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AppleCare won't acknlowledge core shutdown.
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I guess it's a fine line in terms of relative wasted time between putting up with the "staggering" performance - especially as I use the Air a lot less in favour of better notebooks (in actual use) from Sony where I don't specifically need OS X these days, especially as the relatively pathetic battery life of the Air forces me to carry both anyway - or taking the time to put together the evidence.
For now though I'll see if just hitting them again and again will result in a replacement, and if the replacement(s) will be any better.
For now though I'll see if just hitting them again and again will result in a replacement, and if the replacement(s) will be any better.
Apple is replacing my MBA with a Macbook Pro.
Apparently the engineers traced the problem to the graphics chipset and firmware and they are working on a software update. The product specialist has instructions not to replace a Macbook Air with another Macbook Air because even though the problem surfaces more in some than in others, all of the MBAs have the problem.
Apparently the engineers traced the problem to the graphics chipset and firmware and they are working on a software update. The product specialist has instructions not to replace a Macbook Air with another Macbook Air because even though the problem surfaces more in some than in others, all of the MBAs have the problem.
Can you tell us a bit more about your source of information? If this (future patch to fix the core shut down) is true, it will make A LOT of MBA users happy.
That's what the Apple Product Specialist told me when he heard back from the engineering team. Apparently the problem is the GMA X3100. I asked him for the timeframe for the update to be released but there is none set. The engineers are working on it but they still have no idea when it will be ready. I told the specialist that I couldn't just sit around with a broken computer and wait for a software update that could take weeks or months if it's even released at all.
I asked for my money back but they offered to trade in my MBA for a Macbook Pro.
Dear,
I heard the same from my Apple dealer. Namely that Apple acknowledge the problem and it is high priority now. This is vert good news, because without the core shut down it is a wonderful product. If they can really fix this I am in heaven with my MBA.
With kind regards,
Bas
I heard the same from my Apple dealer. Namely that Apple acknowledge the problem and it is high priority now. This is vert good news, because without the core shut down it is a wonderful product. If they can really fix this I am in heaven with my MBA.
With kind regards,
Bas
not everyone at apple is acknowledging the problem.
i was in a best buy recently with my brother. we stopped at the apple corner to look at the macs. he paused to check out the air, and asked me what i thought of mine. "great, except for the lousy design in chipset / graphics." the apple rep there then entered our discussion, and tried to argue that apples have zero qualities problems and that mine was an isolated case. i would have continued to discuss it with him, but recently read about people having been thrown out of best buy due to trash talking products (on theconsumerist.com) and opted to walk away instead.
this is my first mac, and while i do like the machine, i am in no way impressed with apple's treatment of mba owners.
i hate to say this, but it seems like every day apple acts more and more like microsoft....
i was in a best buy recently with my brother. we stopped at the apple corner to look at the macs. he paused to check out the air, and asked me what i thought of mine. "great, except for the lousy design in chipset / graphics." the apple rep there then entered our discussion, and tried to argue that apples have zero qualities problems and that mine was an isolated case. i would have continued to discuss it with him, but recently read about people having been thrown out of best buy due to trash talking products (on theconsumerist.com) and opted to walk away instead.
this is my first mac, and while i do like the machine, i am in no way impressed with apple's treatment of mba owners.
i hate to say this, but it seems like every day apple acts more and more like microsoft....
I just started having this problem (after 4 months). Yesterday I had Mail open and was checking MacRumors and while I was typing in a reply to a post the machine slowed down to the point where the letters appeared about two seconds after I typed them. Also the scrolling was really jerky. I checked my temps and CPU was 72C and fans at 6400. Activity monitor showed one core down. I called Applecare and the person I spoke to said that it was because I was using it on my lap. I told her that I had shorts on and the machine was so hot I was balancing it on my knees and that no way were the vents covered.
We got cut off (or she hung up
) so I called back and the next tech took a lot of notes and said that the Apple engineers wanted all this documented. He told me to take the machine into a local repair center in my town and they would check it out.
What video does everyone stream to stress the cores to replicate the problem?
We got cut off (or she hung up
) so I called back and the next tech took a lot of notes and said that the Apple engineers wanted all this documented. He told me to take the machine into a local repair center in my town and they would check it out. What video does everyone stream to stress the cores to replicate the problem?
I just started having this problem (after 4 months). Yesterday I had Mail open and was checking MacRumors and while I was typing in a reply to a post the machine slowed down to the point where the letters appeared about two seconds after I typed them. Also the scrolling was really jerky. I checked my temps and CPU was 72C and fans at 6400. Activity monitor showed one core down. I called Applecare and the person I spoke to said that it was because I was using it on my lap. I told her that I had shorts on and the machine was so hot I was balancing it on my knees and that no way were the vents covered.
