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Mainsail

macrumors 68020
Sep 19, 2010
2,355
3,158
Unfortunately based on anecdotal reading of forum posts, it seems like those of us that upgraded to the i5 are experiencing this problem more than those on the i3.

Is this because the i5 is harder on the cooling system?
 

JWreck

macrumors regular
Mar 23, 2016
193
104
Is this because the i5 is harder on the cooling system?

Thats my unscientific guess...I also haven’t read about what the cooling system actually looks like but I have heard it’s pretty minimal at best.
 

throAU

macrumors G3
Feb 13, 2012
8,974
7,146
Perth, Western Australia
Unfortunately based on anecdotal reading of forum posts, it seems like those of us that upgraded to the i5 are experiencing this problem more than those on the i3.

Could be because the i3 heatsink is definitely different from the i5/i7, and the i5/i7 one doesn't actually touch the CPU die out of the box :D

maybe the i3 one actually does.

the i5/i7 isn't that difficult to cool, they're still a sub 15 watt processor. just apple screwed up.
 
Last edited:

unoporfavor

macrumors 6502
Apr 19, 2020
309
214
Unfortunately based on anecdotal reading of forum posts, it seems like those of us that upgraded to the i5 are experiencing this problem more than those on the i3.
It could also be that those who bought the i5 or i7 are trying to do professional level work, thinking they could on the cheap. Realising their mistake, are now projecting blame other than where it should be
 
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JWreck

macrumors regular
Mar 23, 2016
193
104
It could also be that those who bought the i5 or i7 are trying to do professional level work, thinking they could on the cheap. Realising their mistake, are now projecting blame other than where it should be
The last handful of times I’ve used my MacBook Air it has been for web browsing and rearranging files. Same behavior. I generally use my 16” MBP for the light video editing I may do once a quarter.
 

ascender

macrumors 601
Dec 8, 2005
4,988
2,880
We recently bought two MacBook Airs, one was base and one was i5. The base config one has been absolutely flawless, but the i5 is starting to exhibit a few issues on a regular basis.

We've tried the usual resets and a clean install of macOS, so is there anything else we can try or is it time for a Genius Bar appointment?

  1. Occasionally won't wake-up when you open the lid without pushing the power button.
  2. Sound stops working, but comes back with a reboot.
  3. Black screens after being unplugged from an external LG screen.
  4. Occasional graphic corruption - either a very thin line across the middle of the screen, or a small rectangle at a random place.
Any ideas?!
 

segfaultdotorg

macrumors 65816
Jan 25, 2007
1,139
1,387
I must be getting used to the light shift issue I was having earlier. Popping is still an issue. Can't tell whether it's speakers or something loose in the case. It does it even with the speakers muted. Audio quality from such a thin notebook is outstanding--it projects extremely well and sounds like surround sound.
 

ghanwani

macrumors 601
Dec 8, 2008
4,644
5,833
I must be getting used to the light shift issue I was having earlier. Popping is still an issue. Can't tell whether it's speakers or something loose in the case. It does it even with the speakers muted. Audio quality from such a thin notebook is outstanding--it projects extremely well and sounds like surround sound.
Is this on an M1 or Intel? I occasionally hear popping sounds on my 2019, but it just started a few months ago. Maybe they are built like cars—as they age they develop rattles and squeaks.
 

segfaultdotorg

macrumors 65816
Jan 25, 2007
1,139
1,387
Is this on an M1 or Intel? I occasionally hear popping sounds on my 2019, but it just started a few months ago. Maybe they are built like cars—as they age they develop rattles and squeaks.
Early 2020 Intel. It replaced a base model 2011 Air--we had two of those in my family and they were still solid after nine years.
 
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milescortez

macrumors regular
May 30, 2010
117
41
I have a 4 month old MacBook air. Dead charging brick. I've tested different outlets, cords, computers....all tested and isolated. The problem is 1000% the charging brick---I'm tech savvy and can diagnose this all by myself! Typically this would be easy replacement---call apple and they send you a new one. NOPE! Called---asked to do it in 3rd party store 15 miles away b/c Apple Store is not taking appts or has no appts available. Went to support via Chat. I talked the guy into sending me one but they need a credit card auth (which I gave them). Apple used to be fantastic on hardware, software and support but I'm done. All 3 areas have gone into the toilet. I bought 3 Macbook airs in the last 4 months and I have to go through THIS to get a new charging block to charge a $1500 brand new MBA. Shame on Apple and shame on the people that keep buying this overpriced garbage.
 

