While iMac EFI Update 1.6 is described as including “fixes that improve performance and stability for Thunderbolt,” it would also seem that an unadvertised benefit is that it also unlocks the full 6Gb/s, SATA 3.0 capabilities of two of the internal drive bays. Unfortunately, the optical bay remains at 3Gb/s.
With the 2011 iMac’s EFI Update 1.6 unlocking 6GB/s SATA capabilities, you have no excuse not to plop down the cash for OCZ’s Vertex 3, a pretty monster SSD with outstanding read & write performance (taking advantage of the unlocked bandwidth). The only problem is just how to get behind that tricky panel to make the swap.
MacBooks are more easily accessible, however, and the 2011 MacBook Pros are also receiving an EFI update that’s addressing performance and Boot Camp issues. The only issue now is deciding whether you’re a desktop or laptop guy.
Boot Camp, the utility OS X users rely on to natively install Windows on their hard drives, was updated late last night to address several issues with the MacBook Pro 2011 models released in February. The update, available here, fixes some issues with unexpected shutdowns and Japanese / Korean keyboards, and it’s highly recommended for owners of the new MacBook Pros.
For more information about Boot Camp, visit Apple’s dedicated webpage.
An Apple support note released on Friday has revealed that Boot Camp will only work with Windows 7 on the new MacBook Pros that were released last week, with drivers for Windows XP and Vista not supplied.
This follows a trend that was set by the Late 2010 MacBook Air that likewise didn’t include drivers for Windows XP and Vista. It would be assumed that Apple has stopped developing Boot Camp drivers for XP and Vista and all new Macs will solely support Windows 7.
