• On CHOW: Getting sloshed with the boss
June 23, 2009 8:39 AM PDT

Apple updates MacBook Pro firmware

by Jim Dalrymple
  • Font size
  • Print
  • 9 comments

Apple has released an update for its newest MacBook Pro notebooks introduced at its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month.

According to notes provided with Monday's MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 1.7, it allows drives to use transfer speeds greater than 1.5Gbps. Specifically, these drives are based on the SATA 3Gbps specification.

Apple does note that use of these drives is completely unsupported. The company has not qualified any of the drives for use and does not offer any of the drives itself.

The update and instructions for applying it are available from Apple's support Web site.

Jim Dalrymple has followed Apple and the Mac industry for the last 15 years, first as part of MacCentral and then in various positions at Macworld. Jim also writes about the professional audio market, examining the best ways to record music using a Macintosh. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. He currently runs The Loop. You can follow him on Twitter @jdalrymple.
Recent posts from Apple
Apple to buy Quattro Wireless for $275 million
Major Apple product announcement set for January 27
Apple pulls iPhone app that upset Hollywood
Ex-Googler Lee sees Apple tablet debut in January
Apple misses its mark on Windows 7 Boot Camp support
Report: Apple event to be held January 26
Apple wins appeal in earbud hearing-loss lawsuit
Aha! It's the iGuide, not iSlate--maybe
Add a Comment (Log in or register) (9 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
by ikramerica--2008 June 23, 2009 10:24 AM PDT
It's interesting that Apple responded to the complaints and issued a firmware update when they had no obligation to do so. They only ship SATA 1.5 compliant storage in the laptops (their SSDs are not the uber expensive type that would be slightly hindered by 1.5), and with no eSATA ports, there was no reason they had to do this. Customers choosing to upgrade their machines on their own (ex-warranty) are always hit with limitations on all products.

The complaints were from modders who were putting in the fastest Intel drives and seeing a "noticeable" slowdown, which in the real world of non-exaggeration translates to an UNnoticeable slowdown/placebo effect, and they were mad that the chip inside was capable of 3.0 but was not enabled. Some were mad because it limited upgrade options "down the road" as faster SSDs will eventually be cheap enough and large enough to make sense and you might actually notice the slight decrease in max throughput. Then again, anyone impacted by that kind of minor speed difference also won't be happy with a "slow" 2-year old laptop once the prices come down anyway, and would already have sold this MacBook Pro and moved on the next one.

So now it is enabled. The world can start spinning again.
Reply to this comment
by sanenazok June 23, 2009 11:14 AM PDT
Only with Apple would a hard drive change affect the warranty. Geez isn't 3G Sata like 4 years old?
by tipoo_ June 23, 2009 10:59 AM PDT
Well that was quick. Now people can start complaining about why Apple hasnt moved to SATA 6Gib/s yet ;-)
Reply to this comment
by dragonsky1 June 23, 2009 12:47 PM PDT
A hard drive replacement doesn't affect Apple's warranty. Trust me on this one. The replaced hard drive, however, will not be covered under the warranty, though the rest of the machine will be. I ran into this issue when my PowerMac G4 got fried in a power surge. Apple didn't cover any of my modded parts, but they eventually replaced the machine after CompUSA couldn't repair it. I even got some free software for all my trouble.
Reply to this comment
by DrtyDogg June 23, 2009 1:27 PM PDT
What happened to the "required" charge for updates to hardware, like the 802.11N debacle?
Reply to this comment
by CrashPad63 June 24, 2009 7:55 AM PDT
LMFAO, Apple drops the ball again. Not fixed, scratching their collective gords and cant figure it out.
Reply to this comment
by jcmark42 June 24, 2009 8:25 AM PDT
Does this firmware update benefit someone who just bought a new 13" MBP?
Reply to this comment
by tipoo_ June 24, 2009 8:27 AM PDT
Yes.
by jinx101a June 24, 2009 9:37 AM PDT
So is this what you get for all the extra cash? :P
Reply to this comment
(9 Comments)
  • prev
  • 1
  • next
advertisement

Five New Year's resolutions for Google

Stakes are high as Google attempts to maintain one of the Internet's greatest cash machines while pushing into new and risky markets.
• Android event set for Jan. 5

For eBay sellers, a holiday hamster hangover

The gift frenzy over Zhu Zhu Pets leaves some power sellers feeling like they've just run a marathon--but the steep price tags lead to some impressive profits.

About Apple

At the start of the 21st century, there's no tech outfit more influential than Apple. CNET News' Erica Ogg and other reporters will attempt to make sense of the rumors, hype, products, and people that will shape the future of the company. But Apple's not the only game in town, as the established cell phone companies and others strike back against the iPhone. E-mail Erica at erica.ogg@cnet.com.

Add this feed to your online news reader

Apple topics

advertisement
advertisement

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right