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M1 Mac Mini - Pixel issue on Apple Thunderbolt Display 27"

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tmi0815

macrumors newbie
Jan 9, 2022
27
12
Hello,

with a heavy heart I decided today to return the M1 Max part back to Apple.

With a 5000 Euro notebook I have no desire to live with such errors. In addition, there is no help or information from Apple.

Professional looks a little different.

Very sad.
I will just continue with my Intel Apple for now.

Let's see how the return works, which Apple has offered me in this case. (Apple Store).
 
T

tmi0815

macrumors newbie
Jan 9, 2022
27
12
Apple....they are working to recreate the issue.

This is my Last Info .... I probably won't be able to test it again.
My M1 is going back to Apple.

But... I still have an M1 Air in the family... I'll take a look at it.
 
T

tommiy

macrumors 6502
Dec 11, 2015
412
127
i have 2 x m1 and an intel 2017 as well as 2 adapter. demonstrated the issue occurs with each M1 but not the intel. My expectations of a fix is low.
 
T

tmi0815

macrumors newbie
Jan 9, 2022
27
12
tommiy said:
i have 2 x m1 and an intel 2017 as well as 2 adapter. demonstrated the issue occurs with each M1 but not the intel. My expectations of a fix is low.
Click to expand...

I thought of another test that you can test the connection / problem.
Unfortunately, I can no longer do it, the notebook goes back to Apple :)

Take a Thunderbolt cable 1:1 (eg the 2 meters of Thunderbolt cable from Apple). Connect it to the Thunderbolt adapter on the M1. Connect the other end to the Thunderbolt display. (The screen has a free port for it.)

The error should normally be identical... (Logically, Mr. Spock would say.) But the thuderbold cable from the monitor may be older and may have an older CHIP in it. (Then it would be fascinating...if it changes anything.).....

Can someone test this here ?

-->
I came up with this idea because I need a longer cable for the Thunderbold screens when I put them on the wall (Vesa adapter).

Then I use the cable from the screens only for the coupling of the two screens, the connection between screen and mac-device I would then make with the 2 meter long cable.

Should work the same way. The MagSafe adapter from the screen can unfortunately no longer be used anyway. Although the performance should be sufficient for M1.

Here there is also no adapter for it... Too bad also here Apple has not thought.
-->
Another problem with the M1 that I observed was with FaceTime, where there were problems with the built-in camera in the screen. Sometimes the picture was taken in SlowMotion....
Photobrooth had no problems with the camera.
I do not have these errors with Intel and in previous OSX versions.
-->

Also the performance of many programs with the M1 & Rosetta is slower than Intel Mac (2 years old).
For me, the M1 (MAX) is currently not a solution but only money destruction and I as a user become a beta tester.
....and spend the money only on energy efficiency ? ... a little too few features...ok... the fans are of course also a small problem with the Intel Mac´s:))))


Since I have to wait for M2 / M3 (if apple should still be there.)

Uff..
 
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A

ader42

macrumors 6502
Jun 30, 2012
436
390
Okay, I just tried it. Apple thunderbolt cable from the display to the M1 Mac Mini with the Apple adapter.
Exactly the same behaviour for me. Both the thunderbolt cable and the adapter were bought less than a year ago new from Apple.

Now… I would like to say that for me this is a non-issue. I say that because I only ever see the weird pixel behaviour on my display when I both maximise an application (which I never do) and move the cursor to the top of the screen to make the menu bar visible.

So even if I did occasionally use an applicaiton in full-screen mode I would still only see the flashing pixels while I chose something from the top menubar - so I still would not be bothered - as long as the behaviour is not worse with my yet to arrive MBP I realistically have no complaints.
 
T

tommiy

macrumors 6502
Dec 11, 2015
412
127
I've tried it and the result is the same. To put it technically the problem still exists with Apple M1 MBP (2020, 2021) and not Apple Intel MBP. Its simply an Apple to Apple issue. I've no response to my ticket as yet.
 
T

tmi0815

macrumors newbie
Jan 9, 2022
27
12
ader42 said:
Okay, I just tried it. Apple thunderbolt cable from the display to the M1 Mac Mini with the Apple adapter.
Exactly the same behaviour for me. Both the thunderbolt cable and the adapter were bought less than a year ago new from Apple.

