Ugh, I hope the refurbished 2013 Air I ordered that is coming tomorrow doesn't have this issue because it sounds like a nightmare to get remedied.
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MacBook Air 2013 Weird Horizontal Lines
- Thread starter JerTheGeek
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Yes it certainly is frustrating. But I know that not all Airs have the issue, because if every Air did have the line issue Apple would have it listed as a problem with the 2013 model, and they do not. So don't worry about it
Yes it certainly is frustrating. But I know that not all Airs have the issue, because if every Air did have the line issue Apple would have it listed as a problem with the 2013 model, and they do not. So don't worry about it
I wouldnt be so sure
For your information, I've had the exact same issue on my MacBook Air 2013 (13", i7, 8GB). The interesting thing here is that I got the issue in Windows 7, using Boot Camp. I never run OS X on my Mac, but I'm quite sure I'd see the issue there as well.
The symptoms are the same for me, i.e. random appearance of a usually white line. It mostly disappears whenever there's a screen update, although the mouse pointer can sometimes be moved slightly without making it disappear. The line does actually extend across windows and to the desktop. Just like in your case, it does not show up on screenshots.
I work as a software developer and hardware engineer and my first thought was that this is a hardware issue. It's obviously late in the display pipeline, since it doesn't appear on screenshots. If I remember correctly, the 2013 Air uses the same LCD as the previous models and as far as I can see, this issue did not appear on 2011 and 2012 models. I had a 2011 13" i7 with pretty much exactly the same software setup and never saw the issue on that machine. This is of course not statistically significant, but combined with the other reports I have seen I'd say that this concerns the Haswell models.
Anyway, I've run a bunch of CPU and memory tests just to be on the safe side (even though I don't believe they're the issue), but haven't uncovered any issues.
At this point, my guess is that it may be an incorrectly set timing value, a malfunctioning power saving feature of the GPU or a weakness in hardware design issue that makes it borderline stable. However, the most perplexing part of all of this is that the issue has disappeared for me, since maybe six months. I bought the machine last July, so that means that I had the issue for quite a while and then it just went away. It's quite possible that it went away with an EFI or SMC update, but I can't say for sure. I have also made two other changes that possibly could affect the behavior: I disabled the dynamic screen power savings via the Intel GPU (since it negatively affected picture quality) and I changed the PCI Express power saving setting.
Bottom line: This is probably an issue at a pretty low level and it's most certainly not software related. My guess is that Apple is quite aware of it, but it's impossible to say how many Airs that are affected.
The symptoms are the same for me, i.e. random appearance of a usually white line. It mostly disappears whenever there's a screen update, although the mouse pointer can sometimes be moved slightly without making it disappear. The line does actually extend across windows and to the desktop. Just like in your case, it does not show up on screenshots.
I work as a software developer and hardware engineer and my first thought was that this is a hardware issue. It's obviously late in the display pipeline, since it doesn't appear on screenshots. If I remember correctly, the 2013 Air uses the same LCD as the previous models and as far as I can see, this issue did not appear on 2011 and 2012 models. I had a 2011 13" i7 with pretty much exactly the same software setup and never saw the issue on that machine. This is of course not statistically significant, but combined with the other reports I have seen I'd say that this concerns the Haswell models.
Anyway, I've run a bunch of CPU and memory tests just to be on the safe side (even though I don't believe they're the issue), but haven't uncovered any issues.
At this point, my guess is that it may be an incorrectly set timing value, a malfunctioning power saving feature of the GPU or a weakness in hardware design issue that makes it borderline stable. However, the most perplexing part of all of this is that the issue has disappeared for me, since maybe six months. I bought the machine last July, so that means that I had the issue for quite a while and then it just went away. It's quite possible that it went away with an EFI or SMC update, but I can't say for sure. I have also made two other changes that possibly could affect the behavior: I disabled the dynamic screen power savings via the Intel GPU (since it negatively affected picture quality) and I changed the PCI Express power saving setting.
Bottom line: This is probably an issue at a pretty low level and it's most certainly not software related. My guess is that Apple is quite aware of it, but it's impossible to say how many Airs that are affected.
The issue is certainly very strange. I finally got somewhere with AppleCare, they are refunding the original purchase price of the computer for an Apple gift card, and so I am going to use this to buy a refurb 13" Air. Maybe this one won't have the issue, cause from what I've seen it seems to be mostly i7 13" airs with the line issue.
Well,I had/have this issue on i5 - 13 incher and 11 incher, it is not related to i7 CPU.
