Any one notices the cracking/popping sound of new 16 inch MBP?

[Viamusic10000]

There is a big chance that Apple considers this as fixed since the 10.15.2 update and won’t investigate this further to provide a true fix. Maybe this will be fixed in future laptop generations with T3.

The 16 inch model is almost 4 months old. My 2019 15 inch model is almost 1 year old and i still have to deal with this issue everyday. I hate wired headphones and bluetooth headphones introduce a serious amount of audio lag so the only way for me to do rough cuts with FCPX is to use external speakers.

I said this from day one: claim your rights as a customer, post videos in YT, write about this in forums like this and make some serious noise. I did all of these and i don’t regret it.

Some people here (many of which didn’t even had the machine on their hands) tried to convince us that we are crying babies and this is a minor software bug which will be addressed. Others said that their machine is ok without even walking through the steps to reproduce the issue. Then some people created the impression that 10.15.2 fixed it and we are all done with this.

My point here is that if the majority of Apple users are just happy with every gadget the company spits out, even if it’s flawed, then Apple has no reason to further improve it. And this is bad news for every professional out there like me and many of you people. Proper feedback to companies like Apple is like gold these days, we are full of fanboys and hipsters, people that are totally ok with audio popping but definitely ready to protest if the screen bezel gets a couple of millimetres thicker.

Laptops are not supposed to pop, even the good looking ones. Period. Not normal. Not fixed. Me unhappy

Why do you think they consider it fixed in the 10.15.2 update? They didn’t do anything to fix it that couldn’t have been done in Mojave. It’s users who have been reporting it fixed. Apple never claimed it was fixed and the internal memo went out days before the update came out. If you’re unhappy then return it. I decided to keep it because the speakers are so good and I can live with it in my use case. If you can’t, return it and explain why. That’s way more powerful than posting a multiparagrah comment.

 

[DCIFRTHS]

Guess not since the mac pro also have it


but its irrelevant if apple cannot fix this through the firmware..you can come with t5 ,still we will have the same issue

The Mac Pro has been in development for a long time.

While I do hope that there's a firmware update that fixes the issue(s), there's no guarantee that firmware can fix it.

 

[dmstasinos]

Why do you think they consider it fixed in the 10.15.2 update? They didn’t do anything to fix it that couldn’t have been done in Mojave. It’s users who have been reporting it fixed. Apple never claimed it was fixed and the internal memo went out days before the update came out. If you’re unhappy then return it. I decided to keep it because the speakers are so good and I can live with it in my use case. If you can’t, return it and explain why. That’s way more powerful than posting a multiparagrah comment.

Return it and explain why? Lol, Really? That’s why i wrote before about 2 completely different universes of customer support regarding USA and the rest of the world.

I purchased my unit in August 20th. 3 Days later i contacted Apple about the popping issue. I asked for a replace and they told me that the issue has to be identified first. After 3 weeks (the first one was a long session with telephone support) i got my unit back from an authorised service centre with an abstract memo, something like “the machine is ok” on it (they just did an AHT pass). Then i contacted another service centre and they told me that this is normal. Then i tried to return it and they told me that a month plus a single day have passed since the purchase so i am stuck with a 4500$ pop corn machine for ever. The only option left was to get a lawyer to claim my rights as a customer.

And you are telling me that this sweet experience above is more powerful than a multi paragraph commend? I think both are kinda useless but whatever.

To answer your first question, if that was an easy fix it would have already happened. But many blogs like fcp.co have already considered this as fixed since the 10.15.2 update. As you already said there is a trick there. If you simply change the sample rate then 20% of the pops go away. Judging from the company’s policy the last few years, I believe this could be enough for Apple to let it go and focus on the next product. Of course these are not facts, just my point of view.

 

[Peter118]

@dmstasinos You are completly right. If the popping sound issue was easy to fix, Apple would have already done that. The 'trick' to change the sound format to 48.1Khz was trying to hide the problem.
Even in Windows 10 Bootcamp the popping sounds are there, very irritating. I bought this expensive machine because it was stated as 1st class, for professional use. I also have the idea that this is not fixable with software updates. I'm in the position that I can return it, lucky me.

