IMac :: New I7 2.93 Imac - Damaged Black Glass Bezel?

I ordered a 2.93 i7 / 8Gb Ram / SSD + 2TB from the Apple Singapore online store and received it yesterday. Shipping info showed that it originated from Shanghai China.

As soon as I opened the box and took the imac out, this is what I found: on the lower left corner of the black glass (not on the screen but on the bezel that surrounds the screen) , was a small silver bubble like crack inside the glass. At first I thought it was a stain and tried to rub it off but quickly realized that it was inside the glass.

On further inspection, I found that the entire black glass at the bottom corner was protruding slightly out while on the right side the glass was slightly protruding in.

Obviously a manufacturing defect.

I was also very surprised to see the general condition of the unit that was supposed to be brand new and pristine - it looked like there were smudges on the glass in various places, dust on the outside and tiny black spots on the aluminum. Most disturbing was that the thin plastic that is stuck on and covers the pedestal for shipping was partially unstuck - like it had been peeled of earlier and then stuck back on.

It was really weird - this was supposed to be brand new but it seemed almost like it was a refurbished machine. I was wondering if it was caused by the factory since it is BTO - do they open up a new box and add in the SSD RAM etc then pack it back up - maybe not being careful when they do it and it causes the smudges and possible other damages?

I could not deal with the damaged glass as you could plainly see it on the black bezel, so I called and Apple said they would replace it. The box was picked up the same day and I am now waiting to get the email acknowledging that a new unit is being sent.

Kudos to Apple to send a replacement without fuss but the general condition of the supposedly new unit was really suspicious.

Has anyone else seen these issues with new 27 imacs? I am also wondering if folks are seeing these issues from just the Shanghai factory or from all factories?

Hope my new unit arrives soon without any new problems. Just in case you are wondering, I did not even turn it on - as soon as I saw that defect on the glass, I had to return it.