Cinema Displays Get Firmware Fix To Address Flickering

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Way back in March, we’d started hearing reports about Apple’s Cinema Display monitors having some issues with flickering. This had to come as a pretty big blow to MacBook Pro users, especially those just beginning to enjoy the new Thunderbolt connections. But now, the folks at Apple are quietly–or were quietly, until we got hold of it–pushing out a firmware update geared toward fixing the flickering problem.

The current reports say that the firmware update in question was posted to the Apple Discussion Forums, instead of on the Support Downloads page. This is something of a departure from the norm at last report, as normally, firmware fixes don’t hit the forum first but go to the Support Downloads page. Why the deviation hit in the first place is somewhat unclear, but it’s a strange one to say the least.

Anyway, the thing that matters, especially for those of you with flickering Cinema Display units, is that you’ll now be able to get a fix for those times when your picture starts taking on a life of its own. The download is just under a meg, so most any internet connection should be able to tackle it without incident. But there are some caveats here: one, you’ll need to have your 24 inch LED Cinema Display connected to a Mac with Thunderbolt to fix the problem (and as the reports suggest it’s only those models connected to Thunderbolt that are really having the problems to begin with). Also note that if you’re using a Mini DisplayPort extender cable, the firmware update may not actually fix the problem. Also, you’ll want to disconnect your USB and FireWire devices and use only your Apple keyboard and mouse to handle the update, as there are some (not necessarily all, from the reports) devices that might interfere with the update.

Undoubtedly this will be a fix that Apple users will welcome, so if you happen to be one of them, we’d love to hear from you. Are you having troubles with your Thunderbolt Cinema Display? Did the firmware fix do the job for you? Head on down to the comments section and fill us in on your progress!