Yes 10.8.3 is supposed to have a fix but I also read where a firmware update will also be released soon. Expect 10.8.3 around Jan/Feb. Hopefully these both pan out 🙂
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Random Black Screens
- Thread starter harvester32
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Yes 10.8.3 is supposed to have a fix but I also read where a firmware update will also be released soon. Expect 10.8.3 around Jan/Feb. Hopefully these both pan out 🙂
Fingers crossed, and hoping for sooner.
Not sure if it's my imagination, but over the last two weeks it seem to happen less frequently. Though I may just have stopped being alarmed by it. ;-)
So it seems that this is a major flaw in the whole 2012 Mac Mini series.
I can't believe that there's still no statement from Apple regarding this issue. In fact we all don't know if there will be a fix ever, we don't even know if it can be fixed by software.
That's really an unfortunate situation, given that there are just four weeks left until most of us can return the Mini during the xmas sales.
Very bad customer care i'd say.
I can't believe that there's still no statement from Apple regarding this issue. In fact we all don't know if there will be a fix ever, we don't even know if it can be fixed by software.
That's really an unfortunate situation, given that there are just four weeks left until most of us can return the Mini during the xmas sales.
Very bad customer care i'd say.
OldSchoolMacGuy
Suspended
Funny thing is, OldSchoolMacGuy, I remember you assuring others that this issue was only found on a small percentage of minis. Now you go after this guy's post as a 'rant'? After falsely claiming to know that this issue was contained to a small percentage of users, you should be ashamed of now acting like a know-it-all. Some nerve!
Actually neither you nor he knows what percentage of minis were effected. Only Apple knows that.
Issues that happen to a large percentage of any Apple product are widely reported in the news. I can think of a dozen off the top of my head. This black screen issue is not one of them. Also, the new Mini has been reviewed by a dozen web sites and news organizations. If the reviewers saw the problem, don't you think they would have written about it?
I think we can safely conclude that the problem happens to a small number of customers and I assume Apple is working on a fix. (Why wouldn't they be? Why would anyone think otherwise?)
They did! Most reviewers used the TB port which doesn't show the problem. Other reviewers like Ars Technica did mention this issue:
OldSchoolMacGuy
Suspended
Exactly. I haven't seen a single review mention this issue. Look at the Apple forums when there have been widespread issues. They have HUGE threads in days or hours. This isn't the case with the new mini.
It's not something widespread. We haven't seen media coverage. We haven't seen it reported on the front pages of MacRumors, Mac Observer, Macworld, Mac Life, etc. If it were a huge issue effecting most people, it would have been all over those places by now.
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So one site out of how many? That's not widespread. That's a single reviewer.
ActionableMango
macrumors G3
There are people in this very thread who have the problem on their TB port.
OldSchoolMacGuy
Suspended
There are some but very few. Seems those that are have been using a Thunderbolt to DVI adaptor also.
Oh my god, you must realize that this proves the OPPOSITE of your point, right?
Ars Technica just *wrote* about the problem in response to some reader e-mails. They *very explicitly* said that they didn't see the problem themselves.
Also, I'm not trying to make excuses for Apple, and of course all the ports on your new Mini should work flawlessly, but a Thunderbolt to DVI adapter costs less than $7 on Monoprice. Surely you can afford $7 as a stopgap solution if the TB works right as you claim?
I think for some people it's a bigger problem than others. I've had it happen two times since buying my Mini. It may have happened more, but I've attributed a lot of dark screens to display going to sleep.
EDIT: Though, just to be clear, having it happen at all is unacceptable in my eyes.
I didn't want to spring for a Thunderbolt->DVI adapter, but I'm seriously considering a second display, which will make it essential. Guess I'll make that connection my primary workspace 🙂
EDIT: Though, just to be clear, having it happen at all is unacceptable in my eyes.
I didn't want to spring for a Thunderbolt->DVI adapter, but I'm seriously considering a second display, which will make it essential. Guess I'll make that connection my primary workspace 🙂
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Rob.G
macrumors 6502a
I'm now getting the Black Screen of Death (since it's a full on crash for me) either every day or every other day now. It happened yesterday and it just happened again a few minutes ago. Both times I was watching a YouTube video, and the video was playing on the 27" TB display (in case that matters).
Also, every time I come home from work, I sit down at it, hit the shift key to bring the display out of Sleep, and turn on the 24" secondary monitor (since it's stupid and sits there flashing its power light all the time). Within the first ten minutes, the secondary screen goes black for about a second, and comes back. Then about an hour later, it goes snowy. This happens almost like clockwork.
I don't mind too much the issues on the secondary display, but the crashing is a big problem. I hope 10.8.3 comes out soon and fixes this. If not, I will be taking it back to Apple and politely suggesting what they can do with it.
