Macbook Air M1 - kernel panic

After no issues for a two months after switching to a USB-C to Display port without a dongle I now had the issue again the third time in a week. Nothing in my setup has changed, except that maybe I now have the screen open on the mac.

So I believe it may not happen if the lid is closed while using my 4k LG monitor.

(Also I use the apple dongle for power and my mouse, not the display, but that has not changed)

Hi guys, I'm experiencing the same problem here in France... So I have the pink screen with lines and this is followed by the restart of the computer and the "SID 0 PTE invalid exception" error.

Just to be clear, I have faced this problem twice while I was using the MacBook Air M1 on battery without any external device connected. I am really disappointed to read all this posts without any long term clear solution .. I have already changed the computer by a brand new m1 but the problem is still here.

same here, the trackpad issue is diagnosed when i’m using the bluetooth trackpad. The panic never occured while using my MBA on battery (not connected to the external monitor / bluetooth keyboard and trackpad). The trackpad issue won’t appear as well.

They are notorious for blaming the issues and countless others on third-party apps....even though many are partners of theirs. This random reboot issue occurs with far more than just games. I don't use a single game app and it happens just as often on my 2nd MacBook Air M1! Apple is not resolving this issue. I've been trying to urge them to fix it for about six months now. They are well aware of the issue.

Hi All

As reported by some others, keeping the lid down while working on an external screen seems to help me. I seem to have had a worse than usual case of the panics with about 10 per week. In lid down mode that number is greatly reduced but its not very good for touch ID!

I don't expect this to solve all of everyone's problems but it might "solve" some of some people's problems until Apple does something.

Closing the lid negatively affects the WiFi antenna, too, because it's located in the lid which is designed to be vertical when used. Apple told me that years ago. Just another reason Apple engineers need to fix this dang problem for good!

Same / similar issues here. I'm really disturbed to see how long these problems have been unresolved.

I bought an M1 MacBookPro in May and it had several kernel panics a day. A technician at the Mac shop in Covent Garden London tried to pass it off as something I had added to the setup (not the case - based on evidence of crashes). He then said 'oh - it's only happened once, it won't happen again' - again, based on no evidence - and despite the fact it had happened several times a day. In fact, he told me to just 'switch it off and on again' as though that was a sufficient response. A huge waste of my time.

After I spent more time talking to the technicians online, Apple eventually admitted the machine probably had a hardware fault and sent me a new M1 by advance return. It ran for three weeks without a hitch but has just had the same problem again. I can't think of anything in the setup or usage that has changed. This really undermines my confidence in the machine. I work with live performance so can't risk having a machine that's so flakey it spontaneously crashes for no apparent reason. I've spent so many hours installing and reinstalling software - I can't bear to go through this all again, and get the run-around from Apple again before they come up with a fix.

Today's kernel panic seemed to be related to power management. A message came on the screen after the system crash saying the machine was going into power management mode (despite the fact it's fully charged and operating noything more demanding than a hard drive that works reliably on every other machine).

I'm also using a Dell screen. Have tried it on HDMI and DPI. The latter won't work at all. I bought this machine expecting to use it with my recent monitor as it clearly states on the Mac site it supports an external monitor.

Do you think it's time to give up on the M1 and wait until they release a setup that's properly tested and debugged? This machine is clearly not fit for purpose.

"Do you think it's time to give up on the M1 and wait until they release a setup that's properly tested and debugged?"

I would say "yes".

I went into my local Genius Bar last Saturday - you can see from my various comments on this thread that I've had very similar problems related to my external monitor on two M1 Macbook Airs. The head tech there said I could wait for a 'miraculous' firmware update from Apple or get my money back, as the product isn't working as advertised. Apparently he's seen a lot of folks with similar issues.

Can't wait around for the next gen Macbook, so I think I might get an M1 Imac instead, as I don't see any major problems with them reported on this forum. Yet.

