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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,290
30,364



Apple has released Thunderbolt Firmware update for all Macs with Thunderbolt ports, providing stability fixes for Thunderbolt and Target Disk Mode.

thunderbolt.jpg
The update requires OS X Lion 10.8.3 or later and uses 1.22MB of disk space. The update can be downloaded via Apple's software update page or through the Mac App Store.

Article Link: Apple Releases Thunderbolt Software Update 1.2
 

Dave-Z

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2012
861
1,447
... Perhaps this will stop my MBPr from freezing when I connect the Thunderbolt/Ethernet adapter.
 

Exotic-Car Man

macrumors regular
Oct 29, 2010
138
0
USA
Backup first

I'm going to be sure to backup my iMac first after what happened last time there was a Thunderbolt update. I need to be prepared for another kernel panic. My rule of thumb is to always backup before installing an update that requires a restart.
 

Mac32

Suspended
Nov 20, 2010
1,263
454
Can we finally use the iMac as an external display to a thunderpolt PC now?
 

Quu

macrumors 68040
Apr 2, 2007
3,419
6,789
I really get the sense that Thunderbolt is another Firewire. Very seldom used, high cost due to the circuitry needed.

Just curious but those of you who have Thunderbolt on your MBP's would you rather those would have been extra USB 3.0 ports instead?

EDIT:// Ok you can stop replying now :p - I get it, you guys love Thunderbolt.
 
Last edited:

b0fh

macrumors regular
May 14, 2012
152
62
no issues for me

... Perhaps this will stop my MBPr from freezing when I connect the Thunderbolt/Ethernet adapter.

I use that nearly every day. No problems, whether I plug it in when the machine is in sleep (lid closed, plug in, open lid) or not (lid open, plug in).

----------

I really get the sense that Thunderbolt is another Firewire. Very seldom used, high cost due to the circuitry needed.

Just curious but those of you who have Thunderbolt on your MBP's would you rather those would have been extra USB 3.0 ports instead?

Hell no. Hooks up to my thunderbolt display really nicely. And I have a second thunderbolt in the box next to it, just waiting for me to pull it out. The lack of a mess of wires is much much appreciated.
 

echoout

macrumors 6502a
Aug 15, 2007
600
16
Austin, Texas
I've depended on Thunderbolt for quite a while on my MBP for my 10Gbe, Sonnet SSD RAID and Blackmagic cards. No problems here. I'm not updating.
 

cube

Suspended
May 10, 2004
17,011
4,972
I really get the sense that Thunderbolt is another Firewire. Very seldom used, high cost due to the circuitry needed.

Just curious but those of you who have Thunderbolt on your MBP's would you rather those would have been extra USB 3.0 ports instead?

It is not another FireWire. FireWire was quite popular and not that expensive.
 

smiddlehurst

macrumors 65816
Jun 5, 2007
1,228
30
I really get the sense that Thunderbolt is another Firewire. Very seldom used, high cost due to the circuitry needed.

Just curious but those of you who have Thunderbolt on your MBP's would you rather those would have been extra USB 3.0 ports instead?

Good lord no, for certain tasks Thunderbolt is well worth the price premium especially if you're earning a living on devices that connect that way.

You're right in a way though, Thunderbolt much like Firewire will almost certainly not be the consumer standard as USB (in this case USB3) is fine for the majority of users and doesn't incur the extra costs associated with implementing the standard. But for those that need the benefits of that standard (or who can afford to pay extra for the best possible performance) it's a god send. The problem is that some (and there are dozens of examples just on these forums) don't get what it's for or why it's expensive and start complaining while the simple fact is for them it's a luxury item and a USB 3 device would meet their needs perfectly. Actually now that I think about it maybe a better analogy would be the old days of SCSI versus IDE.
 

TallGuyGT

macrumors 6502
Aug 8, 2011
386
990
NYC
I really get the sense that Thunderbolt is another Firewire. Very seldom used, high cost due to the circuitry needed.

Just curious but those of you who have Thunderbolt on your MBP's would you rather those would have been extra USB 3.0 ports instead?

I use it to connect to the Thunderbolt Display, which makes for a very nice laptop docking station. The integrated Thunderbolt/power cable drives the display and connects my keyboard, printer, external hard disk and Ethernet. Very convenient.
 

j33pd0g

macrumors 6502
Mar 20, 2003
471
8
Central NY
I wonder if this affects Thunderbolt -> HDMI adapters in any way. :confused:

I have a Thunderbolt to HDMI cable, and it's working great. Doubt l'll ever update my MacBook Pro. I'll probably never update iTunes either. I remember one update that wouldn't let me play iTunes content on my TV (second display, not mirrored). The next update fixed it, so that's where I'm staying.
 

embraceware

macrumors member
Jan 14, 2008
48
60
I'm hoping this fixes the sound crackle that occurs when a Mac connected via Target Display Mode wakes from sleep and the random screen blackouts...

Currently using a 27" iMac with 2 other 27" iMacs connected as displays via target display mode.

Pro tip: You can use the Audio Midi Setup app to merge the speakers of each Mac connected via target display mode into a single sound card entity.
 

arkmannj

macrumors 68000
Oct 1, 2003
1,726
510
UT
I really get the sense that Thunderbolt is another Firewire. Very seldom used, high cost due to the circuitry needed.

Just curious but those of you who have Thunderbolt on your MBP's would you rather those would have been extra USB 3.0 ports instead?

I would prefer the Thunderbolt, even if I don't use it often, it is more versitile, hook up displays, USB, drives, ethernet, firewire, etc.. etc...
 

iMouse

macrumors 6502
Jul 23, 2002
254
17
Boardman, Ohio
I really get the sense that Thunderbolt is another Firewire. Very seldom used, high cost due to the circuitry needed.

Just curious but those of you who have Thunderbolt on your MBP's would you rather those would have been extra USB 3.0 ports instead?

I want to stab myself every time I am required to use USB 2 over FireWire 800. I'd imagine in 5 or so years, I'm going to feel the same way about USB 3 and ThunderBolt.
 

Dave-Z

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2012
861
1,447
I use that nearly every day. No problems, whether I plug it in when the machine is in sleep (lid closed, plug in, open lid) or not (lid open, plug in).

Yeah, that's usually the case. At first I thought it might be a hardware issue, but there's enough people in Apple's forums and elsewhere reporting it that I think it's just a bug.
 

guan

macrumors newbie
Jun 16, 2011
19
0
My Thunderbolt port on my mid-2011 MacBook Air 13" stopped working after I installed this update, for both Thunderbolt devices and with a display that does DisplayPort without Thunderbolt. Did anyone else experience this?

This is what it now says in System Information for that port:

Port:
Status: No device connected
Link Status: 0x7
Port Micro Firmware Version: FFFF.FF.FF
 

Robert.Walter

macrumors 68040
Jul 10, 2012
3,072
4,297
I'm confused, my mid2011 MBA claims Tbolt Sw Udte V 1.2.1 was installed on 2012.06.21.

Is this an update that is just being rolled out to other devices now?
 
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