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Apple Preparing Fix for Sleep/Wake Crashes in 2013 MacBook Airs
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Is this problem related to the one where the sound disappears on MBA 2013 after sleep/wake?
I have seen several posts on various Mac forums talking about the loss of sound problem on MBAs, but no real solutions. It doesn't happen too often, but often enough for it to be really annoying! The only way to get the sound back is to restart the MBA.
I hope the announced fix will take care of the loss of sound problem too - otherwise I think I will get rid of the MBA I bought last summer.
I have seen several posts on various Mac forums talking about the loss of sound problem on MBAs, but no real solutions. It doesn't happen too often, but often enough for it to be really annoying! The only way to get the sound back is to restart the MBA.
I hope the announced fix will take care of the loss of sound problem too - otherwise I think I will get rid of the MBA I bought last summer.
After 5 years of being a Mac user, I convinced my wife to get a MacBook Air for her Nursing School work when her Sony Vaio died. I bought her a 2013 Air i5 w/ 256G SSD. As soon as she started using it at school, she was struck with the BSOD (Black Screen Of Death) and lost a lot of the work she was doing. It happened daily, and she let me know what she thought of this "wonderful Apple." I ended up installing Caffeine on her machine to keep it from sleeping in her classes. She still picks at me saying "I thought Macs were better than Windows....", so I REALLY hope this gets the problem solved... If not, I may have to kill her!
Good that this finally is getting fixed!
I agree. And apparently so does Apple, because it seems they've changed the behavior in OS X 10.9.2:
-new: tap or hold less than 0.5 seconds: nothing happens
-hold for 0.5 to 1.5 seconds: immediate sleep
-hold for 1.5 to 4 seconds: dialog Restart/Sleep/Cancel/Shut Down
-hold for 4 or more seconds: hard power down
Just like previously you can still bring up the ”Restart, Sleep, Cancel, and Shut Down” dialog by pressing ”ctrl power-button”.
Are you running OS X 10.9. or 10.9.1 on them? Because if you're on 10.8 Mountain Lion the problem doesn't seem to happen.
What happens when you quickly press and let go of the power-button? Does the screen go black (i.e. computer sleeps) or do you get the dialog with options? If the latter you're on 10.8.
Anyway, the nasty thing with this error is it happens also if trying to wake by pressing any key (not just the trackpad). The error is triggered if attempting to wake the computer being ”in the middle” of its way to go to sleep, so pressing power and then any keys directly after in an attempt to wake will trigger it, if not the first time after a few. One can also use ”cmd alt power-button” to sleep the computer and then press random keys (or the trackpad) in an attempt to wake it.
Again – glad it seems to get a fix soon!
I agree. And apparently so does Apple, because it seems they've changed the behavior in OS X 10.9.2:
-new: tap or hold less than 0.5 seconds: nothing happens
-hold for 0.5 to 1.5 seconds: immediate sleep
-hold for 1.5 to 4 seconds: dialog Restart/Sleep/Cancel/Shut Down
-hold for 4 or more seconds: hard power down
Just like previously you can still bring up the ”Restart, Sleep, Cancel, and Shut Down” dialog by pressing ”ctrl power-button”.
Are you running OS X 10.9. or 10.9.1 on them? Because if you're on 10.8 Mountain Lion the problem doesn't seem to happen.
What happens when you quickly press and let go of the power-button? Does the screen go black (i.e. computer sleeps) or do you get the dialog with options? If the latter you're on 10.8.
Anyway, the nasty thing with this error is it happens also if trying to wake by pressing any key (not just the trackpad). The error is triggered if attempting to wake the computer being ”in the middle” of its way to go to sleep, so pressing power and then any keys directly after in an attempt to wake will trigger it, if not the first time after a few. One can also use ”cmd alt power-button” to sleep the computer and then press random keys (or the trackpad) in an attempt to wake it.
Again – glad it seems to get a fix soon!