I’m old enough that my memory does play tricks on me, but I’m quite sure the poster said she had the problem with an iMac. I don’t recall however if an additional monitor was mentioned or not. My MBP has only done it with an additional monitor attached, and had the worst frequency of kernel panics with a Dell monitor. I have had one panic event with an LG monitor. It has not occurred when I am just using the laptop without any peripherals. There are a few posters in the thread who have, however. I’m sorry if I’ve remembered incorrectly about the iMac issue, but sometimes I can’t remember what I had for breakfast.

lol, no worries - I'll keep an eye out for those iMac issues. My two MBAs only ever did it when attached to my HP monitor - until yesterday. Had my first pink screen with only the magic mouse and keyboard attached. Hoping that's a one-off!

Update on the M1 mini situation. Previously 2x M1 minis connected via hdmi to qhd monitors, both pink screening about 1/day.

Replaced both hdmi leads with certified 8k FireWire/usb c to hdmi cables.

Behaviour unchanged. Still pink screens

Hmm....I was advised to do an SMC reset a couple of times on the phone. And run a diagnostic test. This was for the first M1 MBP which Apple eventually replaced. And the replacement has already exhibited a similar Kernel-panic. So am now not sure what to do. It does feel as though shared, systemic problems with these machines are being treated as 'one-offs' as each of us calls in.

If I send the second back I have no machine to work on. My previous machine (which worked for 6+ years without a hitch) was from 2014 - it's great but is in poor shape now, due to lots of touring, and it can barely keep up with latest software. I didn't buy an interim machine as the butterfly keyboard issue was a deal-breaker. I thought the M1 was the model that could be my workhorse for the foreseeable but based on evidence, that's far from the case. The M1 is fast becoming the piece of kit that's so flakey, it's making me nervous about the next live show. Which means it's not up to the job.

Are there any engineers from within Apple on this forum?

Given the amount of unpaid beta testing I think I'm doing at the moment, would it be okay to hang onto this model, on the understanding it's defective, then do a straight swap for the next iteration, which will hopefully have ironed out these serious issues?

If that doesn't sound like a goer - a serious question: What's the best Microsoft-ready alternative? I have so many projects with deadlines. I'd desperate for a way around this.

...I hope that doesn't sound snarky - am genuinely trying to lay out the issues and weigh up my options here before warranties run out. If you're a live performer, the last thing you need is a machine that spontaneously crashes and reboots. If there's an honest admission something is awry with the M1 and a hardware fix is forthcoming with a month or so, then I'll keep it and/or wait for a swap it for the replacement that does work. Otherwise, I may need to jump ship now.

same problem happened for the second time in the same day after resetting smc unfortunately... this MacBook is a real pain. The problem is dock related according to the apple support. I said the problem also occurred without external devices connected and they asked me for the error reports at these moments, since I had no more logs after the complete reinstall of the OS, it was not possible for me to give them more specifics (however normally crash are reported to apple, so it was a bit surprising request from apple)... what a waste of time.

Right ,thanks for your feedback, it's probably the right reason.Because I've got the same trouble.And it's happened when I switch off my monitor.It crashs few minutes after using my laptop .It's quiet annoying when you don't know...

Well, my replacement M1 had the pink flash, Kernel panic and spontaneous reboot this morning, while checking emails plugged into a monitor. First defective M1 they sent did the same - and I also have logs to show that one crashing with no peripherals, nothing more than Safari running. I wasn't using Safari today. I've had crashes whether I've used a Mac Thunderbolt adapter; an Anker one or had no peripherals attached at all. It may be that the pink flash only happens when my (2 year-old) external monitor is attached. It may be that I've only noticed the pink flash with that particular setup.

Does anyone know which department of Apple to write to about this? I don't want to go through tech support and be palmed off again with the 'it's a one off' / 'it's your setup' story again. All the evidence here suggests otherwise. They shouldn't be surprised to get another call about this - I'd be astonished if they're not aware this is a systemic problem.

This machine is unusable as it's so prone to crashing. At least that means we have consumer rights law.