Mr. Macintosh

tldr; I got a Macbook Pro M1 for $975 in mint-condition at a Best Buy and already put the return label on it.

While Geekbench showed great results, actual usage of the machine and headaches ensued were contrasting.

To put it bluntly - M1 machines are currently unstable. There are numerous Bluetooth issues [1], formatting issues [2], Wifi 6 issues [3], VPN issues [4], firewall issues [5], and shocking security issues in general with Big Sur and Apple's silicon [6].

I'm a power user and this is way too experimental for actual use. At the least get the 16 GB variant if you want to get anything done and not experience freeze/lockup (but for that much money you're better off with Librem 14" or System76 w/AMD Threadripper).

[1]: https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/kpu2hy/mouse_lag_when_using_bluetooth_mouse_on_m1_mac/

[2]: https://mrmacintosh.com/reinstalling-big-sur-on-apple-silicon-macs-with-11-0-20a2411-error/

[3]: https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/jy3yc7/is_anyone_else_experiencing_issues_with_wifi_on/

[4]: https://mullvad.net/en/blog/2020/11/16/big-no-big-sur-mullvad-disallows-apple-apps-bypass-firewall/

[5]: https://github.com/objective-see/LuLu/issues/208

[6]: https://sneak.berlin/20201204/on-trusting-macintosh-hardware/

Honestly I think the scarier part is that "real" tech articles are rapidly approaching this level of quality and I can't tell if the "real" articles are being written by automation, or people who love to copy and paste. It's getting that bad. Modern tech journalism is just so vapid and devoid of any content, so even the parent post was more fun to read than the regular.

For an example, tech-based articles I loathe sifting through online are about anything related to recent events like a macOS update. Google Search: "macos big sur release notes" https://imgur.com/a/fmhyk6d

Imagine going to the first Apple link, not getting any details, and then moving onto the 3rd and 4th links hoping that some internet journalist broke down the details for you because the title includes "What's New?". Nope. The links all just resort to barely-updated articles that basically say "11.6.1 got released". Amazing, thank you tech journalists!

At least an article about iframes might give some boring facts to help crunch in your mind while your eyes glaze through.

3rd and 4th links:

- https://mrmacintosh.com/macos-big-sur-11-6-1-update-whats-new/

- https://www.macworld.com/article/234324/macos-big-sur-faq.html

I faced the same issue! Here's copy-paste from my comment on Reddit

Macbook Pro 16' M2 Max 64/1TB

Just solved the problem by reviving to MacOS 26.3.1 .ipsw file.

Linkes I used:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/108900 (official guide to get to DFU)

https://mrmacintosh.com/restore-macos-firmware-on-an-apple-silicon-mac-boot-to-dfu-mode/ (mr macintosh guide to do the same)

https://mrmacintosh.com/apple-silicon-m1-full-macos-restore-ipsw-firmware-files-database/ (mr Macintosh links to .ipsw files, including 26.3.1 image)

Steps I took:

Connect to Macbook to mac mini M1 via USB-C 3.1 gen1 cable (to right port)

use script from Asahi to get into DFU https://github.com/AsahiLinux/macvdmtool

Then drag and drop MacOS 26.3.1 .ipsw file downloaded from mrmacintosh (link 3).

Accept "restore" (didn't try revive, might work?)

Wait + get apple logo on bricked Macbook

My story started with Apple authorized service who wanted to replace logic board for 1000$.

Not real impressed with Apple Mac OS stability lately. I am currently experiencing the WindowServer crash coming out of sleep on my MacBook Pro 16.

Look like it has something to do with the AMD dGPU and Catalina so again probably a GPU driver: https://mrmacintosh.com/10-15-4-update-wake-from-sleep-kernel-panic-in-16-mbpro-2019

Then you have another fun one probably related like it spinning up the fans and the GPU consuming double power when you run the built in display and an external monitor, but not with just external monitors: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/16-is-hot-noisy-with-an-external-monitor.2211747/

Of course the problem with Apple is zero communication even acknowledging an issue leads to all sorts of wild goose chases usually involving reset pram or whatever.

My MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) was having kernel panics multiple times a day after having been asleep for extend periods. This was extremely annoying, as you can imagine. I’m happy to report that the Catalina 10.15.5 update fixes the kernel panics for me.

The issue I experienced has been well documented [here](https://mrmacintosh.com/10-15-4-update-wake-from-sleep-kernel-panic-in-16-mbpro-2019) and elsewhere on the web.

I use my MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) with a CalDigit TS3 Plus Dock and LG 32” 4K monitor. It’s worth noting that using the computer undocked never gave me any problems.

I have used and owned Apple products since 1992.

Absolutely agreed about the gatekeeping — just as example, you cannot even update your MacOS without being online unless you create a full USB Installer.

For your particular situation, presuming your hardware supports it, you can use MrMacintosh guides [0] to downgrade your OS from Tahoe — I recommend the latest Sequoia installer — all officially downloaded via Apple links.

[0] <http://www.mrmacintosh.com>

I further recommend blocking .apple.com & .icloud.com (and many more hosts) using a PiHole (so simple, so necessary).