What is wrong with M5 Pro MacBook Pro and M5 Air?

[hajime]

When following the procedure to use “Erase All Content and Settings”, both machines reached the Activate Mac stage but a list of Wi-Fi routers are not shown on the top right. Shutting down the machine and press hold the power button does not help. Can’t activate the Mac, can’t get to erase disk, can’t reinstall MacOS. Some users had to bring their computer to an Apple store to have it fixed. Is this a hardware or software problem? Some suspect the new Wi-Fi 7 chip.

Some users have the machines replaced but same problem. Others just returned for a refund. Somebody said that all devices released this year with N1, including iPhone, have this problem.

Another screw up under greedy Tim.

 

[Basic75]

Why are you shouting?

 

[maflynn]

Are you asking an actual question or just dumping on the M5 Macs?

I googled it, and here's the link

https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/1rrr05u/brand_new_m5_air_stuck_on_activate_mac_screen

Also here's the pertinent information from the thread author:

*EDIT - SOLVED** I spoke to Apple and was told this is an issue that a lot of people have. The easiest solution was to use a USB-C to Ethernet connect direct to my router. The computer immediately found the connection and I was able to download Tahoe and boot up. Im leaving this post up in case anyone else has this issue.

I was running the Migration Assistant and cancelled it. I was then given the option to restart to return to out of box state. After restarting a black screen that says “Activate Mac - choose a WiFi” comes on. No networks are listed and the WiFi icon in the upper right is not there.

How is this a screw up under greedy tim as the person stated in the reddit thread he cancelled the MA and caused the issue himself?

While I will be the first to admit, the process should have worked, the work around is easy and is in no way related to a hardware failure, since the wifi is working. More likely a bug in the activation process.

 

[hajime]

Are you asking an actual question or just dumping on the M5 Macs?

I googled it, and here's the link

https://www.reddit.com/r/applehelp/comments/1rrr05u/brand_new_m5_air_stuck_on_activate_mac_screen

Also here's the pertinent information from the thread author:



How is this a screw up under greedy tim as the person stated in the reddit thread he cancelled the MA and caused the issue himself?

While I will be the first to admit, the process should have worked, the work around is easy and is in no way related to a hardware failure, since the wifi is working. More likely a bug in the activation process.

Wasted an hour to go to three local stores but none of them have that adapter. There are also reports that it doesn’t work for everybody.

I will return them but hesitate to buy again because we don’t know if Apple will fix this problem and when.

From what I experience, not just Air but also Pro. Some said that also iPhone with N1 chip.

Today I will go to an Apple store far away from home. Most likely and as usual they will say that they have never heard of any problem with their products.

 

[maflynn]

Wasted an hour to go to three local stores but none of them have that adapter. There are also reports that it doesn’t work for everybody.

Are you dealing with issue?

 

[hajime]

Went to an Apple store. The guy at the Genius Bar knew exactly the problem. He said that other customers have this problem as well. He also acknowledged that not only Mac released this month but also iPhones with the N1 chip have this problem. He offered me a full refund or exchange. He said it is a software issue which should be fixed in the next update. He ‘thinks’ it will happen in a week. I just told him that I would wait and see if the problem will be fixed before buying another one.

I told him that the color temperature on the Pro is better than the Air. He said that it is because the Pro has an OLED screen! He said that three times and I corrected him. He didn’t believe in me and checked the system settings. Then he said that he thought it were an OLED screen!

 

[hajime]

Why are you shouting?

No. For strange reason when I copied and pasted “Erase All Contents and Settings “ from an Apple webpage to MR via my phone, the large letters and bold font were preserved. Could not get it to normal size and unbolded.

 

[chown33]

No. For strange reason when I copied and pasted “Erase All Contents and Settings “ from an Apple webpage to MR via my phone, the large letters and bold font were preserved. Could not get it to normal size and unbolded.

I fixed it. The pasted text had a HEADING=1 tag. That attribute is under the editing icon that looks like a ¶ .

In future, you can Report a post and ask for mods to fix something, if you can't get it to work.

 

[hajime]

Thank you

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Are you dealing with issue?

I don’t think so. They have several threads going now at the same time, all with a very similar tone, all pointing out just very obscure bizarre issues…

When I had a Neo and an Air M5 15” side by side, regardless of the screen size, somehow the image and text qualities of the Neo seemed to be better. How come? Could it be that I was brainwashed by the cute colorful chassis and keyboard?

I have spent a day on the Neo. It is a very nice machine but 8GB RAM is not sufficient for me. I am typing on it with maximum brightness while sitting by the windows. Sometimes the 500 nits screen is not bright enough. Does that mean if I go for the M5 Air 15", I will have the same problem giving that they both have maximum brightness of 500 nits?

Some people are concerned about burn in of the tandem OLED screen. I don’t remember the details, Apple either not provides software update or hardware fix after 5 years. So we need to replace the computer 5 years later. So if it takes 5 years for burn in to show up, then perhaps we don’t need to worry about it? If burn in is an issue in less than 5 years, I am concerned that the trade-in of such redesigned models be lower due to screen issue.