magbarn

macrumors 68030
Oct 25, 2008
2,970
2,274
I have a 4 month old MacBook air. Dead charging brick. I've tested different outlets, cords, computers....all tested and isolated. The problem is 1000% the charging brick---I'm tech savvy and can diagnose this all by myself! Typically this would be easy replacement---call apple and they send you a new one. NOPE! Called---asked to do it in 3rd party store 15 miles away b/c Apple Store is not taking appts or has no appts available. Went to support via Chat. I talked the guy into sending me one but they need a credit card auth (which I gave them). Apple used to be fantastic on hardware, software and support but I'm done. All 3 areas have gone into the toilet. I bought 3 Macbook airs in the last 4 months and I have to go through THIS to get a new charging block to charge a $1500 brand new MBA. Shame on Apple and shame on the people that keep buying this overpriced garbage.
That credit card auth is normal for the industry for cross shipping. Dead power adapters happened also in the MagSafe era and were even worse. You think other computer manufacturers aren't also subject to power supply failures? Always have a backup. 30 watt USB C charging bricks are cheap these days and the 3rd party guys like Anker/Ravpower have superior GaN smaller chargers...
 

roncron

macrumors 65816
Aug 15, 2011
1,131
2,193
I have a 4 month old MacBook air. Dead charging brick. I've tested different outlets, cords, computers....all tested and isolated. The problem is 1000% the charging brick---I'm tech savvy and can diagnose this all by myself! Typically this would be easy replacement---call apple and they send you a new one. NOPE! Called---asked to do it in 3rd party store 15 miles away b/c Apple Store is not taking appts or has no appts available. Went to support via Chat. I talked the guy into sending me one but they need a credit card auth (which I gave them). Apple used to be fantastic on hardware, software and support but I'm done. All 3 areas have gone into the toilet. I bought 3 Macbook airs in the last 4 months and I have to go through THIS to get a new charging block to charge a $1500 brand new MBA. Shame on Apple and shame on the people that keep buying this overpriced garbage.
Your frustration and anger about your charger-fail is certainly justified.

But I respectfully disagree with your assertion that Apple's hardware, software, and support have gone downhill. I've had much worse experiences with HP and Dell laptops and with Windows than I've ever had with Apple products, and generally very good experiences with Apple gear and support.

This is not to minimize your feeling upset. But I'm not sure you'd be better off switching to Windows. My sense is that MacBook Pros and Airs have a much longer usable life than most brands of Windows computers - and on eBay, 3-year-old MacBook Airs and Pros sell for a higher % of their purchase price than Windows laptops by HP, Dell, etc.

Your charger defect is Apple's fault and you shouldn't have to spend any of your own money to remedy the situation. That said, it might be worth buying a 3rd-party charger from a reputable manufacturer like Anker, Aukey, or Ravpower. They're pretty affordable, the newer GAn models are smaller and less expensive than the OEM ones that come with MacBooks, and it's just handy to have an extra charger to keep in your briefcase or travel bag.

In any event, good luck mate! Sorry this happened to you and hope it gets resolved soon!
 
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Jpoon

macrumors 6502a
Feb 26, 2008
551
37
Your frustration and anger about your charger-fail is certainly justified.

But I respectfully disagree with your assertion that Apple's hardware, software, and support have gone downhill. I've had much worse experiences with HP and Dell laptops and with Windows than I've ever had with Apple products, and generally very good experiences with Apple gear and support.

This is not to minimize your feeling upset. But I'm not sure you'd be better off switching to Windows. My sense is that MacBook Pros and Airs have a much longer usable life than most brands of Windows computers - and on eBay, 3-year-old MacBook Airs and Pros sell for a higher % of their purchase price than Windows laptops by HP, Dell, etc.

Your charger defect is Apple's fault and you shouldn't have to spend any of your own money to remedy the situation. That said, it might be worth buying a 3rd-party charger from a reputable manufacturer like Anker, Aukey, or Ravpower. They're pretty affordable, the newer GAn models are smaller and less expensive than the OEM ones that come with MacBooks, and it's just handy to have an extra charger to keep in your briefcase or travel bag.

In any event, good luck mate! Sorry this happened to you and hope it gets resolved soon!
Yeah that's no fun. I hope @milescortez concerns are all attended towards soon by Apple. I have had objectively worse experiences with other OEMs of laptops. Notably - HP, ASUS, Dell, Lenovo and Clevo. They all have just as many if not more opportunities compared with Apple. I speak from the perspective of a consumer, small business, and also from an Enterprise perspective day job wise.
 
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Capeto

macrumors 6502
Jul 9, 2015
480
1,075
I have an i5 2020 MBA I use for work, and I'm experiencing the following problem:

I use a Thunderbolt dock to connect my mouse and keyboard via USB, as well as 2 HDMI monitors. Often times, when putting the computer to sleep, the keyboard and mouse won't be recognized upon waking up - even if I unplug them and re-plug them, change the ports, or use an external USB hub to connect to the Thunderbolt dock. The only remedy is to open the lid and use the laptop's trackpad/keyboard to restart it. If I unplug the Thunderbolt dock after the KB/mouse are unresponsive but before restarting, the MBA tends to crash and reboot.

Still on Catalina, since Big Sur was not very kind on my personal-use 2015 MBP and I need the MBA for work. Does anyone know if this still happens in Catalina? I'm worried it might be a hardware issue, and I was having similar issues when I first got it back in April but I thought changing from a USB-C dock to a Thunderbolt dock had fixed it.
 
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