How to test if your MacBook Air SSD is recalled
Apple on Friday released MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1 for certain MacBook Air notebooks to address an issue that may result in data loss in "a small percentage" of 64GB and 128GB disk drives.
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According to the company, most drives will get a firmware update, but others are being directed to bring their solid-state drives (SSDs) in for replacement.
It appears that the defective SSDs are limited to MacBook Air notebooks produced last year, and are not present in the current generation (mid-2013 or Haswell) MBAs.
If you're not sure which model MacBook Air you have, do this:
- Click on the Apple Menu in the upper-left of the menu bar
- Click on About this Mac
- Click on the More Info... button near the bottom of that dialog box
- The model name will be listed at the top of the Overview pane of the System Information app
The Firmware Update 1.1 software tests your SSD, and, in the majority of cases, installs new firmware to resolve the issue. If your drive cannot be updated, Apple will replace it free of charge.
Details of the MacBook Air Flash Storage Drive Replacement Program are available on Apple's website:
Apple has determined that certain 64GB and 128GB flash storage drives used in the previous generation of MacBook Air systems may fail. These systems were sold between June 2012 through June 2013.
If you own a 2012 or 2013 MacBook Air you can see if your SSD is affected by following these steps:
- Launch Mac App Store.
- Click on the Updates tab.
- If you see No Updates Available, you are not affected by the recall.
- If you see MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1 under Updates, install it, and run it.
- If your SSD is affected you'll be directed to the MacBook Air Flash Storage Drive Replacement Program website, which instructs you to bring it to an Apple Retail Store, Apple Authorized Service Provider, or to contact Apple Technical Support.
- If your SSD isn't affected, the update installs new firmware to resolve the issue.
I tested it on my mid-2013 MacBook Air (11-inch) and it wasn't affected. If you own a mid-2012 MacBook Air, post your experience in the comments below.