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The power button function is made to be almost like iOS devices where you have to press and hold for a couple of seconds to get the options to sleep, shutdown, etc. The one difference between the function of iOS devices and this one is that when you click the power button once, it doesn't shut-off the display. So, simply pressing the button without hold doesn't do anything now. For that, the same old 3-button combo is to be used. Apparently, a lot of users have complained that since the power button is placed on the keyboard, they have been accidentally hitting it instead of the delete key causing the machines to goto sleep when not expected. So, I guess thats apple's fix for that issue as well.
Actually, the issue does happen on 10.8 when you are using the 2013 macbook airs. Its a hardware issue and what apple is doing is that they are basically avoiding a recall by implementing a "fix" in the OSX which just prevents the user from triggering the issue. The reason I say its a hardware issue is because I have a 2011 macbook pro in addition to the 2013 macbook air and even with OSX 10.9.1 installed, I simply can't reproduce this issue in it. If its really just the issue with OSX, then every mac having Mavericks installed should have the the problem. And here I am getting the issue when I tried putting mountain lion in the macbook air too.
Nothing happens. The dialog with options come with you press and hold for a few seconds.
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Nope. apparently most users don't really experience the sound problem and everybody has the BSOD. So, it shouldn't be related. Btw, I heard that apple is replacing the logic board for those who have the sound problem(under warranty)
So, pressing power-button (so the computer görs to sleep) and then immediately pressing any key in an attempt to wake it works without problems? Even after a few tries?
Interesting. All I can say is that with the MacBook Air I experimented with I wasn't able to reproduce on 10.8 even after at least 10 attempts of sleeping the computer (pressing "cmd option/alt power-button) and then immediately press random keys to wake. Then I started up the computer from a clean install of 10.9.1 and did the same procedures. After just two or three tries I got the black screen.
Happens to me as well with:
- 2012 MBA
- OS X 10.8.5 Mountain Lion
- very short sleep period, or even just the display off
It happened to me several times during the TimeMachine backup when just the display went off after the configured idle period (so not even a sleep mode) after which the display remained black no matter what I did.
At one occasion the computer didn't even regularly boot after the forced restart so I had to boot to the recovery mode and repair the boot disk.
It also happened when it went to sleep (briefly closed lid due to moving between places) and I woke it quickly.
It seems that it's related to very short sleep/display off periods (perhaps less than a minute or so). If I let it sleep for longer then it doesn't seem to happen.
- 2012 MBA
- OS X 10.8.5 Mountain Lion
- very short sleep period, or even just the display off
It happened to me several times during the TimeMachine backup when just the display went off after the configured idle period (so not even a sleep mode) after which the display remained black no matter what I did.
At one occasion the computer didn't even regularly boot after the forced restart so I had to boot to the recovery mode and repair the boot disk.
It also happened when it went to sleep (briefly closed lid due to moving between places) and I woke it quickly.
It seems that it's related to very short sleep/display off periods (perhaps less than a minute or so). If I let it sleep for longer then it doesn't seem to happen.
Repair the problem with a restart?Last time I heard stuff like that I used a PC with Windows back in 2000. Then I purchased a Mac and that was it. It just worked...
Sorry to hear that people are having problems with their MBAs. Stuff like that can drive you mad and make you question the "It just works" slogan. Oh wait... It's just a slogan. So I'll crash now and go to sleep. It's kind of human. Apple just got the sequence wrong.
Back in the day "it just works" was the real deal. Now not so much. I haven't heard the it just works from Apple, just us old timers tripping down memory lane.
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turn off power nap
My new rMBP 13" would reset each morning and sometimes after leaving it for a couple hours. It would be open connected to external monitor, so I don't think the hinge has anything to do with it.
I've resolved the crashing by turning off power nap. Shame not to see any mention of power nap in the issue log...
My new rMBP 13" would reset each morning and sometimes after leaving it for a couple hours. It would be open connected to external monitor, so I don't think the hinge has anything to do with it.
I've resolved the crashing by turning off power nap. Shame not to see any mention of power nap in the issue log...
I was working on this for my father-in-law today...frustrating issue for sure.
