An update to OS X broke Ethernet on most Macs over the past week, frustrating users who prefer wired connections to Wi-Fi. Apple has a fix out, but if you don’t have access to Wi-Fi it’s going to take some effort.
Version 3.28.1 of the “Incompatible Kernel Extension Configuration Data,” included in updates last week, blacklisted the BCM5701 driver necessary for most Macs to use their Ethernet port. It’s a pretty epic failure, to say the least. 9to5Mac reports that the broken update has been pulled, and an update for affected users is already available.
If you’ve got a Wi-Fi connection, the problem should resolve itself as updates are installed. If you’d like to force the issue, or don’t have Wi-Fi access, Apple has instructions for you, but here’s a quick summary. First, check if you’re running the affected software:
If you have Wi-Fi, updates will fix the problem eventually, but you can force the update if you need Ethernet immediately.
After doing this, your Ethernet should be up and running again. It’s not an elegant solution, but happily is only necessary if you need Ethernet immediately. If you’re willing to wait until updates happen on their own, this step isn’t necessary.
If you don’t have Wi-Fi access at all, but have the affected software, you’re going to need to boot into OS X Recovery, mount your system drive, and delete the file in question.
It’s a little rich that Apple, long boastful of their ease-of-use, is instructing users to use the recovery partition and Terminal to get something as basic to computing as Ethernet up and running again. If Apple wants to keep its reputation, quality control needs to catch things like this before updates are pushed, or users are going to start complaining loudly.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.