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Last week’s MacBook Air firmware update reportedly failing to install for some, leaving users with bricked machines

Macbook Air-MC969LL:A-sale-01

Apple released an EFI firmware update (version 2.9) for the mid-2011 MacBook Air last week to address problems the computer could have while waking from sleep, but recently users have started to report on the company’s support forum that the software was failing to install on their machines, and in some cases leaving them with completely non-functional computers, as first noted by MacRumors.

While some users report that their MacBook Airs shut down for several hours only to suddenly spring back to life, others claim that their machines still won’t startup. In other cases, users are finding that the Mac App Store prompts them to re-install the update over and over. So far there aren’t any reports of a successful resolution to the issue, even through AppleCare channels.

If you haven’t already installed the update, it may be best to sit this one out until Apple has fixed whatever problem seems to be plaguing users at the moment.

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Comments

  1. Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

    I have experienced this as well with a Mid-2011 11″ MacBook Air that got dropped off on my bench for an SSD upgrade.

    I have posted detailed logs to that very same thread 9to5 linked in the article, and am hoping to hear back from an Apple engineer soon.

    First the iOS 7.1.2 update getting botched on reboots, now this EFI update… What’s up with QC over there?

    • iJonni - 10 years ago

      Engineers don’t go through the support forums. They are community only.

      • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

        Incorrect, when I posted some tips to users getting the stuck iOS 7.1.2 update a little while ago, an Apple engineer contacted me, citing my troubleshooting posts from the forum, and confirmed the engineers do monitor that board for “hot” issues, concentrating after a software update.

      • likearabbit - 10 years ago

        Edison,

        That was a pure anomaly. While they do obviously check the Apple support forums they are by no means the official channel to interact with internal Apple people. Posting bug reports, feature requests, grievances, etc there has absolutely no guarantee that it will reach the people you intend it for. This has been reiterated to me over the years, both during my time at Apple and afterwards while working for an AASP & my current job as a Mac Admin, by several Apple corporate employees from the engineering and support side of the company.

        The proper channels for bug reports/troubleshooting (for issues similar to what this blog post outlines) are:
        – Apple Bug Reporter – https://bugreport.apple.com – (note that a developer account is required, it can be a free account)
        – AppleCare – 1800APLCARE – work your way up through the support tiers if needed. If you’re issue genuinely goes beyond the basic troubleshooting then you’ll often end up with a direct line to a systems engineer of some sort.

        For feature requests & general feedback (not necessarily bug reports)
        – Apple Feedback – apple.com/feedback

        The forums basically exist as a way for power users to offer help and advice to other users.

  2. gpulvi - 10 years ago

    I’ve got a 11” MacBook Air (mid 2011) and the update does not appear in the Mac App Store, did Apple pulled it?

    • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

      It does appear Apple has pulled the update from the Software Updates section. It still seems to be available as a manual download from the Apple Support site though…

  3. Mark Harris - 10 years ago

    Only issue I’ve noticed so far is that now my Macbook Air doesn’t automatically connect to wi-fi. I have to select from the drop-down list every time. Inconvenient, but at least my machine wasn’t bricked.