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Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

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Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#391
I am having serious problems with WiFi. I have about six apple devices and my home wlan works perfectly for all of them except my MacBook Pro. It connects and then in some minutes there is no internet. No packets in no packets out. Tried everything.

Tomorrow I do a hard reset. Nice way to spend my Easter holidays.

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#392

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If that had happened to me my entire startup would have to shut down. Not cool.

If your entire startup is dependent on one single Macbook there is something severely wrong with your business model and I hope your customers and/or investors are aware of this risk before giving you any money.

Obviously depending on a laptop for runtime code would be bad, but plenty of early stage startups depend heavily on a small number of machines for customer support and continued development.

Probably a bigger issue isn’t that they’re a single laptop failure away from collapse, the bigger problem is that replacing a laptop right now would be unusually difficult.

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a brick, it cannot be recovered. A bricked device usually can be recovered using only software tools and sometimes a special cable. Sometimes those tools or cables are only possessed by the manufacturer, which frustrates consumers and makes it seem like the devices are unrecoverable, but they’re not. A broken device, on the other hand, can’t be recovered using software tools or a special cable because it contains b…

A physically broken device might still be functional though, so personally your terms are backwards. A bricked device has a slight chance of recovery, if you have the tools/skills/training. It is a brick until that repair with high applitude is completed. Something that is broke doesn't mean it is functional or not, just not at a perfectly working condition to worse. it might be repaired by doing a reset of a device,…

I disagreed with GP's use of the term bricked to mean unrecoverable. You seem to agree with me because you wrote that a bricked device can be recovered with the proper tools/skills/training. I hadn't considered partially-working devices, but I think you're right that they shouldn't be properly called bricked.

The threads here show that even highly technical people disagree on what conditions should be considered bricked versus broken. To a non-technical person whose device isn't working, however, there is no practical difference.

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#394

I've updated my MacBook Pro 2019 before I saw the HN post, the updated went smoothly without any issues (so far). I've done the same update on my Mac Mini 2018 and now the fan has stopped working after reboot. Tried to reset NVRAM and SMC without any luck... the fan is still unresponsive. Apple diagnostics even confirms this by giving an error code PPF003

My mid-2015 mac (last REAL MacBook IMO) won't install it at all. It says it's installing, I reboot, it does some stuff, then I come back and the update isn't applied. Quality stuff!

If it's any consolation, I really like the keyboard on this latest air. Gave me reason to move off my 2012, the REAL last real macbook imo with everything replaceable/upgrade-able with a Phillips head screwdriver and 20 minutes of your time.

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#395
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Bricked" is relative, depending on your skill level. For some consumers, if recovery mode doesn't work that might be the end of line. However, there are more advanced users that can access the storage via another system and fix it there, hook up via serial port or JTAG and flash new firmware, or even desolder and replace chips. On the far other end of the spectrum, there's going to be people that consider "doesn't s…

If you go that route, "bricked" is now indistinguishable from "broke," and we already have a word for that. Broke. We would have then gone from a situation where we had two different states and names for each of those states to a situation where we have two words for the very same, very fuzzy state and no way to talk about the other state. It makes a mockery of the idea of advice. Imagine your parents calling you and…

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Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What bugs do you see in the iPad software keyboard? iOS keyboard input and text selection has been wonky for quite a while, and from what I've tried of Android, it doesn't feel much better on the other side of the fence either. Why can't Apple -or- Google get such basic interactivity right?

For me the keyboard will sometimes not load properly. The keyboard just shows up as an empty pane. And that's a sign that my iPad is going to be all grindy and slow until I reboot it.

I also have this bug, and a couple more. When you use the smaller floating keyboard at some point the keyboard starts to jump to the lower left corner. Swipe to type doesn’t work anymore.

I also have a bug with their hardware keyboard. After a couple days of usage the keyboard can get unresponsive and the § key starts to magically appear in the next text field that gets focus, at least 10–20 times, as it would be stuck. Reconnecting the hardware keyboard usually fixes this issue, but it’s still annoying. The restarts that are required for software keyboard bugs are worse, though.

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#397
Since my power cord frayed (no strain relief due to aesthetics) to the point that it will no longer charge, my laptop has been off for a week.

I've been protected from a major flaw by another, equally major flaw.

I guess it's better than the alternative of getting hit by them both.

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#398

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure myself though I’m sure books will in future be written about “the early signs of Apple’s demise”. My MacbookAir 6,2 (mid-2013) was screwed after the 10.15.4 update (not the supplemental). The SSD was totally not recognised. I’ve tried SMC and NVRAM resets numerous times and remote Recovery. The drive is now invisible. I opened it up to reseat it (cleaning pins and socket) to no avail. Fortunately I’ve got a…

The screen on my MacbookPro13,1 (late 2016) recently gave out. I needed a replacement but I was not convinced by any of the current Apple offerings -- I can't stand the stupid touch bar on the Pros, and the new MBA didn't sufficiently excite me. The usual build-to-order options like Dell or Lenovo being backordered due to the pandemic, I walked into a Costco and bought a LG Gram 17[0]. This is the first time I bought…

what did you do with the dead macbook? i'd be interested in purchasing it

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#399

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Press and hold on the spacebar. Wait a second. Then you can move the cursor left/right from the spacebar. iOS is generally quite good at these things. Like any new platform, you can't expect it the UX to be identical to an old platform that you're more familiar with.

I think my gripes so far are around discoverability. How did you know to click and hold the space bar? Now that I know, I like it. Never would have know otherwise. Drag from the bottom left and up to dismiss an app, do the same but go sideways to get to history of apps, etc.

They have most of this in onboarding tips as well as the Tips app.

Re: Nasty macOS flaw is bricking MacBooks: Don't install this update

#400

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And it won’t do CRON because reasons

Bugs me too. Your best bet is launchd which solves the problem, but it is a bit of pain to write job definition property lists. More here: https://www.launchd.info

This is a useful library for plists, in case you're interested - https://docs.python.org/3/library/plistlib.html
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