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Rotten Apple? New 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro owners report multiple problems

Konrad Krawczyk
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MacBook Pro 13 2013 back angle
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you take a look at the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina section of the Apple forums, you won’t have to spend much time to find threads where users are complaining about multiple issues when using one of Apple’s latest toys.

For instance, one Apple thread named “New Retina Macbook pro 13 Haswell system hang/unresponsive,” which at this point has over 91,000 views, 1,600 responses, and over 190 pages; includes multiple reports of instances where the new MacBook Pro’s keyboard and touch pad keep freezing on users. More than one new MacBook Pro with Retina owner noted that when speaking with Apple representatives, they were assured that the issues are software related and have nothing to do with a hardware problem. Here’s what one Apple forum poster had to say:

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“I do have the same problem with my rMBP 13-inch and a couple of minutes ago I talked to the German Apple Support. He seemed to be honest and told me that it’s not a hardware but a software problem. He said that apple is working hard to fix this problem and is trying to publish a software update in about 2-3 weeks. He also said that not all late 13″ Retina do have this problem but I actually cannot believe that. I made a self diagnosis hardware test and it says that everything is working fine. Hopefully apple fixes this problem soon.”

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Another forum poster was also told by an Apple rep that the problems are rooted in software.

“I chatted AGAIN with tech support today and they yet again assured me it is a software issue. I also ran some hardware tests and no issues were found. I have faith that it is a software issue and not a hardware issue.”

If Apple indeed plans to release a software update in the next two to three weeks in an effort to rectify these freezing bugs, we can only hope that the patch will come sooner rather than later. In the interim, there don’t appear to be any surefire fixes, so you’ll either have to exercise patience or return your new MacBook Pro and buy again once the freezing issues are completely cleared up. In general, it’s wise to not opt in early on new tech, as newly released gear often comes with initial bugs. This is a case in point.

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Konrad Krawczyk
Konrad Krawczyk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Konrad covers desktops, laptops, tablets, sports tech and subjects in between for Digital Trends. Prior to joining DT, he…
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