Apple fixes AirPort problems marring video playback on 27-inch iMacs

(Credit: CNET)

Last month we blogged about a bug marring Flash playback on the latest 27-inch Apple iMacs. Users on several Web sites, including the Apple Discussion Threads, noticed a problem with the Flash player that caused choppy audio and video playback, but it appears that the newest Mac OS X v10.6.2 update fixes the issue that was apparently caused by a conflict with the Airport driver.

According to Apple, the update "addresses video playback and performance issues for iMac (21.5-inch, late 2009) and iMac (27-inch, late 2009) computers that may occur in some situations while AirPort is turned on." Since our own 27-inch iMac also experienced slow Flash streaming and intermittent sound hiccups with the AirPort turned on, we downloaded the 10.6.2 update and left it to sleep overnight.

Prior to the update, the Flash Player consumed 114.4 percent of system resources, but 24 hours after the update we're happy to report 26.8 percent usage in the activity monitor and smooth performance across all popular streaming video Web sites like YouTube, Hulu, etc.

Much thanks to the Apple Forums and Apple itself for quickly addressing the needs of its community. If you haven't updated yet, simply choose Software Update from the Apple menu to install OS X v10.6.2.

[the_mortician]

Who would've guessed it was a problem in the new OS and not the time tested programs that exists on millions of computers from a major developer.

[meh100]

I've got news for you: flash player on Mac and especially on Linux SUCKS!! And that is Adobe's fault. It's not unusual for the Linux version of Flash Player to take up close to 100% of system resources, which no other video player does. Adobe's Windows build is fairly light but the other versions all are pretty hefty. Notice that on a brand new iMac, Flash still takes up a quarter of the system resources *to play a video*

[tappy727]

Always blame someone else.

[impermanence33]

Thanks for this post Justin. A possibly-related issue I was having was my AirPort losing all Wireless networks (which, in my apartment building, was usually in the twenties) every time it would wake from a night's sleep. That is also now fixed with 10.6.2

Keep up the great work... (as mundane as it may seem sometimes, you've got a bright future and it shows, so keep on keepin' on)

[T_Hoff]

>> the time tested programs that exists on millions of computers from a major developer.

The same programs that have security holes that are exploited year after year?

[the_mortician]

But why would one of the most common programs that exists on many different platforms be a target for those who seek security issues for the sake of exploitation?

[wdowell]

"Much thanks to .... Apple itself for quickly addressing the needs of its community"

Oh come on. It was a bug, pure and simple (which I was affected by on 21.5 as apple acknowledges too) - please don't give nauseating praise to Apple for fixing it. Just cries fan-boy accusations, not professional journalism I like to expect from CNet...

[01Phyxius]

You expect real journalism from CNet?
How ridiculous.

[Mr. Dee]

I don't understand, why doesn't Apple reveal these problems in their Mac vs PC ads?

[cbscowards]

I don't understand, why are you such a trolling tool?

[Yelonde]

Why doesn't Microsoft reveal that windows has horrible virus issues in their ads?

[Gold_Storm_Mac]

Mr.Dee doesn't understand advertising and marketing. Imagine if all the problems with windows were revealed in those ads.

[sasquatch3]

Mr.Dee

Mac vs PC ads are ads

what do you expect
all ads from anyone are just lies

[shellcodes_coder]

LOL, more problems to be fixed in the future, until then Apple will keep bribing their customers to keep their mouth shut who have had problems with iCrap

[cdlenfert82]

Ha, I wish I got an apple bribe every now and then. I just wanted to post to possibly get the word out on another Flash issue, or what seemed to be one for me. I have an original Macbook and since about August have been having regular kernel panics and safari/firefox crashes when watching flash video. I also had 2 gigs of Crucial ram installed. Well after uninstalling/reinstalling flash and doing any other number of fixes in the software I finally called Crucial. They said that it's a rare but known problem with the type of ram I had and sent me a free replacement that is a new revision. So far not a single flash crash. I'm back on CNET TV and 404 podcast like a mad man. Hope this helps someone else in the future.

[meh100]

um so you've just admitted that it's not an Apple problem, it's a 3rd party RAM problem. Why is that Apple's fault?

[hitsch_e]

i upgraded my macbook " 2 GHz intel core duo / 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM " to
snow leopard 10.6.2 and now the finder acts very strange: when i clear the desktop, i can't move or rename a file without everything covering the desktop;
when i click on the desktop, all my files disappear temporarily & the same thing happens when i click on the finder in the dock.
does anybody know, what's wrong with my update to 10.6.2
thanks to anybody that can help

[GSPhotography]

Pffft. That screen shot looks like what happens on ALL of my computers. Flash sux.

[lar01]

I've been having similar choppy and worse video problems with some, but not all, sites for a few months now. I am running an old (flat panel) iMac with a 700 mhz G4, 512 mb RAM, and Tiger (10.4.11). Any suggestions short of my getting a newer computer?

[01Phyxius]

Put (X)Ubuntu on it?

(If my computer was that old, I'd do that, linux is much better at managing limited resources than most OS's.)

[justcause1]

i have the new imac 21.5 and have not experienced any of the flash issues. Also I would like to say that I am an IT professional that made the switch 7 years ago and will never regret it. I spend my day fixing issues with pc's and when i get home I don't feel like working.