Apple Releases Firmware Updates for Notebooks, Keyboard, and iMac

[iCeFuSiOn]

Only if you feel absolutely desperate and extremely brave:
-download the updater from apple (http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macbookproefifirmwareupdate15.html)
-open disk image, copy the installer somewhere
-right click on the installer, choose "show package contents"
-navigate to Contents/MacbookProFirmwareUpdate.dist
-open with some text editor
-find "function hasValidEFI()" and get rid of the body of the function leaving only "return true"

save, close, startup the updater - voila! it wont tell you that you dont need it.

I updated my firmware last time to EFI 1.3 (MBP31.0070.B05) I wanted to update today... but... at the end I didn't have guts to proceed ...

If you test the workaround I posted there is absolutely no guarantee that it will work and if your MBP explode or die or bite your head off please dont blame me. But please let me know if you tried and it worked.

About to try it now, for those interested here is another hasValidEFI list:

function hasValidEFI()
{
var obj = system.ioregistry.fromPath("IODeviceTree:/rom@0");
if (obj) {
var property = obj.version;
if (property &&
(property == "MBP21.88Z.00A5.B01.0611031449") ||
(property == "MBP21.88Z.00A5.B02.0612151247") ||
(property == "MBP21.88Z.00A5.B07.0708131147") ||
(property == "MBP31.88Z.0070.B00.0705251924") ||
(property == "MBP31.88Z.0070.B02.0706181323") ||
(property == "MBP31.88Z.0070.B05.0709261143")) {{
return true;
}
}

return false;
}

 

[DaBrain]

I think the OS sends data to a certain chip into the keyboard which controls the keyboard itself. That chip has a firmware that can be updated.

Correct?

Sure is! When I just updated my aluminum wireless keybd, I watched the little tiny green LED right above the disc eject button flash away while data was being sent to the keybd.

Went flawlessly here. Thx Apple!

 

[iCeFuSiOn]

Only if you feel absolutely desperate and extremely brave:
-download the updater from apple (http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macbookproefifirmwareupdate15.html)
-open disk image, copy the installer somewhere
-right click on the installer, choose "show package contents"
-navigate to Contents/MacbookProFirmwareUpdate.dist
-open with some text editor
-find "function hasValidEFI()" and get rid of the body of the function leaving only "return true"

save, close, startup the updater - voila! it wont tell you that you dont need it.

I updated my firmware last time to EFI 1.3 (MBP31.0070.B05) I wanted to update today... but... at the end I didn't have guts to proceed ...

If you test the workaround I posted there is absolutely no guarantee that it will work and if your MBP explode or die or bite your head off please dont blame me. But please let me know if you tried and it worked.

No go -- "The MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update will not update over your current Firmware version of MBP31.88Z.0070.B05.0709261143."

 

[James17]

The keyboard update does but I dont think the EFI update does. Atleast it didn't for me.

Both updates ran automatically from Software Update on my iMac. Safari feels faster for some reason.

 

[macdim]

Does this fix the kernel panic on SR MacBooks with 4 GB RAM watching a DVD? I've tried to re-create the problem, but it doesn't always happen anyway...

 

[Mindflux]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102 Safari/419.3)

The keyboard update does but I dont think the EFI update does. Atleast it didn't for me.

Both updates ran automatically from Software Update on my iMac. Safari feels faster for some reason.

weird. Not here just the kb update ran on its own on both iMac I updated.

 

[Macintosh Man]

This update isn't just for MacBook Pros, it's also for MacBooks as I've just received it. My keyboard does feel a bit snappier and more responsive. Good job Apple.

 

[macdim]

Scratch that... JUST got a kernel panic trying to play a DVD in Front Row.

 

[DaBrain]

Just ran update on Black MacBook 2.2 SR! As in usual Apple fashion it went flawlessly! TY Apple! Now I have had my update fix for the day.

Now awaiting 10.5.3--))

 

[KingYaba]

That update got my fans spinning at high rpms.

 

[jstad]

Update went flawless on my iMac 24". As others have stated, everything is snappier and quicker than previously with Leopard.

The bigger news is my 17" Macbook Pro 2.33GHz is no longer experiencing the blue fuzz problem that was around with EFI 1.3 & 1.4. Too bad I just sold the unit on eBay But here comes my SR Black Book

 

[Kar98]

Allow me to be the first to ask, what will be the anticipated snappy-ness factor??

Tttthhheeee kkkkeeeeyyybboooaarrdd iiisss mmmmuuucccchhhh ssssnnnaaappppppiiieeeerr nnnnnooowwww!!!¡

 

[Xavier]

i downloaded it but it wont install for whatever reason

 

[fivepoint]

I think the instructions for this update are really going to trip a few of the 'average' mac users up. It is fairly complicated, and people like my parents for example, might have trouble with this.

I haven't seen as complex of an update as this from Apple before.

 

[Dany M]

Is it really that hard?

Shut down, hold power button until long buzz then let go and let the mac do it's thing.

 

[hotsauce]

Macbook SR 2.2, 4GB, Leopard here, got the update, installed fine. Not sure what it does. It's weird that some people didn't get it.

Same here. I bought my MBP 2.4 last week. How do we check what our firmware version is again?

My specs:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro4,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP41.00C1.B03
SMC Version: 1.27f1

 

[subwarm]

I can officially confirm that this firmware update fixes the problem of not seeing a FAT32 Windows partition by holding Option key at startup time (previously would only show Mac drive but not Boot Camp installation).

Thank you Apple, this bug really annoyed the hell out of me!

Reference: http://discussions.apple.com/search...last90days&userID=&numResults=15&rankBy=10001

 

[brop52]

Worked fine on my iMac. It should open up after running software update but it just saves in utilities. I think a lot of people won't know it wasn't actually updated.

 

[jimsoff]

I love how part of the directions from apples official website says

"Hold down the power button until the power indicator light flashes, then release it. A long tone will be heard, then a gray screen with an Apple logo appears. There is a progress bar under the logo. As the progress bar moves, your firmware is being updated."

Really, because last time I checked my aluminum imac didn't have a power indicator light.

 

[NewSc2]

MBP Core2Duo (Merom) 2.16ghz 15"

No update for me yet, and I have the Bluetooth Wireless Aluminum keyboard too.

 

[moloukhya]

Update showed up in Software Update and ran flawlessly.
- 15" MBP 2.2 SR w/4GB RAM

 

[twig]

I love how part of the directions from apples official website says

"Hold down the power button until the power indicator light flashes, then release it. A long tone will be heard, then a gray screen with an Apple logo appears. There is a progress bar under the logo. As the progress bar moves, your firmware is being updated."

Really, because last time I checked my aluminum imac didn't have a power indicator light.

I wondered about that too, but when I actually ran the update the instructions said "Hold the power button until the long tone is heard..."

 

[wakerider017]

I got the update...

 

[dXTC]

Just updated my 20" aluminum iMac with wired Al keyboard. Software Update showed both, and I let it do its thing, holding the power button when indicated. Frankly, it's a LOT more streamlined than some BIOS updates on Windows PCs.

I can't really say anything yet about keyboard responsiveness or boot time, but I'm not having any noticeable problems. Then again, I really didn't have any problems before. I didn't even lose my backgrounds after the update, like diehldun did.

Anyway, perhaps hid send some 10.5.3 prep code with the EFI firmware, as mentioned earlier. Hopefully we'll soon see...

 

[3D-Troll]

Finally

the EFI update fixed the issue I had with running Bootcamp on my MBP. After the last update (1.4) the gradients were all messed up. Now everything as it should. Thanks Apple.

Steffen