warning for anyone with a mac..

[FluffyMarshmellow]

I had a mac M2 for over a year with zero problems, was happy with it so a month ago decided to upgrade to the M4 version..

Long story short.. I have now just sent the 4th replacement back and asked for my money back. 4 in one month all with the exact same issue..

Confirmed to me today that there is an issue with the m4 versions when you factory reset the machine.

Hard drive will fail and you will be left with zero way to get it back on again, no picture on screen, and a flashing orange light. Just warning anyone that might be planning to reset theirs to sell or give away etc.

The first three I had did the above, the fourth one turned itself off randomly and never came back on.. I had it for less than one day when it happened.

So disappointed because I loved the mac and how seamless it was with my iPhone but I can't chance it happening again and I don't want this to happen to anyone else.

I am intrigued as to why anyone would upgrade so quickly - I keep each of my MacBooks for about 7 years before upgrading, and they still work perfectly even at that point! I had a 2015 version I gave to a colleague that's still going strong.

The newer ones just don’t last that long.

My 2012 still works like a dream.
My 2015 can still do day to day tasks but can’t handle video editing or anything too processor intensive anymore.
My 2020 is toast.
My 2023 is still going strong so far…

I'm aware, from forums I'm on e.g. Reddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/stm32/s/jVwPQJJRQq

that there are some problems with resetting but I don't know how widespread it is - there is a guide and how to do it here:

https://www.donemax.com/mac-data-erasure/factory-reset-a-m4-chip-mac.html

which also mentions an alternative way do it using software.

I’ve got an M3 MacBook Pro and a studio. Both fab. The Pro only allows one extra screen which is annoying though.