14 DAY TRIAL // Thunderbolt has been getting advertised quite extensively by Apple, but even the Cupertino-based company seems to be having trouble when implementing it.
Some users of Apple's Thunderbolt display are experiencing static, distortion and crackling from the speakers of the 27-inch panel.
According to Electronista, the problem normally appears after a few hours' use, when the sound of the 2012 MacBook Air is routed through the display's speakers instead of its own.
It isn't clear, for now, what causes the issue. Blaming the firmware's handling of the audio output is tempting, and it would also mean that a software update can fix it.
On the flip side, the sound played straight through the speakers of the MacBook Air display, instead of being rerouted form the laptop, does not exhibit the faults.
This has led to the hypothesis that the cause may lie with the adapter needed to connect the Apple MagSafe 2 power connector to the Thunderbolt display's power cord.
Unplugging and replugging all connections seems to eliminate the problem, at least until it shows up again a couple of hours later. Switching between audio outputs solves the issue for a short while as well, as does a restart of whatever application is making use of the speakers (video/music player, etc.).
Unfortunately, changing adapters and running the laptop without plugging in the Thunderbolt display power connector doesn't make the issue go away, which implies that the adapter is not to blame after all.
The good news is that only a small number of users have reported the problem on the Apple Support Communities thread. Finally, a MacBook Pro with Retina display was said to have suffered a similar defect, but it seems to be an isolated case that doesn't have anything to do with the above. We'll provide more information as soon as we find it.