13' still has the issue
SO, the 13 inch I got still has the same issue, I have seen it several times. I contacted Apple and they said they wouldn't replace it with a pro, only with another Air. The thing that annoys me is that if I got another replacement Air, chances are it would have the same issue----so what's the point of doing that? I dont understand why Apple wont just replace it with a model they know doesnt have the issue----the Pro. Oh well.
SO, the 13 inch I got still has the same issue, I have seen it several times. I contacted Apple and they said they wouldn't replace it with a pro, only with another Air. The thing that annoys me is that if I got another replacement Air, chances are it would have the same issue----so what's the point of doing that? I dont understand why Apple wont just replace it with a model they know doesnt have the issue----the Pro. Oh well.
MacBook Air 2013 Weird Horizontal Lines
On ML i never had this with my 2013 13" i7 MBA. With Mavericks.. It did not happen often. Maybe 1-2 times a month and simply logging out and logging back in resolved it every time.
With that said, i'm on Mavericks and have not seen this issue for 2 months atleast and counting.
I use the Air daily and rarely reboot or shutdown the Air so when it happned i just assumed it to be an bug in Mavericks. I have reverted (fresh install and TM) back to ML 2 times (and both times i stayed on ML for approx. 2 months) since Mavericks came out and this never happened there.
On ML i never had this with my 2013 13" i7 MBA. With Mavericks.. It did not happen often. Maybe 1-2 times a month and simply logging out and logging back in resolved it every time.
With that said, i'm on Mavericks and have not seen this issue for 2 months atleast and counting.
I use the Air daily and rarely reboot or shutdown the Air so when it happned i just assumed it to be an bug in Mavericks. I have reverted (fresh install and TM) back to ML 2 times (and both times i stayed on ML for approx. 2 months) since Mavericks came out and this never happened there.
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Unfortunately the bug has not been fixed yet in Yosemite cause I have seen it a few times. I have reported it in the Feedback Assistant, hopefully if it is a bug it will be fixed cause it sure is annoying.
I can't fathom how you think they owe you a Pro! Just very hard to believe, but then again, I read you other post.
You really don't get it, do you? They will give you back your money. That puts you back to the point you were at before you bought the MBA. You can then spend that money on whatever you want. And as compensation for the "inconvenience" you've encountered…. you had the use of the MBA for all this time at no cost.
I think the established facts here pretty much make it clear the issue probably isn't hardware
1. You've exchanged the hardware multiple times. You then returned and the bought a different model of MacBook Air.
2. You are are quite literally the ONLY person reporting this issue, let alone one that is so consistent across multiple MBAs and different models of MBA.
Applying Occam's Razor: It's time to stop looking for a from-the-factory hardware issue, and start looking at other causes. It could be a piece of software your using, or an interaction of different software packages. It could be an issue unique to the environment you use your computer in. Or it could be something in how the Macs have been transported, handled, or used.
I'm going to guess that even if Apple bent over backwards and gave you what you wanted, or even if you just went and bought a MacBook Pro at full price on your own, the chances are pretty good that unless you find the real cause, the same thing will happen again.
What do you mean "from what I have seen"?
YOU are the ONLY who sees this defect. It is you and only you.
Do a quick search on the web for "macbook air 2013 horizontal lines". there is a discussion on Apple's forums where tons of people have the same issue. It is not only me.
I know, it is really annoying. I believe I have seen the lines also on this 2014 Air, and I know believe it is an OS glitch, as both Airs and retina Pros seem to have the line issue.
Yep, I have my 13" rMBP since January 2014, and I get these lines once a week or so. Haven't bothered me much since it is so so rare and for maybe 3-4 seconds. Annoying yes, but I can live with it rather than going through all the troubles of getting it repaired or replaced.
Interestingly on my dad's 2012 MBA, I have never seen these lines, though it has a horrible yellowish (warm) tinge to it's screen.
Well that pretty much confirms that this is an OS glitch, or a glitch with the laptops Apple is currently making. Quite weird, but glad to know I didn't get a Pro cause it has the same issue; I imagine some iMacs have this as well, or even Mac minis or Mac Pros.
Are you two brothers?
Because only one person in the world can have this problem right?
Add me to the list.. Macbook Air 11' I5 4Gb 2014.
I have read in a few places that this seems to be triggered by changing or cycling through wallpapers. This could be true for me seeing as I have only seen the issue immediately after doing exactly that.
Time will tell.
G
maybe the people reporting the issue can post the name of the software that's running on their macs to see if they have any software in common which might be causing the lines?
i have a 2014 and 2012 air and have never seen the lines before.
i have a 2014 and 2012 air and have never seen the lines before.