.

overtime will these cracks go up to the surface? and like i said its not insured. and the apple support team will insist that it is wear and tear.

would anyone still get it knowing u are paying for an imac that comes with these cracks and not getting insured for it? warranty dosent help.

[harrisjamieh]

STOP CALLING THEM CRACKS!!!! This is NOT a defect of the product! Are you oblivious to the link F1000 posted to the Apple site where they document the Clamshell iBooks as having 'cracks'? This is they same thing - its a trait of the plastic.

Why on earth will the lines get worse over time? What are you planning to do, hit your iMac with a hammer?

Every single Intel iMac shipped has these lines, and as I said earlier, so did my G5 iSight iMac.

"would anyone still get it knowing u are paying for an imac that comes with these cracks and not getting insured for it? "

er.... duh, if you don't buy it then you will never buy an iMac in its current form factor!

[hezekiahb]

ok alright. you dont have to shout. now i know they are mold lines.

thx for solving this issue

[blindemboss]

Originally Posted by harrisjamieh

Every single Intel iMac shipped has these lines, and as I said earlier, so did my G5 iSight iMac.

Nope. Not mine. I don't see any mold line anywhere near my ports or the power button.