Dead MacBook M1 after Using USB-C Multiport Hub Adapters/Docks

I think that nobody knows for sure, but IT SEEMS that the issue only happens when the MacBook M1 is powered via the Hub (PD). It is probably safe to use the Hub without connecting a power adapter to the Hub. Connect the power adapter directly to the MacBook. At least I'm doing that until this issue is cleared up. So far, so good.

Callaway, do you mean charging an iPhone by connecting it to the MacBook Air M1? I would not do it. I'm really scared about the issue. I need the MacBook for work and can't afford to have it in the shop for a week again.

Sir Lancaster wrote:

Callaway, do you mean charging an iPhone by connecting it to the MacBook Air M1? I would not do it. I'm really scared about the issue. I need the MacBook for work and can't afford to have it in the shop for a week again.

I have connected my iPhone 11 Pro directly to my M1 MacBook Air

without any issues (syncing, updating, tethered hotspot).

I wonder if the issue is occurring only with the 7 core GPU versions,

the 8 core GPU versions, or a mix of the two.

FWIW, it is obviously not happening with all new MacBook Airs otherwise

there would be 100's of posts with thousands of threads. There are 10's of thousands

of M1 MacBook Airs in the wild (probably and under estimate) so it seems

the percentage failures are not large and may even be limited to a certain

production run.

Looking through the user reviews for a single USB-C hub on Amazon, I found seven reports of dead M1 Macbooks in a total of 4,123 reviews.

Apple's market share of laptops is 9.6 % so maybe 395 of those reviews are from Apple users. At least 95% of Apple users are still using Intel, so perhaps 20 of those reviews are from Apple users with M1 Macs.

Seven out of twenty is not a small percentage. It's more than one in three. For one in three laptops to fail within the first three months of the product's launch is catastrophic.

It looks like Power Delivery through the hub is the problem in some cases. On YouTube I also saw some video's on the matter. For now I wil put the power supply directly in the notebook and leave the USB-c socket in the hub empty.

FWIW, reviews are a poor indicator. More people report

when they have a bad experiences vs. the number of

people with good experiences reporting them. That is

a generally known statistical fact, i.e. people are more

likely to complain than praise. The real number of "actual"

purchases of that product are likely 10-100 times higher

or more compared to the total number of reviews.

This doesn't just apply to the product you mention but

to any product on a retail site that has a review section.

Also, if it was truly a widespread problem, there would be multiple

threads with hundreds or more posts here which I have seen here

over the years when there was a widespread issue, i.e. I have seen

some "serious" issues with threads of upto a few thousand posts.

woodmeister50 probably the issue is associated with a factory or batch. Only Apple knows... My guess is that there are thousands of machines out there waiting for the issue to happen. But not everybody uses PD thru a USB-C hub. And not everybody takes the time to come to a forum to post. I think that most people just go to the Apple Store, get the issue resolved (machine replaced or repaired) and get back to work...

Does anyone know why HUB can damage the MACs, shouldn't the Mac have protections? I have read mixed reports of this happening on non powered hubs can anyone confirm?

I have a MB Air on order and I'm wondering what I should do.

I agree with Sir Lancaster,

I was experiencing heratic problems when using the ethernet interface on my Belkin USB-C hub F4U092 .

Yesterday, I found that the problems ( well at least some of the problems) went away when I stopped powering the MacBook M1 via the Hub. So I will also never connect anymore a power adapter to the hub.

Thanks for the link.

Glad to know that Apple acknowledges the issue. Even after updating I will be a little worried until I read real-life experiences and confirmation. But this is definitely a relief.

macOS Big Sur 11.2.2

macOS Big Sur 11.2.2 prevents MacBook Pro (2019 or later) and MacBook Air (2020 or later) models from incurring damage when they are connected to certain third-party, non-compliant powered USB-C hubs and docks.

[2/25/21 follow up] The Big Sur update that's directed at this issue

came out today, but I'll hold off another few days from re-purchasing in

case any info about the update's success comes out. There have been

incidents with larger brands I'd expect would be USB-certified.

My daughter's 2017 MBP 13" ended up at Apple after both her USB-C ports failed after installing Big Sur. They sent it to be fixed saying it is the logic board. AppleCare ran out so this is now an out of pocket expense ($500). Now after reading some of these threads, maybe it isn't the logic board and the new OS? Would love to know if others with slightly older laptops have had this issue

Apple released Mac OS 11.2.2 yesterday just to solve this problem. Apple still claims it has to do with the 3rd party hubs. Not any Windows machines has issues with usb-c hubs.

I hope it's solved by now.

The thing is: I spoke to Apple support 1 week ago and they were still blaming 3rd party hub's and now there's an update solving the problem (is it?...). Transparency would haven been: "We're working on an update. In the meantime put your power supply directly in the notebook. Sorry for the inconvenience").

I'm glad to hear Apple solve the problem.

But, as you pointed out, Windows users do not seem to have this issue.

And it happens not only to M1 Macbook but also to Intel Macbook with thunderbolt 3 ports.

I upgraded My daughter's 2018 Macbook air to BigSur before using $100 USB-C Caldigit SOHO dock, which is not cheap and not from minor brand - Caldigit TB3+ is most acclaimed dock for Macbook with thunderbolt3 ports.

Therefore, in my opinion, Apple should admit that it is not 3rd party hubs but BigSur OS that causes this issue.

If it is not, BigSur update should not be able to solve the issue.

Since my daughter could not wait for repairing her 2018 Macbook air, I had no choice but to buy her M1 Macbook air. :(