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macOS Big Sur Update Bricking Some Older MacBook Pro Models

treaders said:
I just spoke an Apple senior advisor for the third time. This was after two Genius Bar visits and two Apple Support online chats. Apple's legal department has refused any compensation. The ~AU$1200 repair quotation is still applicable.

I am stunned.

I paid a premium price for Apple's product to avoid issues and to ensure reliability.

I am not disputing the fact that my MacBook Pro is approaching six years old. However, the MacBook was functioning prior to accepting Apple's System Preference > Software Upgrade notification, ensuring my MacBook satisfied the age requirement to upgrade to MacOS Big Sur and backing up my data. I am not aware of operating system upgrades destroying hardware before this issue.

So very disappointed in Apple. After encountering AirPods battery life issues earlier this year plus Apple Watch Bluetooth disconnection issues it's possibly too much for me.
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Might be worth trying to send tcook@apple.com an email about this issue. I'm going to keep trying from my end to get in touch with someone from Apple too. Bricking a fully functional laptop and then asking for $500+ in repairs / replacement is unacceptable.
 
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Tech198 said:
What a inconvenient..

Thanks to Apple having glued in the battery.. We went through this on iPhone with date change to 1970, but at least you could remove the battery on that for few minutes
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Late reply but, I think in this case it doesn't really matter that the battery can't easily be fully removed, as it's much easier than that (i.e. basically just involves screws) to temporarily disconnect it. Which has the same effect, since you don't need to replace it, just completely power down the circuit board temporarily.
 
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hackintoshi said:
Might be worth trying to send tcook@apple.com an email about this issue. I'm going to keep trying from my end to get in touch with someone from Apple too. Bricking a fully functional laptop and then asking for $500+ in repairs / replacement is unacceptable.
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If it was $500 for something a lot newer then might be reasonable, but for the same is not acceptable I agree
 
How long does anyone think it'll take for the much awaited macOS 11.0.2 to be released? Or perhaps it should be version 11.1 given the major overhaul required to get the macOS Big Sur installer to be stable for all the supported Macs?
 
thiskiwicanfly said:
How long does anyone think it'll take for the much awaited macOS 11.0.2 to be released? Or perhaps it should be version 11.1 given the major overhaul required to get the macOS Big Sur installer to be stable for all the supported Macs?
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I for myself will stay the **** away from Big Sur. I just replaced the IO Board myself and dont want to mess around with that piece of garbage installer again (maybe in a VM).
Very slow and poor communication from apple but I think thats what most from us expected. Big Sur upgrade will haben as soon as I update to an M1 Mac next year.
 
For anyone who's nervous about doing the Big Sur install... one suggestion is to call Apple support prior to doing the Big Sur update, and demonstrate that your Mac is working perfectly by requesting them to perform an online diagnostics test. Then ask them to stay on the line while you go ahead and update to Big Sur. If there's any issues after the install - then you have them right there on the phone and they have no choice but to admit it was caused by the software update!
 
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My Late 2013 13 inch MBP is now showing up to date on 10.15.7. It was asking me to install Big Sur before.

Apple definitely knows what's up and I am pretty certain will fix any bricked machines for free once the dust has settled, but that's not very helpful if you need a working machine right now.
 
piotr_sc said:
Hello I confirm today, I replaced the I / O board and everything works as it should. I used this link from ifixit:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBoo...Display+Late+2013+I-O+Board+Replacement/27284
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Hi, since you already replaced the I/O board. Is it possible to ask some electrical technician examining this board? Currently our suspicion is the upgrade process somehow damaged this board. But no one is have any proof the hardware is indeed burnt/fried/destroyed. It will be great if we can confirm this. I disconnected my I/O board and finished upgrade. Really wonder if the board is hardware damaged or maybe just software/firmware issue.
 
My 2014 MBP was bricked for days.... until I remembered to pull the flush-fitting, 128 GB Transcend JetDriver card from the card port on the right side. I forgot that was in there. Pulled it out and it booted right up.
 
@thiskiwicanfly what makes you think Apple will even fix the installer? If this is the same issues that existed with Catalina, as suggested, then its already had its first birthday. In that case I can see it lasting for subsequent releases as well.
 
