Apple Isolates MacBook Air Display Issues, Prepares Software Update

Screen flickering and color fading issues experienced by early MacBook Air (Late 2010) adopters have been isolated by Apple technicians who are working up a software patch to address the problem in the near future, according to a leaked internal Apple memo.

Obtained by the Boy Genius Report (BGR), the memo reveals that Apple is well aware of the recently and widely reported screen flickering issues typical to new-generation MacBook Air laptops.

Apple acknowledges the problem with the following statement: “Customers may report horizontal flickering on the internal display after waking the computer from sleep or hot plugging a disply.”

Until the software fix is ready, Apple is instructing its tech staff to “Have the customer put the computer to sleep by closing the lid, wait 10 seconds, then open the lid to wake the computer.”

According to the company, “This should force the display to power cycle, and the display should return to normal.”

Technicians are also instructed to “…not process an EFFA capture if the issue is resolved after this sleep and wake cycle.”

Finally, Apple confirms that “This issue has been isolated and will be addressed in an upcoming software update,” according to a screenshot of the leaked memo.

Apple staffers have been instructed to state that the company is aware of these issues and is working on a solution, should customers ask.

In a separate memo, Apple also acknowledges a second issue with the new MacBook Airs’ screens.

“Internal display fades dark to light colors after waking from sleep,” the document’s title reads.

According to Apple, “Customers may report that the internal display is fading dark to light colors repeatedly after waking from sleep.”

As with the first memo, Apple offers a workaround. The resolution seems to be identical to the one mentioned above, in that the customer is instructed to put the computer to sleep for 10 seconds by closing the lid.

This issue will also be addressed via software update.

Apple does not state when the patches should arrive, but it is reasonable to assume they’re not far away, and that they will be both included in a single download.

Are you a MacBook Air (Late 2010) user? Are you experiencing these issues with your system?