Moo be gone! Apple releases MacBook SMC firmware update

Hey MacBook owners, Apple just released an SMC firmware update which might rid your box of any annoying barnyard noises. According to Apple, the new firmware "adjusts fan behavior" in the MacBook, the same fan identified as the culprit behind those wee "moos." Although not as widely reported as the issues with discoloration which Apple has already addressed, the mooing sound (click to listen) seems to stem from the MacBook's fan repetitively turning on and off at certain temperatures and loads. Early reports from those who installed the update over at sister site TUAW, seem to suggest that this SMC update to 1.4f10 does the trick while also reducing the MacBook's overall temperature. So what's keepin' ya sport, best get a mooove on. Yeah, that was painful... but so there.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in, via TUAW]

[Jamie @ Aug 18th 2006 9:32AM]

My MacBook temps have dropped, on average, by 10oC. The case is now MUCH cooler... the top left corner used to be unbarable, now its slightly warm... what an improvement an update makes!

I believe this temp difference is not just my experience, but all users' experiences. All I can say is, finally!

[Benson Leung @ Aug 18th 2006 9:39AM]

Jamie... same here. 10 to 15C drop in idle temperature, from an average of 65C before the patch to about 50C after.

Very much cooler under all operating conditions. The fans are not any louder than before, as far as I can tell.

[thomas_h @ Aug 18th 2006 9:55AM]

why dont they release an update for the macbook pro to remove the mooing too. its been out for longer than the mb. and while theyre at it, why dont fix the airport issue the one when it looses connection. sometimes my mbp loses connection to my router 3 times in 1/2 hour. its just annoying.

[san @ Aug 18th 2006 10:23AM]

My MacBook was never one of the units that got unbearably or untouchably hot. It just quickly got very hot on the lefthand side, on the bottom. Under strain -- like playing SpongeBob videos for my son last night -- even the keyboard on the lefthand side got pretty hot, again quickly. I was at the point where I could still, at least barely, balance it on my lap and use it.

Just installed the update and wow is it running cooler. With video playing. I would call it vaguely warm now. In fact, I was using the MacBook on my lap in bed, downloaded the update, had to go to my desk to plug in the power adapter for the update, ran the update, unplugged and back to the bed. I actually had to wait for the computer to cool down from pre-update use before I could tell how much cooler it was post-update.

That's the long way of saying, this works really well.

[san @ Aug 18th 2006 10:24AM]

Oh, it never "mooed", so I can't comment about that, just the heat.

[Jordan @ Aug 18th 2006 10:25AM]

I can't wait to try this out. My MacBook doesn't really get that hot, it's cooler than most laptops I've used, so I want to see how much it helps!

[Jordan @ Aug 18th 2006 10:26AM]

Oh yeah, mine never "mooed" either.

[Brad @ Aug 18th 2006 10:38AM]

My Dell Inspiron 8200 has been "moooing" for the last 3 years!!! Nothing out of the ordinary for Dell!

At least Apple patched the problem...

[Stan @ Aug 18th 2006 10:43AM]

Where can you get that cool wallpaper?

[Fred @ Aug 18th 2006 10:48AM]

Mine never mooed although it did seem to get very hot at times. Strangely it's been a lot better lately even pre-update, although that was probably my imagination. Now that I've installed the update it does seem to be cooler - temperatures dropped to mid 50s when surfing the internet rather than high 60s or low 70s. This should help ultimately with both battary life and general lifetime of the computer as well.

[Dr. Whatever @ Aug 18th 2006 10:48AM]

The installation didn't work at first. The same message kept coming up. I recently installed Bootcamp and my starup disc was the XP partitition. I changed it to OSX and tried rebooted the computer again and it worked just fine. The computer in much cooler but i never had the "mooing"-problem. Thanks Apple!

[Motoxo @ Aug 18th 2006 10:53AM]

If only these had been Gateways ... it would have gone over as a feature.

[Patrick @ Aug 18th 2006 10:56AM]

My Shuttle PC desktop does this all the time with the autofan on. I've just gotten used to it. Mooooooooooo mooooooooooooooo.

-p-

[totoro @ Aug 18th 2006 11:26AM]

Made a huge difference-10C cooler running temps, and no mooing. This really was a major fix by Apple.

[Will @ Aug 18th 2006 11:33AM]

I was very outspoken about the heat of the MacBook Pro, and I even re-applied the thermal paste. Anyway, I really believe that the Core Duo needs extra time to cure the thermal paste. It seems that people notice their core duo laptops getting cooler as time goes on. Of course I have no way to back this up, but it seems logical.

[Chris @ Aug 18th 2006 11:46AM]

Never had a moo here in over a month of owning it. In fact, I can probably count on one hand the number of times the fan has come on.