@tommiy for the same reason that Apple released a new build (20B50) of macOS 11.0.1 which excluded MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013) and MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) models from the previous supported installation list, and then issued the following statement on Nov 19th.

If you can’t install macOS Big Sur on certain 13-inch MacBook Pro computers from 2013 and 2014 - Apple Support

Follow these steps if you can't install macOS Big Sur on a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013) or MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014).
support.apple.com support.apple.com

It does seems Apple can and "sometimes" does change the installer where necessary when they become aware of a major problem with their software updates.
 
SamSi said:
Hi, since you already replaced the I/O board. Is it possible to ask some electrical technician examining this board? Currently our suspicion is the upgrade process somehow damaged this board. But no one is have any proof the hardware is indeed burnt/fried/destroyed. It will be great if we can confirm this. I disconnected my I/O board and finished upgrade. Really wonder if the board is hardware damaged or maybe just software/firmware issue.
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the I / O board looks normal nothing is physically damaged, more a matter of the board firmware. Probably Apple can upload the right soft, I wonder why they haven't fixed it yet. I can send them my old I / O board for them to x-ray it if it helps with the problem. :))
 
Can someone explain how a software update from Apple can fry the I / O board?!
 
chucker23n1 said:
Because it includes firmware updates.
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But technically the 'I/O board' should still function normally?

Sorry I am not a computer science student but I am still amazed how a software/firmware update and break a hardware!

An update in Apple's firmware update for Big Sur should solve the issue isnt it?

So the only way to upgrade (before Apple implemented the block), is to remove the I/O board and run the update and pluck your I/O board back in?
 
@piotr_sc as per @thiskiwicanfly explanation, there simply isn't enough in it for them to gain by helping fix the problem for their customers. If they had addressed the problems back in Catalina then it would not have occurred by the looks. They did not fix it then. Have not fixed it now. I'd be really surprised in a year's time if we don't see it again. Apple's response is exactly the same for those MBP that got bricked with Catalina. The only difference here is that the fix is a lot cheaper.
 
5354 said:
But technically the 'I/O board' should still function normally?

Sorry I am not a computer science student but I am still amazed how a software/firmware update and break a hardware!

An update in Apple's firmware update for Big Sur should solve the issue isnt it?

So the only way to upgrade (before Apple implemented the block), is to remove the I/O board and run the update and pluck your I/O board back in?
Click to expand...

Firmware updates are a risky process. There are mitigations these days (for example, hardware may try to automatically reset itself to the previous version if it detects failure), but at the end of the day, you're flashing the ROM on a microcontroller. Things like interruptions to the power supply or errors in the firmware may permanently break the hardware.

At that point, it may still be possible to open up the device, bring the logic board into a special mode (such as by attaching a jumper) and reset the process.

Failing that, all you can really do is replace the entire logic board.
 
Zastanawiam się, czy zamurowane karty I / O można jakoś nadpisać, aby wróciły do prawidłowego działania
 
So what are your feedbacks? I don’t make the update on my MbP 16 inch 2019 because I’m a little be afraid.
 
5354 said:
Sorry I am not a computer science student but I am still amazed how a software/firmware update and break a hardware!
But technically the 'I/O board' should still function normally?
Click to expand...

There is not just one firmware in those laptops, several boards and controllers have their own firmware. Even the little board with the camera and LED at the top of the screen has its own firmware. If you interrupt a firmware update to one of these boards then it may cease to function.

5354 said:
So the only way to upgrade (before Apple implemented the block), is to remove the I/O board and run the update and pluck your I/O board back in?
Click to expand...

I believe the failures can also be prevented by not interrupting firmware updates, e.g. by impatiently power-cycling the machine. But that’s just my theory. I waited through an hour of blank screen, and in the end everything was fine.
 
After handing in my macbook pro 13" late 2013 this tuesday at my local apple store in Germany with the black screen issue and telling them that unplugging the I/O-board resolves the boot issue, they reproduced the solution and escalated my problem "to Cupertino/engineering". Today on friday I got a call, that they already ordered the replacement parts (I/O-board) and will fix the issue free of charge until the mid of next week. I hope this information is helpful.
 
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So they changed the I/O-board, installed Catalina and told me not to update again for now. Also the update is not available anymore through the system update function.
 
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