 

[Viamusic10000]

Return it and explain why? Lol, Really? That’s why i wrote before about 2 completely different universes of customer support regarding USA and the rest of the world.

I purchased my unit in August 20th. 3 Days later i contacted Apple about the popping issue. I asked for a replace and they told me that the issue has to be identified first. After 3 weeks (the first one was a long session with telephone support) i got my unit back from an authorised service centre with an abstract memo, something like “the machine is ok” on it (they just did an AHT pass). Then i contacted another service centre and they told me that this is normal. Then i tried to return it and they told me that a month plus a single day have passed since the purchase so i am stuck with a 4500$ pop corn machine for ever. The only option left was to get a lawyer to claim my rights as a customer.

And you are telling me that this sweet experience above is more powerful than a multi paragraph commend? I think both are kinda useless but whatever.

To answer your first question, if that was an easy fix it would have already happened. But many blogs like fcp.co have already considered this as fixed since the 10.15.2 update. As you already said there is a trick there. If you simply change the sample rate then 20% of the pops go away. Judging from the company’s policy the last few years, I believe this could be enough for Apple to let it go and focus on the next product. Of course these are not facts, just my point of view.

I don't think so because changing the audio midi format only helps in some apps like YouTube. I talked to Apple Support after 10.15.2 and they followed the memo of saying the issue was software (probably firmware) and it would be fixed in an update. I don't know why you think its not fixable because they haven't done it. This is the same company which released three generations of inherently defective keyboards. The fix was very easy - switch back to a scissor mechanisms but they refused to do it. It'd be incredibly easy to add Window snapping into Mac OS but they still have't done it and makes you resize things manually or using the full screen mode split screen between two apps. Just because they haven't done something doesn't mean they can't fix it, they might just not really care about it. This is either a driver or firmware issue with the T2 and its possible that the drivers in Windows have the same problem as the drivers in Mac OS. You should've just retuned it immediately if it wasn't something you could deal with. Keeping it on the hope they'll fix it is always a bad idea. Bring back a machine if you don't like it. If you pass the return period you can't return it - in the US or otherwise. Apple catalogues why people return things which is why I said to describe it when you return it. But since this happened in the past, yeah you are stuck with it. Maybe sell it and get a new computer with a different OS.

 

[dmstasinos]

I don't know why you think its not fixable because they haven't done it. This is the same company which released three generations of inherently defective keyboards.

You just mentioned one of the reasons i believe this won't be fixed (and i really wish i am wrong on this). Three generations of defective keyboards. And all those failures because of their persistence to make everything ridiculously thin. Design over functionality in cost of durability.

I didn't say it's not fixable. Everything is fixable. I said that fixing things is not a priority for Apple. It should... but it's not. Apple's priority is making everything sexier. That's why i am urging people to give proper feedback to all companies and not glorifying every product they make.

 

[Viamusic10000]

You just mentioned one of the reasons i believe this won't be fixed (and i really wish i am wrong on this). Three generations of defective keyboards. And all those failures because of their persistence to make everything ridiculously thin. Design over functionality in cost of durability.

I didn't say it's not fixable. Everything is fixable. I said that fixing things is not a priority for Apple. It should... but it's not. Apple's priority is making everything sexier. That's why i am urging people to give proper feedback to all companies and not glorifying every product they make.

Well I’ve already talked to Apple support about this and complained and they said they are working on a fix. Maybe they will maybe they won’t - I like the 16in a lot otherwise. If they don’t fix it in four-six years when I buy a new laptop I’ll probably buy a pc instead of a Mac. Idk if this has to do with the thinness obsession. This is more having a proprietary solution to encryption. Maybe the T2 does more good than harm but this is certainly annoying.

 

[Sanpete]

Some people here (many of which didn’t even had the machine on their hands) tried to convince us that we are crying babies and this is a minor software bug which will be addressed. Others said that their machine is ok without even walking through the steps to reproduce the issue. Then some people created the impression that 10.15.2 fixed it and we are all done with this.

