Apple pushes new flash storage firmware upgrade

A new firmware update was released by Apple , yesterday, to solve an issue potentially affecting MacBook Pro laptops. If left unpatched, the issue could cause data corruption in flash storage drives shipped with mid-2015 MacBook Pro Retina.

At the Apple support page states, the issue affects only mid-2015 MacBook Pro models. To help clarify the difference between prior models of Apple’s flagship laptop, MacBooks are usually released in seasonal waves throughout the year, and labeled as “early-”, “mid-” or “late-”. For those who are not intentionally in the loop about Apple’s announcements and keynotes, there can be substantial differences between models of the same MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air.

For example, in the wake of the announcement for new 12 inch MacBook Retina, many MacBook laptops have been recipients of brand new hardware, such as the Force Touch trackpad. On that note, whenever Apple adds new hardware, there are considerations to make in terms of changes to firmware.

This explains why only the mid-2015 models of the MacBook Pro are affected by the recently reported issue.

Which MacBook Pro do you own?

When purchasing a MacBook Pro, it’s not always clear which time of the year the laptop was released, and Apple does not usually put an expressed label on the box, or the MacBook itself, to identify whether it’s an early-2015 or mid-2015.

To find out the model of a MacBook Pro, and whether or not it needs a firmware update, users can quickly look it up in “About this Mac”.

Owners of other MacBook Pro models do not need to, nor should upgrade the firmware on their MacBooks, as these patches are designed specifically for certain hardware.

Those who own a mid-2015 MacBook Pro, can download the patch at: https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1830?locale=en_US