We got cut off (or she hung up
What video does everyone stream to stress the cores to replicate the problem?
Open up a few tabs of Terminal, and in each one type:
yes
and press return. That will stress the cores plenty! To stop this you can open activity monitor and choose the process called yes and force quit it. Closing the Terminal windows will not stop it
Open up a few tabs of Terminal, and in each one type:
yes
and press return. That will stress the cores plenty! To stop this you can open activity monitor and choose the process called yes and force quit it. Closing the Terminal windows will not stop it
yes > /dev/null
You can just press Control + C to stop it.
Well, my MBA finally started doing the dreaded shutdown on me. Whenever I'd watch a movie (with nothing else running) it would stop and stutter after 10 min. Activity monitor showed the shutdown. I could even force it almost immediately by just playing a movie and then copying a large file from one folder to another. I took it into the Apple store and the genius confirmed it's a known problem but there's no fix. The engineers are requesting all information they can supply when it happens. They think it's related to the graphics card. When we reproduced it in the store (using the file coping) the temp was completely normal and not hot. Anyway, they offered to swap the logic board to see if that would help but they wouldn't guarantee it would work. So now, i have to wait 4 days for it. I just hope they get a real fix soon.
Hi guys--
I have a brand new MBA sitting in the box unopened on the floor beside me from where I purchased it at Best Buy last night. After reading all of this thread, I think I'll take it back to BB for a refund. I was so sold on this computer, however, I won't tolerate core shutdown issues at a nearly $1900 risk!
I guess I can consider myself one of the fortunate few who can get his money back before falling into the "Jobs" trap.
Regards-
Stephen
I have a brand new MBA sitting in the box unopened on the floor beside me from where I purchased it at Best Buy last night. After reading all of this thread, I think I'll take it back to BB for a refund. I was so sold on this computer, however, I won't tolerate core shutdown issues at a nearly $1900 risk!
I guess I can consider myself one of the fortunate few who can get his money back before falling into the "Jobs" trap.
Regards-
Stephen
I'm using my new Macbook Pro.
While I was migrating all the data from the Macbook Air I was getting a core shutdown and the data transfer was painfully slow. I filled one of the freezer zip-lock bags with ice put a microfiber over it to absorb moisture and put it under the Macbook Air. Both cores ran at full speed and the fan was almost silent. It melts the ice very quickly though, so I went through 7 bags of ice to complete the migration.
While I was migrating all the data from the Macbook Air I was getting a core shutdown and the data transfer was painfully slow. I filled one of the freezer zip-lock bags with ice put a microfiber over it to absorb moisture and put it under the Macbook Air. Both cores ran at full speed and the fan was almost silent. It melts the ice very quickly though, so I went through 7 bags of ice to complete the migration.
Good point. I'm guessing that HP will have a significantly better engineering handle on it than Apple, especially given my previous experience of almost identical HP/Apple machines (e.g '06 nx9420 vs Macbook Pro - the HP was a hugely better engineered machine for real-life use all round despite the plastic construction. And let's not even talk about the HP xw's against the 'Pro'). The Envy was one of my options, and I was seriously considering it as a replacement for my Air. After the latest 'repair' I've come to the conclusion it's just not going to get any better and it's time to throw in the towel, especially as it's such a compromised machine to begin with.
However I'm debating whether to go for the Envy or the new Sony Z11. The Z11 gets me a better machine than a Macbook Pro in the weight of an Air + a Touch. However at least part of the reason why I bought the Air was for the way it looked, and a Sony will look pretty utilitarian next to the 133 - especially a Moroccan Blue one...
However I'm debating whether to go for the Envy or the new Sony Z11. The Z11 gets me a better machine than a Macbook Pro in the weight of an Air + a Touch. However at least part of the reason why I bought the Air was for the way it looked, and a Sony will look pretty utilitarian next to the 133 - especially a Moroccan Blue one...
So? It's given me no problems at all this year. It's more flexible than OS X and just as reliable, as well as generally just as responsive as OS X on current hardware. UAC can be an annoyance but in most cases it's not significantly worse than the authentication in OS X. The only bleatings I hear about it these days are people trying to upgrade their 'only' 2-3 year old, bottom-feeder machines which likely never worked properly on XP either or the ignorant who actually believe the Apple marketing. The (in hindsight, decidedly and perhaps unsurprisingly Apple-centric) blogoidiotsphere blew up about it as well and Vista is not what it was in early '07. The only time I've seen BSOD's is on Boot Camping Apple hardware. To me it's a better mobile OS, especially given the hardware choice.
You're lucky that you can get a trustful experience running Vista.
I wish that I had this luck... NOT!
I wish that I had this luck... NOT!
On 20+ machines? It's not luck. It's called buying proper machines and actually having a bit of a clue what you're doing.