I have tried the M5 Air 15” for two days. So far so good except that during software installation, it got warm.

I used to use Macbook Pro 17”, 16” and retina 15” as my main machine. They had fans so I didn’t notice the heat. This is my first time to use the fan-less Air 15” as main machine. I wonder if I will have heat issue overtime after the return period.

Prior to Silicon Mac, I used to have 1TB in all the Intel MacBook Pro I owned. Half assigned to macOS and half assigned to Windows. When using the latest Intel Mac, I told myself to get an Internal 2TB in the next purchase.

Then Silicon Mac came out. It is expensive to upgrade to an internal SSD to 2TB. When MacMini M4 came out, most recommended upgrading the RAM rather than SSD since the RAM cannot be added. I can imagine that it could be OK to do that on a desktop machine but for laptop, it may be inconvenient to carry an external drive all the time. Also, the situation has changed since prices for SSD have doubled in recent months making it more expensive and impractical to get an external 2-4TB drive or NAS. I might be able to repurpose spared 1TB SSD drive if needed. I also have a spare slower 6TB hard drive which could be repurposed.

I only run one Windows VM at a time. Initial tests showed that at least for now, 16GB RAM is sufficient. Don’t know about the near future. Most likely I will trade-in for a higher specs redesign model when it is released. So the Air is for a few months use but if Apple screws up the redesign, I may continue to use this M5 Air for a few years.

What is the best way to do if I get a new M5 Air? Is it better to upgrade to 1TB even the trade in value for such upgrade might be zero? Again half for MacOS and half for Windows VM.

…and all of this within the last two weeks.
Confused? Yeah, me too…

Somehow, we’ve gone from Intel MacBook Pros that never had heating issues to being upset because the M5 MacBook Air gets warm to buying a MacBook Neo despite admitting needing at least 16 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage to the Neo display looking better than the MacBook Air to it being too dark compared to the MacBook Air to now talking about the tandem OLED MacBook Pro that doesn’t even exist and is going to at least be 4X as expensive as the Neo to having Wi-Fi issues and gift card issues and needing a Windows virtual machine… What is even going on here?

 

[Non-Euclidean]

Are you dealing with issue?

I don’t think he is dealing with anything yet.

 

[gilby101]

I just told him that I would wait and see if the problem will be fixed before buying another one.

Have you tried the workaround found by @maflynn (post #3)? If not, try it and let people know if it worked for you.

He said it is a software issue which should be fixed in the next update.

You may need the workaround to get any new version of macOS.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

My M5 Air hard a hard time connecting to my wi-fi when I first turned it on. I quickly grabbed a usb-c hub with ethernet and it worked right away.

I thought it was my home wifi acting up, but it sounds like a Tahoe bug. No Wi-Fi issues since.

Have you tried the workaround found by @maflynn (post #3)? If not, try it and let people know if it worked for you.

You may need the workaround to get any new version of macOS.

For M5 Macbooks currently out, sure, but new machines will come with the update already installed.

 

[Alameda]

Mine activated via WiFi without issues.

 

[hajime]

Have you tried the workaround found by @maflynn (post #3)? If not, try it and let people know if it worked for you.

You may need the workaround to get any new version of macOS.

I could not find the Ethernet adaptor in four local stores. Then I took both machines to Apple and the Genius guy used such adaptor to get both machines out of the loop. He said that this is not supposed to happen but Apple screwed up. He also admitted that the QC of software has been dropping year by year.

From what I read, some users are not happy that after spending on the machine, they need to buy an adaptor to get this fixed at home. Perhaps Apple has less incentive to fix this as this increases sells of the adapter and brings more profits.

 

[hajime]

My M5 Air hard a hard time connecting to my wi-fi when I first turned it on. I quickly grabbed a usb-c hub with ethernet and it worked right away.

I thought it was my home wifi acting up, but it sounds like a Tahoe bug. No Wi-Fi issues since.



For M5 Macbooks currently out, sure, but new machines will come with the update already installed.

Not only M5 Air but also M5 Pro and iPhone with N1 chip have this problem.

When will new machines be out with the update already installed? The Genius guy thinks that an update will be out in a week but who knows... As far as I know, Apple still has not fixed the Mac not remembering settings of multiple monitors of the same model and reduced resolutions on M4 Mac when ultrawide monitor is used.

My work PC is dying. It has video and audio issues. Now that I have decided on the Air and Apple under greedy Tim created this bug. Since we don't know if Apple will fix this and when, I am having a hard time to decide when to buy again. Some users had their machines replaced but same problem.

 

[hajime]

Mine activated via WiFi without issues.

Under what situation were you required to activate your Mac? The Genius guy told me that the problem only happens when people are trying to do a factory reset. However, people also have this problem when trying to perform a migration on a new Mac with the N1 chip.

He also said the M5 Pro MacBook Pro 16" has an OLED screen three times but that is not true.

