Apple Preps for Thunderbolt Display Release with MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update

thunderbolt display macbook air
Apple today released MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 2.1, a 3.99 MB update addressing a pair of issues on the company's latest MacBook Air models. The fixes include enhanced stability for Lion Recovery over the Internet and improvements for Thunderbolt-related issues including compatibility with Apple's forthcoming Apple Thunderbolt Display.

This update includes fixes that enhance the stability of Lion Recovery from an Internet connection, and resolve issues with Apple Thunderbolt Display compatibility and Thunderbolt Target Disk Mode performance on MacBook Air (mid 2011) models.

For more information about Lion Recovery, please visit http://www.apple.com/macosx/recovery/.

The MacBook Air EFI Update will update the EFI firmware on your notebook computer. Your computer's power cord must be connected and plugged into a working power source. When your MacBookAir restarts, a gray screen will appear with a status bar to indicate the progress of the update. It will take several minutes for the update to complete. Do not disturb or shut off the power on your MacBookAir during this update.

We noted last week that the new Apple Thunderbolt Display was beginning to ship to stores in anticipation of a launch in the near future, and today's release to ensure compatibility with the new MacBook Air offers further evidence that a launch for the display is near.

Apple announced the display back in July with a shipping date of "within 60 days", a timeframe that is rapidly approaching. Apple's order page for the $999 display is showing a 2-3 week estimate for new orders, but earlier pre-orders will likely ship sooner than that. We have yet to hear, however, of any pre-orders being prepared for shipment.

Related Forums: Mac Accessories, MacBook Air

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Expected Next Week - Here Are the Release Notes

Friday March 28, 2025 2:01 pm PDT by
With the second release candidate of iOS 18.4 that Apple seeded out today, the company finally provided us with release notes that give a full rundown on what to expect. There's an Apple Vision Pro app, new Apple Intelligence features for notifications and additional language support, plus an Apple News Food feature for Apple News+ subscribers, and several updates that should improve the...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Six Things to Know About Apple's Upcoming Foldable iPhone

Friday March 28, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We've been hearing rumors about a foldable iPhone for almost a decade now, but it looks like we might finally see the device come to fruition in 2026. We're going to be waiting many more months for the foldable iPhone, but so far we're hearing good things. Apple wants to make it creaseless. It's taken Apple multiple years to design a foldable iPhone that it's satisfied with because Apple ...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
ipad pro 2024

Gurman: New iPad Pro and MacBook Pro Models With M5 Chips to Launch Later This Year

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:06 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPad Pro models with the M5 chip will "launch this year," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new iPad Pro models have progressed to an "advanced testing" stage, and he expects mass production of the devices to begin in the second half of this year. If that timeframe is met, the new iPad Pro models could launch...

Top Rated Comments

hefeglass Avatar
177 months ago
there is so much misinformation in this thread...i really hope nobody comes here for factual information



^...wow..


.."demi-god"
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ksgant Avatar
177 months ago
I was looking elsewhere for a high-quality monitor like the 27" display, but all I found were these around $400 monitors that were certainly 27" displays, but were limited to the 1080P resolution of 1920 x 1080 and none at the Apple monitor's 2560 x 1440.

I looked over at Dell and they have 27" IPS monitors that can do 2560 x 1440 but they're like fricken $1200. Again, Dell has lower cost monitors but they're only 1080P ones. What happened to other manufacturers having lower cost hardware yet the same quality as Apple?

Are there any high end 27" monitors with 2560 x 1440 that are under the $999 of Apple? Or is this thing truly a bargain?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
scarred Avatar
177 months ago
So, TBolt means upgrading your BIOS just to attach a display?

I thought that we'd eliminated that kind of crap in the early 1990's.

1. EFI isn't BIOS.

2. What's so wrong with updating some low level functionality? Anyone who knows anything about computers knows that there are various levels put together to ultimately provide the end user with a nice experience. EFI is one of those layers... I'm glad they have a nice easy way to update it.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Icaras Avatar
177 months ago
These displays are definitely a rip off but Apple built this as a luxury machine intended for the rich. Sure it may be 1000$ but people will flock to but it just because its apple. The thunderbolt port is useless as my Windows computer only has USB and many others only have USB.

You're in the wrong thread, sir.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
catalyst6 Avatar
177 months ago
For those of you that are interested in having this display work with anything other than Mac products, go buy the 27 Cinema Display now.

That's what I did about 2 hours ago. $899 and free shipping at B&H.

I have a Thunderbolt enabled Macbook Pro, but I would much rather have the version of this that I can use with BOTH my gaming PC and my Macbook Pro.

The Thunderbolt Display is not backwards compatible with mini displayport!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
milkaxor Avatar
177 months ago
That is completely false. The Thunderbolt port is not just an extra port. It's an extra port that is compatible with every other kind of port.

Without this display, my Macbook Air has no ability to connect to my gigabit ethernet. With the Thunderbolt display, it does.

Without this display, my Macbook Air has no ability to connect to my firewire 800 drive. With the Thunderbolt display, it does.

It's not just an extension cord. It's allowing me to use devices/networking that I'm not otherwise able to.
Don't forget the 3 usb ports (one more than your MBA), the 2.1 speaker system, or built-in webcam. This is a great monitor for the price and the fact that I have to connect 2 cables (thunderbolt and optional power) to get all of that is what makes it a true companion hub to any TB-enabled laptop.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)