Apple updates firmware for MacBook Pro, Mac mini

On Wednesday 14 September 2011, Apple released firmware updates for the latest Mac mini and MacBook Pro models to solve problems with Lion Internet Recovery and Thunderbolt connectivity.

The update EFI Firmware Update 1.3 (for mini Mac models shipped in mid-2011) provides stability improvements for Lion Internet Recovery (Internet recovery solution) and fixes an error on the Apple Thunderbolt Display compatibility as well as performance in Thunderbolt Target Disk mode.

The MacBook Pro patch - EFI Firmware Update 2.2 - provides similar Thunderbolt fixes, although unlike the Mac mini, the MacBook Pro is not released with Internet Recovery. Thus, this update seems to really allow Internet Recovery on the MacBook Pro. In the case of a hard drive failure, Internet Recovery allows you to receive support and reinstall Lion via the Internet, without the need for a Lion Recovery partition table available on the hard drive.

To update your Mac mini or MacBook Pro, you can download the software from Software Update or from the Apple support website.