[xzavier @ Aug 18th 2006 11:56AM]

Dam I thought Apple was moooving in on Gateway PC's market shares! First they make there products white, then they switch to Intel processors, then the mooing sound!

I thought they had something going there for a minuet. I'm disappointed in you Apple...

[Reid Sorenson @ Aug 18th 2006 2:08PM]

Okay, I watched that whole three minute video and never heard anything remotely like a moo. In fact, I couldn't hear the computer making any sound at all, just some guy talking about watching the fan spin up and down, and then going "here's the moo..." WTF?

[London @ Aug 18th 2006 3:44PM]

I kind of liked the mooing. It was rather soothing. But cooler temps will be much appreciated by my knees.

[Mike K. @ Aug 18th 2006 3:55PM]

Also confirmed that the overall temperature of my MacBook seems a bit lower. Nothing major mind you. I never had one of the "mooing" MacBooks (nor had I ever seen one at the Apple reseller at which I work), but I do believe "they're out there". So hopefully this will de-moo-ify them.

[Mookie @ Aug 18th 2006 4:39PM]

Mine moos like a cow in heat. It's doing it right now, in fact. My only fear with the update is that it will stop mooing and turn into one long moan, which would be worse (reports are that the fans mostly stay on after the update). Does anyone know how one reverses a firmware update if one wants to go back to the old system?

[Thomas Ricker @ Aug 18th 2006 5:06PM]

for those of you asking for the picture source:

http://www.pbase.com/lou_smith/mad_cows

Thomas

[jojo @ Aug 18th 2006 8:08PM]

This is a real nice update; by running cooler, apple reduces the risk of of battery damage and now it seems that the macbook cpu runs faster

[julie @ Aug 18th 2006 10:09PM]

Moo or not, my macbook is MUCH COOLER than before, perhaps 20C on average, more when it's working hard. Yeah, I hear a very small steady fan running more often but my desk isn't in danger or melting.

About time, thanks apple!

[tearsinhiseyesiguess @ Aug 18th 2006 11:45PM]

I ordered a MacBook the first hour that they were available, and yes, mine *was* a moo-er.
And Mookie, no. You can barely hear the fan at all, it's not even close to that mooing noise.
This update is AWESOME, it's like I got a whole new machine. It's WAY cooler than before, and I get to use it in bed now!

[Jordan @ Aug 19th 2006 12:10AM]

Okay, this is just plain unbelievable.

My Macbook went from 62 degrees C at the time of upgrade to running 33-35 degrees C afterwords on average.

How in the ?!?!

I have never heard the fan pre or post-update, though if I put my ear to the optical drive slot, I can now hear a VERY faint wind noise. Maybe it just runs all of the time at low speed now? It is so faint, it's hard to even describe.

On the back of the computer, I hear a sort of electronic noise VERY faintly, which pauses while the hard drive is being accessed, so I am guessing that is some idle noise from the hard drive. I think that it is a Seagate, so I think that is pretty normal.

Anyway, never in my life have I seen a firmware upgrade do so much. I am using it on my lap right now, and it's completely comfortable.

I HIGHLY recommend this update!

[BadtzMaru9000 @ Aug 19th 2006 3:32AM]

My MacBook never mooed but that upper left corner sure is cool now. Can't grill an egg anymore.

[Joe @ Aug 19th 2006 9:36AM]

With all of the major issues getting resolved, it looks like its getting close to a good time to invest in one of these macbooks. I'm still holding out for the next official revision though. I really hope they put the latest Core2 Duo's in there - although it would be great if they reduced the price of the current line-up to reflect the reduced cost of the current CPU's.

[anonymous @ Aug 21st 2006 10:33AM]

i also hear an "electronic noise" when my hard drive is not being accessed... could this be the (in)famous macbook whine?

http://forums.macnn.com/69/powerbook-and-macbook-pro/286994/the-macbook-whine/2/

it goes away when i use photo booth, just like they say there.

the unbearable heat is gone now, but i think this noise is just as bad :(

[Vladimir @ Aug 29th 2006 1:10PM]

My kneeds have been saved! thank you Jesus.

[Kimberly @ Sep 17th 2006 2:47PM]

Anyone have a problem with their MacBook randomly shutting down ever since the update? The shutdown seems to coincide with the fans coming on, but it doesn't happen every time.

[Juan Miguel @ Dec 10th 2006 12:27AM]

Hello,
I wonder if anyone has the same problem I'm having with my MacBook, which isn't at all a mooing sound, but rather the sound of a squeaky door/window being opened and shut. This annoying sound seems to appear out of nowhere!
If anybody can tell me about this..whether it's normal or not, I would greatly appreciate it.