My point here is that if the majority of Apple users are just happy with every gadget the company spits out, even if it’s flawed, then Apple has no reason to further improve it. And this is bad news for every professional out there like me and many of you people. Proper feedback to companies like Apple is like gold these days, we are full of fanboys and hipsters, people that are totally ok with audio popping but definitely ready to protest if the screen bezel gets a couple of millimetres thicker.

Laptops are not supposed to pop, even the good looking ones. Period. Not normal. Not fixed. Me unhappy

Complaints about the product aren't enough--we need more complaints about lack of complaining!

Personally, I think there aren't enough complaints about the screen not being 4K 18". And I blame you for not complaining about it. Too many fanboys focused on little stuff like clicks and pops instead of what I care about. And don't tell me it isn't important!

This is the same company which released three generations of inherently defective keyboards. The fix was very easy - switch back to a scissor mechanisms but they refused to do it.

The keyboard wasn't an easy fix, they had to redesign the case, make it bigger, and give up some advantages of the butterfly design that some still prefer (when it's working). Wasn't a matter of stubbornness but of pros and cons.

 

[dmstasinos]

Complaints about the product aren't enough--we need more complaints about lack of complaining!

Personally, I think there aren't enough complaints about the screen not being 4K 18". And I blame you for not complaining about it. Too many fanboys focused on little stuff like clicks and pops instead of what I care about. And don't tell me it isn't important!

Thanks for your response here Mr. Cook. You are talking about specs when you are mentioning a 4K screen. I am talking about clean audio, something fundamental that our beloved industry has given us long time ago and now Apple is taking it back. Give me a better analogy if you have a point, which i believe you don’t.

 

[Sanpete]

Thanks for your response here Mr. Cook. You are talking about specs when you are mentioning a 4K screen. I am talking about clean audio, something fundamental that our beloved industry has given us long time ago and now Apple is taking it back. Give me a better analogy if you have a point, which i believe you don’t.

I think my point is clear enough, quibbles aside. Not everyone is you, or has the same priorities you do. Makes no sense to blame them for not complaining about what bothers you.

 

[OxCxDx]

I think my point is clear enough, quibbles aside. Not everyone is you, or has the same priorities you do. Makes no sense to blame them for not complaining about what bothers you.

Perhaps, both of you are correct in regards to expectations of a machine that is very expensive. (Regardless of operating system)

Everyone would & possibly should expect great audio quality and a good screen panel from any MBP.

Popping audio is not acceptable for an Apple product out of the box. This would have been considered a windows/PC issue of past, not a MacOS/MBP issue of the present.

 

[simonmet]

This is a concern; and it’ll be the first thing I look for when I get my unit in a couple of days. If Apple hasn’t fixed it by now I’d be a bit worried as an early adopter.

I know it’s not always possible, but it’s always preferable to wait about three months to find out what the launch issues are so at least you know what to test for during the return window.

 

[Viamusic10000]

This is a concern; and it’ll be the first thing I look for when I get my unit in a couple of days. If Apple hasn’t fixed it by now I’d be a bit worried as an early adopter.

I know it’s not always possible, but it’s always preferable to wait about three months to find out what the launch issues are so at least you know what to test for during the return window.

This isn't a launch issue, this is an issue from 2018 MacBook Pro and onward. It's on EVERY unit because its a software or firmware issue. Not only is it on every unit, it's on every single t2 Mac including the new Mac Pro. It has just now been internally recognized in a memo. It only bothers me like 5% of the time I use my laptop but its still unacceptable. If its a deal breaker for you do not buy this laptop since there is no guarantee it'll be fixed.

Dell has a similar problem where they haven't fixed audio driver issues on the XPS line for a couple years now.

 

[dspdoc]

Just checking in here peeps. I see there is still no "official" statement from Apple on this. Pathetic.

BTW, has anyone else noticed that the new CTO MBP machines shipping times have slipped from 2-4 days to now being 2-3 weeks?! Strange. Carry on...

 

[Sanpete]

Just checking in here peeps. I see there is still no "official" statement from Apple on this. Pathetic.

