Reg Hardware

Original URL: http://www.reghardware.com/2008/12/12/macbook_firmware_updates/

Apple updates MacBooks

Bug-squishing continues apace

By Rik Myslewski in San Francisco

12th December 2008 00:56 GMT

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 [1] and EFI [2] firmware patches for the three offending 'Books from Apple's support center [3]. 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 [4] on October 14th.

First there were the glass-trackpad problems [5], which were addressed by Apple in a firmware update [6] published on November 17th. There have also been complaints about third-party RAM [7] incompatibilities, annoying fan noise [8], and freezing upon awakening [9].

And now MacFixIt reports [10] 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.