A round-up of firmware updates across 15.4, 14.7.5 and 13.7.5, prospects for future macOS and firmware updates, and problems updating to 15.4.
T2
T2 Macs updated to 15.3.2 should have a newer firmware version than those who installed the Safari update for Sonoma or Ventura, but what is 14.7.5 and 13.7.5? Time to deconfuse.
Two important catches that can cause a macOS installation to fail in Apple silicon: using the DFU port, and not setting up ownership correctly. Both are explained here.
Some support USB4, others don’t. Some share the controller, others don’t. Some support DFU mode but then can’t be used to create a bootable external disk on Apple silicon.
Which versions of macOS can you ‘dual boot’, should you install them all on the internal SSD, or is a bootable external disk better, and when would you need to virtualise?
How FileVault and APFS Encrypted are enabled and managed differently, and details of how they work internally. Concentrates on T2 and Apple silicon Macs, but also covers older Intel models.
Did you spot the change that didn’t take place as expected in the 15.2 update this week? It marks the end of the Intel era for Macs.
How Intel Macs without a T2 chip boot, and how Secure Boot works in those with T2 or Apple silicon chips. How the latter can still enjoy Secure Boot when starting up from an external disk.
First securing the Home folder in an encrypted sparse disk image, then to whole-volume encryption using CoreStorage, now using T2 and Apple silicon chips.
Latest macOS updates bring revised firmware for most models. Here are details of which are no longer being updated, and what’s likely in the future.
The Eclectic Light Company 