I thought there was a memo from Apple to employees about it that has been read to customers, which seems official. I don't expect there will be a press release, if that's what you have in mind.

 

[am2am]

BTW, has anyone else noticed that the new CTO MBP machines shipping times have slipped from 2-4 days to now being 2-3 weeks?! Strange. Carry on...

Chinese New Year. It will go back to normal soon.

 

[dspdoc]

Chinese New Year. It will go back to normal soon.

Ah yes, I forgot. What about the flu over there? That might back things up too.

 

[Ries]

I thought there was a memo from Apple to employees about it that has been read to customers, which seems official. I don't expect there will be a press release, if that's what you have in mind.

The "Please stop exchanging the machines, it's costing us money and it won't be fixed, we'll just string them along until they give up, just say it'll be fixed someday" memo.

 

[dspdoc]

The "Please stop exchanging the machines, it's costing us money and it won't be fixed, we'll just string them along until they give up, just say it'll be fixed someday" memo.

Bingo! How do you know Apple so well? Do you work there? Is this Tim? LOL

 

[Viamusic10000]

Does anyone know if the recently released 10.15.3 beta is fixing anything?

 

[Sanpete]

The "Please stop exchanging the machines, it's costing us money and it won't be fixed, we'll just string them along until they give up, just say it'll be fixed someday" memo.

Ha, no. Actually it helpfully says it's a software issue, which is important to know, and quite reasonably says to treat it accordingly. I personally would prefer not to pay extra for Apple equipment so people can return a machine or send it in for service for a problem that can't be fixed that way. But others may feel differently.

In any case, point remains that Apple has officially acknowledged the issue.

 

[Ries]

Ha, no. Actually it helpfully says it's a software issue, which is important to know, and quite reasonably says to treat it accordingly. I personally would prefer not to pay extra for Apple equipment so people can return a machine or send it in for service for a problem that can't be fixed that way. But others may feel differently.

In any case, point remains that Apple has officially acknowledged the issue.

So could you point to that official response? Apple has done nothing officially. They put out a internal memo, nothing in that memo needs be true, it's basically instructions on how to handle the issue with a costumer, doesn't mean it actually will be fixed or is true in any way. Maybe they consider the 48KHz hack the fix, that doesn't actually fix it, only mask it somewhat. Apple always has the stance "there is no issue" until they are against the wall with a **** storm or a courtcase.

 

[Peter118]

Does anyone know if the recently released 10.15.3 beta is fixing anything?

I tried Catalina 10.15.3 beta 3, nothing fixed. It's beginning to look like that the 'popping sound' on 44.1Khz can not be fixed. I did't take the risk so I returned my Macbook Pro 16", luckely it still was in the return window.

 

[Sanpete]

So could you point to that official response? Apple has done nothing officially. They put out a internal memo, nothing in that memo needs be true, it's basically instructions on how to handle the issue with a costumer, doesn't mean it actually will be fixed or is true in any way. Maybe they consider the 48KHz hack the fix, that doesn't actually fix it, only mask it somewhat. Apple always has the stance "there is no issue" until they are against the wall with a **** storm or a courtcase.

Already pointed, of course. I'll leave you to settle the semantic question of what counts as official if memos from Apple don't, and whether Apple is lying to itself. Obviously the memo says the opposite of "there is no issue."

 

[Viamusic10000]

So could you point to that official response? Apple has done nothing officially. They put out a internal memo, nothing in that memo needs be true, it's basically instructions on how to handle the issue with a costumer, doesn't mean it actually will be fixed or is true in any way. Maybe they consider the 48KHz hack the fix, that doesn't actually fix it, only mask it somewhat. Apple always has the stance "there is no issue" until they are against the wall with a **** storm or a courtcase.

Apple isn't going to officially make a statement about bug fixes. Expecting a company to do that short of some sort of catastrophic hardware failure is bizarre. The 48khz hack didn't fix anything because the issue can still happen and its not even a hack. Its just evident that whatever this is has to do with sample rate and T2 power management. The memo says the opposite of "there is no issue" because they say its a software issue.