Apple's Federighi suggests GPU issues on 2016 Retina MacBook Pro fixed in macOS 10.12.2

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited December 2016
In email response to a customer regarding GPU anomalies associated with the Touch Bar MacBook Pro, Apple's senior VP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi suggested that the problem is solved in the latest macOS 10.12.2 beta.




In the email, sent to a MacRumors forum member, Federighi reportedly noted that he believes that everything software-related has been rectified. The executive declined to mention any specific fixes applied in the update.

Problems are inconsistent among users, with reports spanning both the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro. In an otherwise unaffected machine, some symptoms can be induced using non-updated software, but users are also reporting glitches in the login screen, as well as in Apple's own Photos app.




The most likely culprit for the graphical distortions is the hand-off between Intel's integrated graphics chip and the discrete Radeon Pro GPU. Intel issued a Windows-based update for Skylake integrated graphics earlier in December, which may have been folded into Tuesday's macOS beta.

AppleInsider has examined the new Sierra beta, and a large amount of the GPU drivers have been modified -- but by how much is impossible to tell. However, in the one case of profound distortion out of eight machines we have access to, the beta has in fact fixed the problem the user was having with subscription Adobe offerings.

The problem is still reproducible on some significantly older software dating back to OS X 10.8, however.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    We believe? So they don't know for sure?
  • Reply 2 of 17
    Kyle_Craft_COKyle_Craft_CO Posts: 5unconfirmed, member
    That would be nice....now if they would fix Time Machine freezes with USB-C drives and batter life :(. It has been a frustrating transition http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/new-mbp-2016-crashing-during-time-machine-backup.2017003/
  • Reply 3 of 17
    We believe? So they don't know for sure?
    Yes this is programmer's parleance. A bug may always jump in to make you embarrassed.
    levijkichline
  • Reply 4 of 17
    levilevi Posts: 344member
    We believe? So they don't know for sure?
    It's impossible to know definitively with these sorts of things. 
  • Reply 5 of 17
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    We believe? So they don't know for sure?
    There's only one way to be fully sure.
  • Reply 6 of 17
    Mr. Federighi has very nice hair. 
  • Reply 7 of 17
    jkichlinejkichline Posts: 1,369member
    We believe? So they don't know for sure?
    Yes this is programmer's parleance. A bug may always jump in to make you embarrassed.
    I agree. We fix bugs and test them within an inch of their life and sure as shoot... someone will still have a problem. It's usually unrelated and something we didn't see coming, but it looks bad if you said something was fixed and it wasn't.  It's typical to say "it should be fixed" just to preempt expectations.  You really never know until the code is "in the wild", but you do your best to know for sure.  It's surprising what happens to your creations when it's put into the hands of users.
  • Reply 8 of 17
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    We believe? So they don't know for sure?
    Actually as an owner running the latest betas on a year old 13" MBP id have to say nothing is certain.    Note that isnt the 2016 model and it doesnt have an external GPU but ive still have seen GPU related issues.   These issues havent been as bad as some described online but they are issues i havent seen before innMacOS.   Beyond that other issues have popped up with the betas im trying to get a handle on, it might be awhile before the next rev ships.  
  • Reply 9 of 17
    We believe? So they don't know for sure?
    Yes this is programmer's parleance. A bug may always jump in to make you embarrassed.
    Hardware has bugs too... the original computer bug was a moth among the tubes and relays.

  • Reply 10 of 17
    digitoldigitol Posts: 276member
    Wow. Just wow. The list of 2016 MacBook Pro issues just keeps on rolling. I would seriously advise folks wait for the next MacBook Pro, it will have AMD invidia internals.
  • Reply 11 of 17
    None of what has been said explains why I'm seeing the same graphics corruption issues in BootCamp as well as in macOS on my 2016 MBP with Radeon 460.
  • Reply 12 of 17
    digitol said:
    Wow. Just wow. The list of 2016 MacBook Pro issues just keeps on rolling. I would seriously advise folks wait for the next MacBook Pro, it will have AMD invidia internals.
    What the hell are "AMD invidia internals"?
  • Reply 13 of 17
    @fastasleep ;

    pshhhhh, if you don't know then you shouldn't ask!! Everyone knows invidia internals is the new upcoming thing of computing. It's more powerful than Nvidia or anything out today. It's coming to an Apple Mac soon.
    fastasleep
  • Reply 14 of 17
    mknelsonmknelson Posts: 1,124member
    digitol said:
    Wow. Just wow. The list of 2016 MacBook Pro issues just keeps on rolling. I would seriously advise folks wait for the next MacBook Pro, it will have AMD invidia internals.
    What the hell are "AMD invidia internals"?
    It's slugs, man! http://robotech.wikia.com/wiki/Invid
    fastasleep
  • Reply 15 of 17
    I also HAD a fully maxed out 15", returned it early this week. Reason: terrible battery life. 3-5 hours on moderate use (just web browsing, writing emails, wiring pages documents). And no, it was clean system, no extensions installed, no data transfer, nothing. My four year old 13" has better battery life... ridic. 
  • Reply 16 of 17
    prez said:
    I have a new 2016 15" MBP with maxed out specs, and I have installed the latest beta.  I can tell you with assurance, beta 5 made zero improvement on the problem.

    Well then, that settles it. 

    Thanks pal. Your one post assures us all that this must be the truth.
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