Apple updates MacBooks

Bug-squishing continues apace

By Rik Myslewski in San Francisco • Get more from this author

Posted in PCs & Chips, 12th December 2008 00:56 GMT

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If you - like many other owners of Apple's new MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air - have experienced random flakiness from your pricey new toy, Apple is offering some help.

You can now download SMC and EFI firmware patches for the three offending 'Books from Apple's support center. Apple claims that the SMC updates improve "the sensing and accuracy of the MagSafe Power Adapter indicator light, and the battery charge indicator lights." The company is a wee bit more vague about the EFI updates, stating only that they fix "several issues" and "improve the stability" of the sometimes-cranky laptops.

Exactly which issues those might be, Apple doesn't say. There are a few to choose from, since the unibody 'Books have had a bit of a rocky ride since their roll-out on October 14th.

First there were the glass-trackpad problems, which were addressed by Apple in a firmware update published on November 17th. There have also been complaints about third-party RAM incompatibilities, annoying fan noise, and freezing upon awakening.

And now MacFixIt reports that some users who have installed the most recent updates have also reported problems - but, thankfully, they also report that "the updates are, generally, working as they should."

If so, that's good news for early-adopting 'Bookers. If you're one of them, drop us a Comment and let us know what your upgrade experience has been.

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