Apple Mac Mini 2012 Problems: Fix Released For Flickering Monitor, HDMI Issues

By Dave Smith | December 11 2012 11:16 AM

After Apple released the Mac Mini on Oct. 23, some customers began noticing how their monitors would flicker when the 2.7-pound computer was connected to the display via HDMI; the other two outputs in the Mac Mini, including the Mini Display Port and Thunderbolt drive, were reportedly unaffected.

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At the Apple event in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, CEO Tim Cook revealed rolled out, among other highly anticipated products, an updated version of Apple’s smallest Mac desktop computer – the Mac mini.

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Apple and Intel, which provides the Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU inside the 2012 Mac Mini, acknowledged the issue in November, but released a fix for the flickering problems on Monday. Apple provides details about the update from its support page:

"About Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.7

This update addresses HDMI video flicker issues on Mac mini (Late 2012) computers and is recommended for all users.

The Mac mini EFI Firmware Update will update the EFI firmware on your computer.

Your computer's power cord must be connected and plugged into a working power source. When your Mac mini restarts, a gray screen will appear with a status bar to indicate the progress of the update. It will take several minutes for the update to complete. Do not disturb or shut off the power on your Mac mini during this update.

Mac mini EFI will be updated to 0106.03"

The Mac Mini comes in two configurations: either a 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.1 GHz, or a 2.3 GHz quad-core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.3 GHz. The low-end model comes built-in with 500 GB of storage, while the "deluxe" model comes with 1 TB of storage. Despite the difference in specs, both devices look completely identical -- for those who have never owned a Mac Mini before, the device looks completely identical to the Apple TV device -- including the same specs for size and shape -- but the Mac Mini is white instead of black.

The Mac Mini also comes with ports for an SD card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire800, and USB 3.0. The computer is supported by 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, also known as "Smart Bluetooth," and runs on OS X Mountain Lion.

Apple sells the two configurations of its newest Mac Mini for $599 and $799, respectively.