Apple Posts Another Update For Flickering iMacs

Apple has posted another firmware update for the popular 27-inch iMacs, which are still suffering from flickering displays.

Posted on 1 February, the update is intended for 27-inch iMacs that shipped in late 2009 and are running Mac OS X 10.6.2.

On 21 December, Apple released an update for the graphics firmware on ATI Radeon HD 4670 and 4850 graphics cards, also in response to flickering displays.

Apple introduced the 27-inch iMacs on 20 October, and the orders poured in. However, Apple was slow to ship the desktops – with an Apple spokesperson uncharacteristically telling a CNET reporter on 13 December that, “The new iMac has been a huge hit and we are working hard to fulfil orders as quickly as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience or delay this may cause our customers.”

Once the iMacs began to arrive, however, support forums on the Apple site gradually filled with customers complaining of various problems, including flickering screens, displays tinged yellow in areas and instances of the all-in-ones arriving with cracked screens.

This newest firmware update – which Apple instructs should be installed while the iMac is powered on – will hopefully address the first of those issues for good.

On 25 January Apple announced the results of its fiscal first quarter of 2010, which included a quarterly profit of $3.38 billion (£2.1 billion) and sales of 3.36 million iMacs.