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M1 MacBook Air won’t power on

jdb8167 said:
Apparently there have been previous reports of Intel MacBook failures as well.
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That’s interesting. In addition to my M1 being bricked, my 2017 MacBook Pro was bricked just a few weeks ago too. Apple repair said it needed a new logic board.

I had just put it down to bad luck / coincide but can confirm I used the same usb hub on both with power lead going into the macs via the hub.

I declined the 900€ repair bill on the intel MBP but am now thinking they should be repairing this at their cost. 🤔

#BigSur #BrickSur
 
jasperj8 said:
I don't see why anyone will turn it off. So I presume it is on.
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I turned mine off. I charge my laptops very inconsistently, so when I plug it in, I want it charged fully. I don't want the machine to think that I won't be using it until tomorrow (and thus not charge fully) when I really intend to charge it and take it away.

I do have it turned on on my iPhone. That I put on the charger at bedtime and pick it up in the morning. The laptop is much more inconsistent.
 
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Thanks to everyone for your input. It helped me decide to cancel my order for an M1 MacBook Air due to this issue.

If the MBA doesn't die, I'd be constantly paranoid about plugging whatever into whatever into it "incorrectly" and making one "mistake" when focused on work. Especially since USB-C is the same form factor as Thunderbolt 3/4, it's like a minefield.

It was a $2000+ order for 8 core, 16GB and 2TB--way too much $ to risk.

There were two other issues that had already paused this purchase. 1) And maybe this is a related issue, since it has to do with the ports and power--you can't plug two bus-powered SDDs into the Thuderbolt ports at the same time because, despite the SSDs being ultra-efficient and the ports being on separate buses, the SSDs somehow take too much power together. 2) Making a bootable clone is difficult on M1s, and even then they're useless if the internal drive fails (a very good situation to use a bootable clone), because the internal is needed even when booting from an external drive.

I do still hope to buy an M1 Mac and I'll keep tabs on these issues/progress. But I'll stick to my old-timey "vintage" machine for a while.

[2/25/21 follow up] The Big Sur update that's directed at this issue came out today, but I'll hold off another few days from re-purchasing in case any info about the update's success comes out. There have been incidents with larger brands I'd expect would be USB-certified/compliant.
 

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I got my MBA almost a month ago and just experienced this failure yesterday. It went to sleep and wouldn't wake up. Reviving and restoring via Apple Configurator 2 didn't work so Apple has arranged for me to send it in. The error I got with Configurator was: "The System cannot be restored on this device. Gave up waiting for device to transition from DFU state to DFU state. [com.apple.MobileDevice.MobileRestore - 0xFA5 (4005)]"

In my case I have never used a USB-C hub with the computer. I have only ever charged it using the included Apple power adapter (and USB-C cable) plugged into my UPS. The only USB device I have ever plugged into the computer is a Seagate Backup Plus drive with a USB-C to Micro USB3 cable. The last time I used that was about two weeks ago. The computer was plugged in to power and fully charged at the time it went to forever sleep.

The only response I can get from the computer is when repeatedly tapping the touchpad as if clicking, about every 4th or 5th tap it will do a halfhearted haptic feedback. Most taps it doesn't.
 
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dcbl said:
I got my MBA almost a month ago and just experienced this failure yesterday. It went to sleep and wouldn't wake up. Reviving and restoring via Apple Configurator 2 didn't work so Apple has arranged for me to send it in. The error I got with Configurator was: "The System cannot be restored on this device. Gave up waiting for device to transition from DFU state to DFU state. [com.apple.MobileDevice.MobileRestore - 0xFA5 (4005)]"

In my case I have never used a USB-C hub with the computer. I have only ever charged it using the included Apple power adapter (and USB-C cable) plugged into my UPS. The only USB device I have ever plugged into the computer is a Seagate Backup Plus drive with a USB-C to Micro USB3 cable. The last time I used that was about two weeks ago. The computer was plugged in to power and fully charged at the time it went to forever sleep.

The only response I can get from the computer is when repeatedly tapping the touchpad as if clicking, about every 4th or 5th tap it will do a halfhearted haptic feedback. Most taps it doesn't.
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I think the problem you have faced is not the same with the problem people have faced here in these posts. As i know, if the logic board fries by using usb c hubs, you even cannot see the message (The System cannot be restored on this device. Gave up waiting for device to transition from DFU state to DFU state) or anything else.
 
dcbl said:
The only response I can get from the computer is when repeatedly tapping the touchpad as if clicking, about every 4th or 5th tap it will do a halfhearted haptic feedback. Most taps it doesn't.
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Thank you for posting and sorry to hear what you went through..
Clicking noise you describe does sound similar to what others reported.

Can I re-ask the question: was "optimized battery charging" on or off before the incident happened?

Also - which Big Sur version was on it?
 
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Alessandro D. said:
www.macrumors.com

Apple Releases macOS Big Sur 11.2.2 to Prevent MacBooks From Being Damaged by Third-Party Non-Compliant Docks

Apple today released macOS Big Sur 11.2.2, the fourth update to the macOS Big Sur operating system that launched in November. macOS Big Sur 11.2.2...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com

finally the update that will (hopefully) solve usb docks issues !!
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Fixed. :D

Haven't had an issue myself, but my primary docking is via Caldigit TS3+ which I'd assume would be compliant. Also sometimes use a third party hub from "Lention", but it's powered from a Lenovo USBC power adapter which I also would expect to be compliant.
 
and...hum...how do we know it works? We expect that it works if this post just dies?

