Q: Mid-2013 Macbook Air screen goes black?

I am experiencing same thing and Google Chrome is on when this happens. I am inclined to agree with Street that it could be google chrome.

Shifting to safari now

Yup it's definetely Chrome for me. After switching to FF, blackouts are gone. Get it together, google

I found this issue listed in the chromium issues database here (it's a bit old apparently): http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=95315

I've reported my own findings there, along with linking to this thread for documentation/reference. Hopefully we can get this fixed sooner than later, definitely seems to be a Chrome issue.

Note my problem has NOTHING to do with Chrome. I don't use it. It's installed in my Application folder, but I don't recall ever launching it and I don't think that if I did that it installed anything that would cause a conflict. I'm simply using my MBA 2013 13-inch and BOOM.

It's entirely possible that there are two separate but similar issues appearing here. One of them seems to be associated with Chrome.

O ppl. What about thinking about common cause? The problem is in Apple drivers.

Chrome might be an app which shows this problem. But it's not Chrome fault. Exactly like it wasn't Skypes problem with not working camera.

Ppl come on! Apple also makes mistakes and it is one of these! I'm using 2013 MBA since it's day one and I have those blackouts from time to time. With and without chrome. Thats live. Apple makes mistakes and is slow in fixing them.

My wife's MBA never experiencing any blackouts after the recent updates from Chrome. She is using Chrome as primary browser.

However I notice a USB external disk attached to her MBA sometimes disconnected by itself, and the OS X is warned we could lose data if we disconnect HDD EXT without ejecting. LOL. This OS is so funny.

I read somewhere that this Haswell experiencing underpowered USB. But people tried using adapter powered USB hub and still disconnected.

Buggy laptop! Nice going Apple.

Update as it looks like my issue may be solved.  Oct 1 got new MBA air it suffered the randon black screen, touch any key and it came back immediately.  Was able to replicate at will by closing lid until screen went black then open and 17-30 seconds later I would gety black screen, touch any key and back to normal.  Went to genius bar, they booted system off of stores clean OSX 10.8.5 was no longer able to replicate issue.  Tech then installed a clean copy of this OSX on my machine went home could not replicate.  Used time machine to restore my files and apps this time only checking users and appications to restore (I unchecked settings and other files).  Now I was able to reproduce the black screen.  Went back to genius bar and told them, they went into library and deleted a file that has settings that transfers over with users data.  Once they did this I was unable to produce the black screen.  Seems like the issue may be solved.

Now my data restore was from a 2008 MBP which I replaced with this computer, I think that computer came with leopard and was eventually upgraded to lion.  Something in the users settings from that MBP did not play nice with the MBA's copy of mountain lion.  Removing that folder from library seemed to solve my issue.  Now my machine does NOT have chrome installed. Something in users settings from older machines is not playing nice with the MBA's new aggressive battery saving protocol.

fekimoki wrote:

 

However I notice a USB external disk attached to her MBA sometimes disconnected by itself, [...]

I have exactly that problem (plus blackouts) using a USB to Ethernet dongle

It is similar to blackouts in that some days I have no such problems and some days I have to replug the USB seven or eight times befor it will stay powered up.

I have a feeling to meet the marketing pressure to achive 12 hours battery time the power management implementation was a bit too agressive. Old Nokia mobile phones had similar problems showing full signal bars when signal was lost long ago. just becuase the backend had been powered down the screen was showing old data. press a key, et voila the screen was updated again.

Happens to me on a MBA w/8GB i7 1.7.

But it only happens if Chrome is running. Wondering if this is a driver issue?

Hi, I talked to apple support the other day since I was getting black screens very often and they told me to turn off my mac and reboot it while holding cmd+alt+p+r until you hear the start-up music the second time. I really doubted that this would make any difference, but so far so good after a few days. I suggest you give it a try yourselves.

I have the same issue with the MBA 11 inch using Chrome on battery. I could shift away from Chrome, but I like Chrome.

I have a late 2010 Macbook Air and I have also recently started experiencing the same problem. The computer randomly goes to sleep.

Just finished installing Mavericks and it looks like the issue is gone, at least when closing the lid and opening it again. Hopefully it's fixed for good, but it could pop up again in some other situation. Will report more once I've had more time to test.

Hurray!