One of the main selling points of the new MacBook Pro—other than the ridiculously fast processors—is the abundance of ports, including the return of the on-board SD card reader. But according to early users, it’s not working as well as it should.
As reported by Macrumors, several MacBook Pro users are reporting “super flakey and inconsistent” performance with the SD card reader. The reports are somewhat varied, but seem to be related to the reader rather than a specific card, with the issue affecting various types and models.
The new MacBook Pro supports several varieties of SD card, including MultiMediaCard, Default Speed, High Speed, UHS-I, and UHS‑II cards. MiniSD and MicroSD are also supported via an adapter. The issues described appear to be software related and not due to failing hardware or incompatible cards.
Some users report that macOS Monterey 12.1 fixes the issue, while others say it persists after installing the beta. Several users who have discussed the issue with Apple support representatives say they’re been told that the company is aware of the issue and a fix is indeed coming in a software update. Apple released the final version of 12.1 on Tuesday, so it could contain a fix.
macOS 12.1 is due to release in the coming days, with the release candidate pushed to developers and beta testers this week. It includes SharePlay and several major bug fixes, including one where the MacBook Pro doesn’t charge via MagSafe with the lid is closed.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He's still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.