Now… I would like to say that for me this is a non-issue. I say that because I only ever see the weird pixel behaviour on my display when I both maximise an application (which I never do) and move the cursor to the top of the screen to make the menu bar visible.

So even if I did occasionally use an applicaiton in full-screen mode I would still only see the flashing pixels while I chose something from the top menubar - so I still would not be bothered - as long as the behaviour is not worse with my yet to arrive MBP I realistically have no complaints.
Click to expand...
I unfortunately had to see it all the time :)) But it also has to do with what backgrounds you have. On both screens synchronously.

Everyone has to decide for themselves whether they can live with these errors or not. Devices in this price range should at least not have such problems with their own screens.

The M1 (MAX) is unfortunately not faster than my MBP from 2016 for me and my programs. Many old programs that need Rosetta do not benefit from the M1 and there are unfortunately very very many of them. I also don't edit videos all day.

I also cannot accept Apple's policy or support for such kind of errors that are not user errors (or other manufacturers are to blame). Here I would wish that Apple offers a contact to which you can also turn professionally.

And if Apple talks about sustainability, what is sustainable if the manufacturer does not support its older devices correctly and says buy everything new every 5-7 years...

Of course, that's a bit negative now, but I'm also relatively frustrated and disappointed at the moment. For that amount of money, you don't get a magic processor and a device that works properly with my equipment (from Apple).
Sorry about that... maybe it's understandable for you.
My perfect Apple world has become a little smaller here.

** Thank you for your tests and for the time you spent on them !!! **
 
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tommiy

macrumors 6502
Dec 11, 2015
412
127
I have a response from Apple stating that the issue is a bug and the problem has been escalated to the engineering design team. There is no ETA on resolution.
 
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D

dandeco

macrumors 65816
Dec 5, 2008
1,253
1,050
Brockton, MA
That actually happens with my M1 MacBook Air hooked up to my 27" ThunderBolt display, but usually those pixels are very small and easy for me to overlook, so it's not a big issue for me. The same thing happened with a 27" LED Cinema Display (pre-ThunderBolt.)
 
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zlon

macrumors newbie
May 1, 2013
2
0
Well, looks like I'm in a good company ? Got the same issue with M1 Air VS ThunderBolt 27".
If you need me to like or sign something - guide me! Except for that thread on German Apple site, which I already did.
 
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tmi0815

macrumors newbie
Jan 9, 2022
27
12
The subject is dead. Apple will not respond.

It should be no problem for Apple to fix this bug, but they don't want to. Either they don't have the experts for it. (Did Apple fire them?) Or it is too expensive for them.

Nobody can tell me what this has to do with sustainability when Apple's screens only last at least 5 years.

You have one less fan. It is already sad.
 
T

tommiy

macrumors 6502
Dec 11, 2015
412
127
I don't think Apple has ever really cared about End Users past the point of how to extract $ from them. I don't expect this to be fixed to be honest simply because Apple would not see return from doing so.
 
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tmi0815

macrumors newbie
Jan 9, 2022
27
12
Sustainability concerns us more and more. In IT, too, recyclable materials are not the only issue, or even a possibility for repair. A certain durability of the products is also important here.

Especially for peripheral devices like printers or monitors which are often used much longer than notebooks or PC´s. A longer use is usually intended.

This is essential for our environment (world) so that we do not throw away further waste and valuable resources after a short time.

When a manufacturer advertises that it cares about the environment, it can't be that, for example, its screens become unusable after 5-6 years just because it doesn't offer compatibility with its new generation of computers.

Especially if this manufacturer builds all components itself, this is an abhorrent behavior.

Apple is such a manufacturer that seems to put everything on profit and does not care about such things.

We should not care at all.
 
3

305raj

macrumors newbie
Jan 10, 2022
2
0
I just upgraded to 12.2.1 and there are now fewer dancing pixels on my screen. I actually had a hard time seeing them. Is anyone else experiencing this?
 
Segev

Segev

macrumors member
Feb 16, 2017
42
15
No change here.
Upgraded to 12.2.1 and I get the same amount of pixels and same amount of flickering.
 
T

tommiy

macrumors 6502
Dec 11, 2015
412
127
and with the launch of the new display my guess is that this bug will not be addressed (especially if it is not present on the new display).
 
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A

AGANG

macrumors member
Aug 13, 2015
57
8
I had this issue with my m1 macbook pro and thunderbolt display, but after update to Os 12.3, the problem is gone.
 
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