I fiddled with some of the sleep and hibernate settings in the Terminal to see if I could either replicate or fix the problem. I don't know if I was able to cure it by changing a couple very specific parameters (this is an intermittent issue on his Air) but I was able to freeze it on command.
Was pretty simple - in the terminal I just used a sleep now command, then attempted to "intercept" the sleep (or wake it up I guess you could say) by touching the spacebar as the system started to sleep. Trying to wake it just as the keyboard lights went out would freeze it every time. The backlight and keyboard would light back up but the screen would stay blank and a hard reset was the only way to get back in.
Whether this has anything to do with the power button or a lid sensor I do not know...but I wasn't closing the lid or touching the power button in any way and could freeze it at will.
As much as I like Mavericks, I sure do see a lot of problems with it. Lazy icons, sleep issues, wireless connectivity issues, etc. - across the board, and having little or nothing to do with hardware. All of it since Mavericks.
I think that a lot of it relates to trying to make an OS as power-friendly as possible and the hardware not being able to keep up. Too many different hardware combos to try to smother their power use with software and drivers that try to make it all work on the knife-edge of power consumption.
Let's get this fixed, folks.
I fiddled with some of the sleep and hibernate settings in the Terminal to see if I could either replicate or fix the problem. I don't know if I was able to cure it by changing a couple very specific parameters (this is an intermittent issue on his Air) but I was able to freeze it on command.
Was pretty simple - in the terminal I just used a sleep now command, then attempted to "intercept" the sleep (or wake it up I guess you could say) by touching the spacebar as the system started to sleep. Trying to wake it just as the keyboard lights went out would freeze it every time. The backlight and keyboard would light back up but the screen would stay blank and a hard reset was the only way to get back in.
Whether this has anything to do with the power button or a lid sensor I do not know...but I wasn't closing the lid or touching the power button in any way and could freeze it at will.
As much as I like Mavericks, I sure do see a lot of problems with it. Lazy icons, sleep issues, wireless connectivity issues, etc. - across the board, and having little or nothing to do with hardware. All of it since Mavericks.
I think that a lot of it relates to trying to make an OS as power-friendly as possible and the hardware not being able to keep up. Too many different hardware combos to try to smother their power use with software and drivers that try to make it all work on the knife-edge of power consumption.
Let's get this fixed, folks.
How about helping all of the 2011-series MacBook Pro owners that have had hardware problems thanks to poor manufacturing quality?
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Since these problems are relatively new, some questions - including but not limited to - need to be asked:
1. when (or why) did they first break since they were quite reliable before
2. who in QC didn't test these issues
3. why are all of us paying customers doing the reporting, troubleshooting, and spelling out of these things for free and to a huge company that has BILLIONS, probably helped by cutting enough corners, offshoring jobs (which probably helped create these new poorly-written software problems), et cetera?
----------
Since these problems are relatively new, some questions - including but not limited to - need to be asked:
1. when (or why) did they first break since they were quite reliable before
2. who in QC didn't test these issues
3. why are all of us paying customers doing the reporting, troubleshooting, and spelling out of these things for free and to a huge company that has BILLIONS, probably helped by cutting enough corners, offshoring jobs (which probably helped create these new poorly-written software problems), et cetera?
All three of my Macs (2010 MP, 2012 MBP, 2012 mini) have intermittent problems waking from sleep on the latest Mavericks.
I've got a Late '08 MB and a 2010 MBP that both have sleep wake issues. Not just soon after going to sleep. Hours, even days after it being asleep, when you wake it, no apps will respond, or its just a blank screen with a cursor.
Odd. I just realised when I read the OP that since Mavericks my mid 2011 13" Macbook Air is not doing it any longer. I've been plagued by this problem since December 2011 so although I can't swear that it hasn't happened I'm pretty sure that I haven't had the problem since upgrading to 10.9.
Nice.
I managed to reproduce the issue after 5 attempts. Furtunately, it has never happened to me before on the daily basis.
Yeah. It's probably a 50/50 for me whether I'll have to force restart my MBP or not after it's been asleep.