Apple Believes MacBook Pro Graphics Issues May Be Fixed in Latest macOS 10.12.2 Beta

Last week, we reported an increasing number of early adopters experiencing concerning graphics issues on the new MacBook Pro.

All late 2016 MacBook Pro models appear to be affected, including standard 13-inch and 15-inch configurations with AMD Radeon Pro 450 or AMD Radeon Pro 455 graphics, but the issues appear to be most prevalent on the high-end 15-inch model with built-to-order AMD Radeon Pro 460 graphics.

macbook-pro-graphics-issue

15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar exhibiting graphics issues (jscooper22)

User complaints have continued to surface over the past five days, with new videos emerging showing the usual symptoms, ranging from brightly colored flickering and full-screen checkerboard patterns to screen tearing and visual artifacts. Affected systems sometimes become unresponsive or crash due to a kernel panic, requiring some new MacBook Pro users to perform a hard restart.

Separately, a number of users continue to report brief glitches during the boot up process on new MacBook Pro models, particularly along the bottom of the screen. It appears this issue is related to FileVault 2 startup disk encryption, as the glitches go away for many of these users once the feature is disabled.


Apple has yet to publicly acknowledge or comment on the graphics issues, but in a supposed email response to a MacRumors forum member, Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi allegedly said he believes the problems have been resolved in the latest macOS Sierra 10.12.2 beta released on Monday. As a point of emphasis, this email response has not been verified.

Hi,

Thanks for your note! We believe we have addressed all of these graphics issues in the latest beta of Sierra 10.12.2 (available at beta.apple.com).

I hope that you enjoy your new MacBook Pro — it’s a fantastic machine!

- craig

While we have yet to verify the authenticity of the email beyond a reasonable doubt, there is some unscientific evidence to suggest it could be real:

• Although it could easily be faked, the response appears to resemble previous email responses sent by Federighi
• The user who shared the email response is a longtime MacRumors forum member who registered his account in June 2007
• Apple executives appear to be increasingly using email as a vehicle to subtly address customer questions and concerns
• MacRumors viewed a lengthy follow-up email the user received from Apple's Executive Relations team, which appears to be legitimate

Reports from affected users running the latest macOS Sierra beta are slim at this point, but at least one forum member claims to still be experiencing graphics issues on the fifth and latest macOS Sierra beta.


macOS Sierra 10.12.2 should be publicly released later this month, so additional user reports should soon prove if the graphics issues have truly been fixed.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forums: MacBook Pro, macOS Sierra

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Top Rated Comments

sputnikv Avatar
106 months ago
not to beat a dead horse or anything, but for the cost of these machines, you would expect them to be damn near bug free
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
slimothy Avatar
106 months ago
"It's a fantastic machine" LOL. Way overpriced this year, and many complain of lackluster performance. 2015 is the model you want. Trust me, I have one. (Plus you get to keep all your ports) ;)
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Labeno Avatar
106 months ago
I've been reading MacRumors for years... thank you so much for collecting all these amazing articles and publishing.
This is the first year where I've genuinely seen MacRumors members change from very happy people having fun discussions and heated discussions, to truly angry people (at Apple) for peeing in their ear and trying to tell us its raining.
Apple... please listen to us. We are not just niche people, but people who used to believe in what you were doing, and you are driving us away.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Captain Avatar
106 months ago
"I hope that you enjoy your new MacBook Pro — it’s a fantastic machine!"

The condescending arrogance from this company towards it's customers is, dare I say...courageous? (I know, it's getting old but the phrase 'just works')
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nope7308 Avatar
106 months ago
If the machine is so damn great, why must you constantly tell us?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Labeno Avatar
106 months ago
"It's a fantastic machine"
Hmmm... a premium price for a fashion statement but not a pro device.
Please replace Timmy and bring back pro devices. I'm sticking with my 2012 MBPr until a pro device comes out or I need to jump ship.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)