Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

iMac 2011 - No bluetooth w/Snow Leopard

I work at a University, we have some new mid-2011 iMacs. We are not yet moving to Lion, and so we reimage all machines with an up-to-date build of Snow Leopard. So far I have discovered that the bluetooth completely disappears in Snow Leopard on these machines (confirmed on 2 iMacs), even with a fresh install of Snow Leopard from dvd.


Bluetooth doesn't even appear in system_profiler (in the terminal)


What gives?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Mar 5, 2012 1:18 PM

Reply
11 replies

Mar 5, 2012 3:01 PM in response to captfred

I dont see how that helps me at all. We already have a base image that is 10.6.8, it has the same symptom as a 10.6 fresh install from CD, then updating to 10.6.8


One inlking I had was that there IS an EFI or firmware update, but the updater isnt providing it because the machine is on snow leopard and Apple has marked the update has for Lion only

Mar 5, 2012 3:15 PM in response to elislider

Just a reference to this requirement:


A Mac OS X v10.6.8 image created using the combo updater will support all Macs that support Mac OS X v10.6.x Snow Leopard. This includes support for the MacBook Pro (Early 2011) and iMac (Mid 2011) models.


Important: Even if the system you are imaging has the latest version of Mac OS X version installed, you must update it using the combo update in order to create an image that supports multiple Macs. You can manually download and re-install the latest combo updater from Apple Support Downloads before creating an image.

Mar 7, 2012 2:54 PM in response to elislider

As an update, Apple tech came today, replaced the motherboard, and there's no change in snow leopard (still no bluetooth). we tried booting to a Lion partition and the same problem, no bluetooth. so now we're not sure what is going on. This model (according to the tech, and the service docs, should have integrated bluetooth in the motherboard (instead of a separate card).

Mar 7, 2012 3:21 PM in response to elislider

We did some more research. Turns out these models don't actually have bluetooth, for reasons that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Bluetooth has been standard forever in the iMac, why isn't in these?! what the heck Apple??! Its not published on the GSX or on the purchasing website. The Apple tech had MacTracker and it showed it as no bluetooth, which was the only thing that tipped us off. Stupid Apple techs on the phone didnt think to look it up....

Mar 28, 2012 12:02 PM in response to elislider

I am having the same problem on a couple of macs at one of my campuses. We reimaged with our 10.6.8 image, and no bluetooth! didnt show up in system preferences and in the system profiler it showed no bluetooth was found. We even went back and reinstalled 10.7, still no bluetooth. I called apple support and apparently these late 2011 model imacs come with an education configuration. This basically means that the chip for bluetooth wasnt installed on the logic board and the only way for bluetooth can be used is to purchase a third party adapter! Now i have to go back to the campus and give them this information. Very frustrating. Hope this helps out at all.


Will.

Aug 29, 2012 12:32 PM in response to WlJcksn

They might not have Bluetooth sockets on the logic board to plug them into. I cannot order a bluetooth board for that model on GSX.


From GSX Service Guide:


Check for whether a Bluetooth board is installed or not. iMac 20-inch (Mid 2009) and iMac 21/25-inch (Late 2011) do not come with Bluetooth boards installed.


From EveryMac.com


http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-i3-3.1-21-inch-alumin um-late-2011-education-specs.html


Connectivity includes four USB 2.0 ports, a Firewire "800" port, built-in 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, and an SDXC card slot as well as a single Mini DisplayPort. It doesnot support internal Bluetooth.

Externally, the "Late 2011" iMac uses the same "edge-to-edge" glass design and "seamless all aluminum enclosure" as the "Mid-2011" models. Internally, however, the education-only "Late 2011" iMac is equipped with a slower processor with half the number of cores, less memory, less VRAM, a smaller hard drive as well as no support for Thunderbolt or internal Bluetooth. It also ships with a less capable Apple Mouse.

iMac 2011 - No bluetooth w/Snow Leopard

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.