Some 2013 MacBook Air Models Exhibit Severe Flickering With Photoshop

Customers on both the MacRumors and Adobe support forums are reporting severe flickering when using some 2013 13" MacBook Air models when using Adobe Photoshop, particularly the larger brush tools.

Adobe representative Chris Cox posted on Adobe's support forums that he believes it is a driver or GPU issue, or possibly a problem with the LCD driver circuits. Additionally, he says Adobe has not been able to reproduce the issue, suggesting that it could be a particular run or series of MacBook Air models that are running into issues.

When we file a bug with Apple that we cannot reproduce ourselves: Apple ignores it.

Apple needs to hear from customers who experience the problem, and needs details on exactly which systems have the problem.

We will continue to research this, and if we find a system that reproduces it, then we can file a bug with Apple and have some hope that they might investigate.

Also, thanks for the video - that is definitely a driver or GPU issue, though with that kind of flickering I'd also suspect the LCD driver circuits.

New chipsets, like those in the new MacBook Air, occasionally have sporadic quality control issues. Some MacBook Air owners are reporting issues with Wi-Fi and Apple has issued a 'capture' order to Genius Bar representatives to take broken machines and send them to Cupertino for further analysis.

Adobe advises affected customers to contact AppleCare so the problem can be diagnosed and, hopefully, quickly resolved by Apple. Some reports have suggested that upgrading to Mavericks solves the problem, indicating a possible software issue.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...

Top Rated Comments

3282868 Avatar
145 months ago
"It just works" :p
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theheadguy Avatar
145 months ago
Am I the only one that thinks it's amazing that an AIR can even run a full version of photoshop? Seems like just yesterday we were blown away that Jobs could fit one in an envelope, now we expect it to handle high end graphics applications.

It's sad that your expectations are so low. This is not a $300 netbook.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
plasticsman Avatar
145 months ago
Kinda unsure why this is considered front page news. The amount of people with a 2013 Air (announced just days ago) using Photoshop might be around the 500-600 mark.

I have this problem on the Air and I appreciate that it was put on the front page. Apple and Adobe need to get this fixed without turning the blame on each other!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
filmbuff Avatar
145 months ago
It's sad that your expectations are so low. This is not a $300 netbook.

Thankyou! The MBA is many times as powerful as high end laptops from ~5 years ago. Why couldn't it run photoshop? Even HD video is doable albeit not ideal.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
devinher Avatar
145 months ago
Am I the only one that thinks it's amazing that an AIR can even run a full version of photoshop?

Seems like just yesterday we were blown away that Jobs could fit one in an envelope, now we expect it to handle high end graphics applications.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lkrupp Avatar
145 months ago
Ugh I really wanted to buy one of these and now they got me all jumpy. Sigh...

I've never paid attention to this sort of stuff and have never been jumpy about buying an Apple product. Never, in my over 30 years of using Apple products have I EVER experienced any of the glitches reported by that ethereal "some users" crowd. The instantaneous nature of the Internet these days makes stuff like this look common when it is not.:confused:
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)