MacBook Air (Late-2010): Screen Flickering (Artifacts) or Blue/Gray and Freeze

Some MacBook Air (Late 2010) 11″ and 13.3″ users have reported an issue in which the screen suddenly displays a variety of flickering graphic artifacts (strange colors and lines) and the system freezes. In other cases, the screen may turn blue or gray prior to the freeze.

This YouTube video depicts the problem.

The problem appears more likely to occur when an external display or projector is connected.

In some cases, simply closing the MacBook Air then opening it again can provide temporary relief from the flickering.

A similar issue affected has affected previous MacBook and MacBook Pro models, and has generally been caused by bad RAM, faulty logic boards/GPUs or firmware-specific issues.

Some users have reported that swapping their MacBook Airs for new models eliminates the problem, but we have also received anecdotal reports indicating that Apple is working on a patch that will resolve the issue.

SK( Managing Editor )

Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.

In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.