A number of complaints are swirling around the Internet today about issues with Apple’s new Core i7-based iMacs — among them, reports of units showing up dead on arrival or even with cracked screens.

New iMac users are reporting that their unit chimes as it should when the power button is pressed, but the display is blank and nothing else happens. Adding insult to injury, these customers are discovering that after returning their dead units, they face a lengthy wait of up to two weeks for a replacement.

Apple’s discussion support forum is filling up with such complaints according to AppleInsider, and tech blog Engadget also received a quad-core unit that failed to boot straight out of the box.

The Core i7 iMac is the new top-of-the-line desktop Mac, a 2.8GHz Intel Core i7 860 processor available only as a $200 build-to-order option on the new 27” model. As such, it’s an online-only item that can’t be purchased in retail stores, making any returns or exchanges particularly thorny.

In addition to the DOA boxes, scattered reports claim that there are cracks in the new iMac display, in the bottom left-hand corner. Those customers are reporting that the units arrived in such condition right out of the box, and are pointing the finger at Apple for having a flaw in their package design.

“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," user 'scopro' reports via AppleInsider. "Hopefully Apple will improve their packaging for these larger iMacs as it may take until December 7 for my replacement to arrive."