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

Tim Cook WWDC 2018

Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO 'as Soon as Next Year'

Saturday November 15, 2025 2:40 pm PST by
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times. The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said. While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's 2026 Mac Plans

Friday November 14, 2025 3:23 pm PST by
Most of Apple's Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there's a possibility we'll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio. MacBook Air (Early 2026) The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Here's When Tesla is Expected to Add Support for Apple CarPlay

Sunday November 16, 2025 6:49 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that Tesla plans to add Apple CarPlay support to its vehicles "in the coming months." This is easily the biggest news for the regular version of CarPlay in years, should Tesla actually follow through with offering the system in its vehicles. As noted by Gurman, this would be a stunning reversal for Tesla and its CEO Elon ...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
Apple Sports App Preview Feature

Apple Sports App on iPhone Now Available in More European Countries

Monday November 17, 2025 6:27 am PST by
The free Apple Sports app on the iPhone was released in additional European countries today, including Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Ukraine, and others. The app was already available in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Austria, France, Germany,...

Top Rated Comments

3282868 Avatar
162 months ago
"It just works" :p
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theheadguy Avatar
162 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
162 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
162 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
162 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
162 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)