macbook air 13 20121Apple today released MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1 for the mid–2012 MacBook Air. The update tests the flash storage drives in these models to look for an issue that "may result in data loss" for 64 and 128GB models.

In most cases, the update merely installs new firmware, but in some cases Apple will replace the drive free of cost.

This firmware update is recommended for MacBook Air (mid 2012) models.

Apple has discovered that a small percentage of flash storage drives in these MacBook Air models have an issue that may result in data loss. This update tests your drive 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.

The firmware update should be available on the Mac App Store for mid–2012 MacBook Airs and can also be downloaded from the Apple Support site.

Update: Apple has also initiated a Flash Storage Drive Replacement Program, which details how to get a faulty drive replaced. Users with an affected MacBook Air will be directed to the page after installing the firmware update.

Top Rated Comments

Zellio Avatar
149 months ago
People always have problems with the displays, ssd's, etc, that aren't made by samsung..
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thundersteele Avatar
148 months ago
I would expect that something as important as a SSD replacement program is worth a front page post, and not just a Mac Blog.

Anyways, it's of course bad that faulty hardware has been used, but it is good to see that Apple is taking care of it, even outside of AppleCare.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GenesisST Avatar
148 months ago
Samsung must've screwed Apple with some of their flawed SSDs... :)

I should save this message to quote it if I ever see you post "Haters gonna hate"... (not that I will ever check)
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KnoxHarrington Avatar
149 months ago
Update installed successfully.. Scared me for a second, it restarted like 4 times and on the final restart it hung and I had to hit the power button.

Same behavior for me, but once I hit the power button it started up and told me the firmware update had been successfully applied. I wonder if it just shuts it down instead of doing a restart at the end? If so, it would be nice to get some warning in advance. That was quite a nerve-wracking minute or so.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tey112 Avatar
149 months ago
So do I get a refund for the drive I had to pay to replace now?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThE.MeSsEnGeR Avatar
148 months ago
seriously.... this comes now?! just a couple weeks ago, exactly a few days after the 1-year warranty ended on my MBA, my SSD just died on me, and since I live in Lebanon and Apple refuses to have an official Apple Store here, Apple-related prices are sky high. So I had to pay $500+ for a replacement (mind you, I went for the 512GB once and for all). but still... :mad:
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Rumored to Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Saturday March 1, 2025 11:00 am PST by
iOS 19 is still around three months away from being unveiled, but there are plenty of rumors about the upcoming update. Below, we recap iOS 19 rumors so far. Redesigned Camera App A leak earlier this year allegedly revealed a redesigned Camera app coming with iOS 19. On his YouTube channel Front Page Tech in January, Jon Prosser shared a video showing what the new Camera app will...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Latest iPhone 17 Series CAD Images in Line With Redesign Rumors

Friday February 28, 2025 2:51 am PST by
Apple is expected to embrace a new camera system design for some models in its upcoming iPhone 17 series, and the latest purported CAD images don't deviate from what we have been hearing lately about Apple's new lineup. If you do not like the sound of an iPhone with a Google Pixel-style camera bar, look away now. Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson shared the following images in a post on X...
apple intelligence black

These New Apple Intelligence Features Are Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday February 28, 2025 3:17 pm PST by
iOS 18.4 was supposed to bring new Apple Intelligence Siri features, but Apple ended up needing to pull those capabilities from the update to continue testing. There are fewer new Apple Intelligence additions now, but there are still some new features that will make the update worth installing when it comes out in April. Priority Notifications Apple introduced Priority Notifications back at ...
iphone 16e usb c feature

Apple Provides Reason for iPhone 16e's Lack of MagSafe

Friday February 28, 2025 4:39 am PST by
Apple has offered a reason why the iPhone 16e doesn't include MagSafe, one of the more notable omissions from its latest entry-level smartphone. According to Apple representatives who spoke to Daring Fireball's John Gruber, MagSafe is not included in the iPhone 16e because "most people in the iPhone 16e's target audience exclusively charge their phones by plugging them into a charging...
Apple MacBook Air 2 up hero 240304 feature

New MacBook Air Announcement Reportedly 'Imminent' — Here's When

Sunday March 2, 2025 5:40 am PST by
With the iPhone 16e now in the hands of customers, Apple reportedly plans to move on to its next product announcement in the coming days. Apple plans to announce new MacBook Air models with the M4 chip "as early as this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "I expect the M4 MacBook Air to be introduced as early as this week," said Gurman, in a post shared on X today. "Inventory has ...
Apple AirPort Routers

Apple's Discontinued Line of AirPort Wi-Fi Routers Could Return in an Unexpected Way

Saturday March 1, 2025 10:00 am PST by
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Apple offered a line of Wi-Fi routers that it referred to as AirPort base stations. There was a standard AirPort Express, a higher-end AirPort Extreme with more advanced networking features, and an AirPort Time Capsule that doubled as an external storage drive for backing up a Mac with Time Machine. Apple discontinued the AirPort line in 2018, but the company...
apple c1

How Fast is Apple's First-Ever 5G Modem? The Results Are Surprising

Friday February 28, 2025 10:08 am PST by
iPhone 16e reviews are now out, and Apple's custom-designed C1 modem has been put to the test. The results so far are quite surprising, as the C1's speeds are not as slow compared to Qualcomm modems as originally expected. While the C1 does not support ultra-fast mmWave 5G in the U.S., it appears to offer comparable 5G performance to Qualcomm's Snapdragon X71 modem found in the iPhone 16,...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...