Would be nice to understand what they did in terms of software update to solve a hardware issue...
 
called the repair shop i sent my macbook air to after seeing this, theyre still waiting on a new display to replace mine :confused:

i'm not sure if im going to trust this update still haha, no more charge via dock for me.
 
A little scary that a software bug can physically break a machine -- not just a firmware corruption bricking, but actual damage. But glad it's fixed.

Now I won't be afraid to use my 3rd party chargers which are known to otherwise be good from a year of charging my USB-C iPad Pro without incident.
 
Glad to know it is fixed and that Apple acknowledges the issue!

macOS Big Sur 11.2.2​

macOS Big Sur 11.2.2 prevents MacBook Pro (2019 or later) and MacBook Air (2020 or later) models from incurring damage when they are connected to certain third-party, non-compliant powered USB-C hubs and docks.
 
xraydoc said:
A little scary that a software bug can physically break a machine -- not just a firmware corruption bricking, but actual damage. But glad it's fixed.

Now I won't be afraid to use my 3rd party chargers which are known to otherwise be good from a year of charging my USB-C iPad Pro without incident.
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My guess is that perhaps those USB-C hubs caused some kind of threshold to be surpassed which in turn caused a software "breaker" or "flag" that prevented the machine from booting again. I understand that the battery itself has its own firmware. The issue could be there... The fix could be as "simple" as raising the threshold.. Who knows, but I'm not surprised it is a software issue or lets say, that it can be prevented with a software fix.
 
geejay9876 said:
Great news! I closed the PD port of my usb-c hub with superglue to avoid accidentally using it.

How do I get the superglue out again? Acetone? Does acetone damage the electronic circuit or cables of the hub?
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Tape would have done a better job ;-)
Not sure what'll happen with Acetone, in the worst case szenario you'll have to exchange the hub anyway.
 
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This is all so discouraging. My story.. This week I updated the OS on my 2 week old M1 Macbook pro, then proceeded to use it for a zoom conference using a dongle and second monitor. Right after I finished the zoom conference I shut down the second monitor and unplugged it from the dongle. I left the room and when I came back the computer was completely dead, no start up , nada. And this is my second M1, I received my first in January and had to return it when the camera stayed on.. even when the computer was powered down. I am so frustrated planning to return it but I love the machine and need it.. but the damn thing has to work. Not sure what to do next.
 
KRTC said:
This is all so discouraging. My story.. This week I updated the OS on my 2 week old M1 Macbook pro, then proceeded to use it for a zoom conference using a dongle and second monitor. Right after I finished the zoom conference I shut down the second monitor and unplugged it from the dongle. I left the room and when I came back the computer was completely dead, no start up , nada. And this is my second M1, I received my first in January and had to return it when the camera stayed on.. even when the computer was powered down. I am so frustrated planning to return it but I love the machine and need it.. but the damn thing has to work. Not sure what to do next.
Click to expand...
When you get the new M1 update straight to 11.2.2 and hope they really fixed it. I will let some weeks pass and watch this forum to see whether 11.2.2 really did the trick before I power through hubs or monitors. If you never power through a third device you should not experience this killer.
 
KRTC said:
This is all so discouraging. My story.. This week I updated the OS on my 2 week old M1 Macbook pro, then proceeded to use it for a zoom conference using a dongle and second monitor. Right after I finished the zoom conference I shut down the second monitor and unplugged it from the dongle. I left the room and when I came back the computer was completely dead, no start up , nada. And this is my second M1, I received my first in January and had to return it when the camera stayed on.. even when the computer was powered down. I am so frustrated planning to return it but I love the machine and need it.. but the damn thing has to work. Not sure what to do next.
Click to expand...
Was it updated to 11.2.2? If so, that is a problem. Apple's statement seemed overly specific referring to USB-C docks and not USB-C Power Delivery in general. This might just have been a technical oversight but it was weirdly specific.
 
jdb8167 said:
Was it updated to 11.2.2? If so, that is a problem. Apple's statement seemed overly specific referring to USB-C docks and not USB-C Power Delivery in general. This might just have been a technical oversight but it was weirdly specific.
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I doubt it, that update was published yesterday. Doesn't sound like it bricked since the release of 11.2.2, but shortly before that.
 
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KRTC said:
This is all so discouraging. My story.. This week I updated the OS on my 2 week old M1 Macbook pro, then proceeded to use it for a zoom conference using a dongle and second monitor. Right after I finished the zoom conference I shut down the second monitor and unplugged it from the dongle. I left the room and when I came back the computer was completely dead, no start up , nada. And this is my second M1, I received my first in January and had to return it when the camera stayed on.. even when the computer was powered down. I am so frustrated planning to return it but I love the machine and need it.. but the damn thing has to work. Not sure what to do next.
Click to expand...
What brand of dongle were you using?
 
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