This is why they release firmware updates.
A number of users have reported that Apple’s new macOS Monterey 12.3 update is bricking some Macs that have had their logic boards replaced.
The macOS Monterey 12.3 update, released on Monday, is reportedly causing problems for users attempting to update from macOS 12.2.1 or earlier. According to support forum posts, users are seeing errors, endless restart loops, and possible bricking of their devices.
Reports indicate that only Mac devices with a replacement logic board are affected by the issue.
Reports have indicated that in addition to bricking some Macs, an affected Mac could also reboot without the update being successfully installed. In these cases, users report seeing an “iBoot Panic” message.”
Users can reportedly fix the issue by attaching a second Mac to the affected Mac, booting into DFU mode, and reviving it manually.
Other users have reported successfully installing macOS Monterey 12.3 via a second Mac by replacing the IPSW files of the Mac with a replacement logic board.
In other cases, users who have taken their Macs to Apple for service say that technicians simply replaced the logic board on their devices again. Unfortunately, the second repair apparently doesn’t do anything to mitigate the problem.
Apple has yet to officially acknowledge the issue.
On Tuesday, reports surfaced of macOS Monterey 12.3 causing performance or speed issues for users that rely on PCI-E external GPUs.
If you’ve encountered any issues with your Mac since the macOS Monterey 12.3 update, please let us know about your experience in the comments.
Via AppleInsider and support.apple.com
One reply on “macOS Monterey 12.3 update reportedly bricking the Macs of some users with replacement logic boards”
Yes, it’s true. My 16″ MacBook Pro M1 Max was the victim of a spill and required a new motherboard under AppleCare. Got it back, reinstalled EVERYTHING – motherboard now means “new SSD” and all data is gone.
Attempted to install 12.3, first try ended with “fake retry” so I did the second install, which resulted in flashing Apple on restart then the panic screen. Tried the revive, recovery and even wipe the disk, nothing worked.
Took it to one Apple store, they did not have the parts, so I took it to a second store which apparently had everything needed and was given a completing date of March 20. On March 18, the support website indicated that the repair was completed and the computer was with the Genius Bar folks for “Running final quality checks.”
No contact, but I finally got through to someone at the store and the answer was that the computer had “bricked” on the replacement motherboard and they were waiting for word from the engineers. At one point a replacement computer was mentioned, but this configuration has a 6 week waiting list on it.
Today I was told that they were reviewing and that if I needed to have a computer that would do the work I needed, I should order a new one and return it. The problem is that even the regular version of the 16″ has a two week wait.
This is not going well. One would have thought that somebody would have tested before the update was released.
My feeling is that the T2 chip is going overboard to prevent any kind of replacement parts installed, even those done by Apple. I guess there will be a firmware update that will fix that, but when?
Right now, the nearly $5K computer that I finally received mid January may be toast for the foreseeable future. Way to go, Fruit Company!