 

[Alameda]

Under what situation were you required to activate your Mac? The Genius guy told me that the problem only happens when people are trying to do a factory reset. However, people also have this problem when trying to perform a migration on a new Mac with the N1 chip.

He also said the M5 Pro MacBook Pro 16" has an OLED screen three times but that is not true.

I bought a new Mac. It booted. It connected to WiFi and I set it up using my iCloud. If that did not "activate" it then I don't know what to say.

I guess what you're saying is that Activation works fine but it does not work if you de-activate the Mac, Erase All Content and Settings, and try to set it up a second time? I have not tried that.

 

[bursthead]

Literally had to deal with this yesterday with my m5 Macbook Pro. I spent 30 mins doing everything recommended online. Hard Reset, SMC and multiple hard Shutdowns. Fortunately i have a type C hub from work with ethernet. Had to connect and boom it was activated immediately.

 

[hajime]

I bought a new Mac. It booted. It connected to WiFi and I set it up using my iCloud. If that did not "activate" it then I don't know what to say.

I guess what you're saying is that Activation works fine but it does not work if you de-activate the Mac, Erase All Content and Settings, and try to set it up a second time? I have not tried that.

I don't know about others but I don't consider it as "activate". It is just an initial setup process.

I mean the screen with "Activate Mac" in the middle as shown in this thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookair/comments/1rv08ik/help_with_macbook_air_m5_latest_version

 

[MacCheetah3]

When following the procedure to use “Erase All Content and Settings”, [...]

I mean the screen with "Activate Mac" in the middle as shown in this thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookair/comments/1rv08ik/help_with_macbook_air_m5_latest_version

The Genius guy told me that the problem only happens when people are trying to do a factory reset.

I am primarily wondering why you are going through the reset process (i.e., Erase All Content and Settings, Recovery mode) on new (i.e., recently launched) Macs. In other words, this immediately feels like a very outlier scenario that Apple should not reasonably expect (the vast majority of users to be doing).

 

[hajime]

I am primarily wondering why you are going through the reset process (i.e., Erase All Content and Settings, Recovery mode) on new (i.e., recently launched) Macs. In other words, this immediately feels like a very outlier scenario that Apple should not reasonably expect (the vast majority of users to be doing).

Did you read the reddit link you quoted? Even people trying to use Migration Assistant during the initial setup (which Apple should reasonably expect and is not a "very outlier scenario") have this problem.

 

[doogm]

macOS 26.4 is out right now - I wonder is this is the one that fixes it? My M5 Air is running just fine and I have no interest in testing it myself (though I do have a Belkin USB-C ethernet adapter, so I'd be fine).

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Went to an Apple store. The guy at the Genius Bar knew exactly the problem. He said that other customers have this problem as well. He also acknowledged that not only Mac released this month but also iPhones with the N1 chip have this problem. He offered me a full refund or exchange. He said it is a software issue which should be fixed in the next update. He ‘thinks’ it will happen in a week. I just told him that I would wait and see if the problem will be fixed before buying another one.

I told him that the color temperature on the Pro is better than the Air. He said that it is because the Pro has an OLED screen! He said that three times and I corrected him. He didn’t believe in me and checked the system settings. Then he said that he thought it were an OLED screen!

Of course the more expensive device has a better display. Why would you be surprised?

 

[MacCheetah3]

Did you read the reddit link you quoted? Even people trying to use Migration Assistant during the initial setup (which Apple should reasonably expect and is not a "very outlier scenario") have this problem.

I looked at the screenshot. And, while I may be mistaken, I’m confident enough that “Recovery Assistant” is not what’s displayed during initial setup, even if you choose to migrate/transfer data.

EDIT:

I did more searching and the only instances I could dig up involve Recovery mode.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256265798?sortBy=rank

I bricked my new M5 MacBook Air

By “bricked” I mean that it is currently unusable. I hope that after I take it to the Genius Bar appointment in two days it will be working again. I ordered a 15” MBA the first day that they were available, and it arrived at my home yesterday. I thought it would be easy to set up: back up my...

talk.tidbits.com

Mac Recovery Assistant No WiFi (Activate Mac No WiFi) Fixed!

Recovery Assistant/Activate Mac no WiFi? Learn four proven ways to fix the 'Recovery Assistant no WiFi menu' issue.

iboysoft.com

Fix Missing Wi-Fi in Recovery Assistant After Resetting Your Mac

No Wi-Fi option in Recovery Assistant? Here’s a simple trick to bring it back and activate your Mac without needing cables.

www.junian.net

At this point… The TidBITS OP’s final words seem to be decent cautionary advice:

You might want to put off getting an M5 MBA, or if you do, don’t put yourself in a situation where you want to erase the Mac and start over.

P.S. iBoysoft had this notation for Solution 1:

Note: Some Mac's WiFi icon may be too transparent to be seen. Look for the WiFi menu carefully in the upper right corner and try to click it to see if it allows you to select a WiFi network.

I took a second look, more closely at the Reddit screenshot, and did not see even a faint, very light gray Wi-Fi icon. So, I don’t know if or how much weight this note holds.