Rob
Also, every time I come home from work, I sit down at it, hit the shift key to bring the display out of Sleep, and turn on the 24" secondary monitor (since it's stupid and sits there flashing its power light all the time). Within the first ten minutes, the secondary screen goes black for about a second, and comes back. Then about an hour later, it goes snowy. This happens almost like clockwork.
I don't mind too much the issues on the secondary display, but the crashing is a big problem. I hope 10.8.3 comes out soon and fixes this. If not, I will be taking it back to Apple and politely suggesting what they can do with it.
Rob
Sayer
macrumors 6502a
This is a problem related to HDMI and possibly DVI output (altho on my Mac mini I have Thunderbolt so maybe that works?) in the Intel chipset. Intel admitted as much and said it is up to vendors (Apple) to roll up a fixed driver and/or firmware.
Mac minis are not the only computer on the face of the earth with this problem as it happens with a variety of computers using Intel HD4xxx graphics including media PCs running Windows and hardware running Linux.
Apple cannot simply announce there is a problem, that there will be a fix or there won't be a fix due to the company being a publicly traded corporation. There are all kinds of laws that would kick in if Apple made any public notice of the issue, even if it's not Apple's fault other than using Intel chips. I am genuinely surprised there is no class action lawsuit yet on this matter.
The problem will get fixed, but as Intel just announced they found a fix for it, now Apple has to build the fix into the OS, do a full QA cycle and then plan a release for it (for existing Mac minis and any in the pipeline) during the biggest holiday season in the US when a lot of people planned on taking multi-week vacation time.
Note that I do have an affected Mac mini and it is annoying, but I am not calling up lawyers to SUE Apple!
Mac minis are not the only computer on the face of the earth with this problem as it happens with a variety of computers using Intel HD4xxx graphics including media PCs running Windows and hardware running Linux.
Apple cannot simply announce there is a problem, that there will be a fix or there won't be a fix due to the company being a publicly traded corporation. There are all kinds of laws that would kick in if Apple made any public notice of the issue, even if it's not Apple's fault other than using Intel chips. I am genuinely surprised there is no class action lawsuit yet on this matter.
The problem will get fixed, but as Intel just announced they found a fix for it, now Apple has to build the fix into the OS, do a full QA cycle and then plan a release for it (for existing Mac minis and any in the pipeline) during the biggest holiday season in the US when a lot of people planned on taking multi-week vacation time.
Note that I do have an affected Mac mini and it is annoying, but I am not calling up lawyers to SUE Apple!
Actually they only used their mini for a few hours a day. That's not how intermittent problems work. They could very easily have a defective mini and not even know it. Several people on the Apple site thought thier mini was good too, until they used them more.
Not all adapters work. Many people reported getting the adapters and STILL had issues. There is no 100% fix yet.
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These take several months to build. If it hasn't been solved by March then you will probably see one.
pollaxe
macrumors 6502
QFT. I was affected by the issue and it took eleven days' use before they started happening/I spotted them.
So the best way is to use a use an adapter on the miniDport and connect to whatever u want (eg. VGA, DVI)???
Yes, absolutely agree, but I'm just saying that with all the reviews of the Mini I've read, the black screen problem has been so "intermittent" that none of them have experienced it during the review period. So as bad as some people think the problem is, they must realize that the majority of people don't experience it, or at least don't experience it with enough frequency that it would make it past a few message board threads.
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Well put. It is no surprise to me that Apple doesn't have a public dialogue about these sorts of issues.
This is the main point here IMO.
I would like to know if after this issue mainfests, it starts happening more often, or does it happen agan after another 11 days?
Or is this completely random? or more noticeable once it starts?
And does it matter the monitor used? (I mean, imagine I'm using a Dell, or an LG, will it only happen with the LG and never with the Dell?)
(I just bought a Mini, no issue so far)
pollaxe
macrumors 6502
It does seem to be pretty random (or at least hard to say what causes the issue to manifest itself.) From reading through the threads, some people plug in and have issues immediately, others seem to get them later on and others don't seem to have them at all.
For me, once they started they became much more frequent and began to get worse. Black screens would usually clear themselves after a few seconds but then they became the snowy/static screens and cycling inputs/powering off the HDTV didn't clear them and I had to reboot. I returned my Mini (albeit with a heavy heart) on day thirteen and got a refund. My first couple of days were via DP to DVI and I didn't have any issues at all, then I ran the Mini on a Samsung HDTV for just over a week on HDMI and on day eleven, right out of the blue, the problem started.
I hope your Mini remains problem-free, anyway. 🙂
Seems problem persistent on HDMI. Would a clever workaround be DP - HDMI? If users really need a HDMI outout
pollaxe
macrumors 6502
Yes, in short, some people are doing that as a workaround, though some have still reported issues, I believe but (anecdotally at least) it seems fewer than when the onboard HDMI port (either directly or via an adapter) is used...
It wasn't an option for me as I needed the Thunderbolt port for other duties.
Edit: Mac..nificent has noted TB/DP to (adapter) users have also reported issues.
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