The new Mac models with the M1 chip from Apple seem to have a massive gap in functionality. When you restore your Mac mini or MacBook Air / Pro, the device becomes unusable and only displays an error message. According to MacRumors this is: "An error occurred preparing the update. Failed to personalize the software update." That means something like "An error occurred while preparing the update. Personalizing the software update failed.“- Several users have already reported this functional gap in the MacRumors forum. While Apple cannot yet offer a solution, they have already found one themselves.
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Apple Mac with M1 chip becomes unusable after recovery
In "at least three threads“The topic was discussed at the forum. MacRumors quotes user RyanFlynn in the post linked above:
I just received my M1 MacBook Pro and Macbook Air. Since I don't need any of the pre-installed software, my approach is always to use the OS without things like GarageBand and iMovie restore.
During the installation process an error related to the "Adaptation of the system update" occurs.
After a few hours on the phone with Apple Care they informed me that 75 other people have reported the problem and they have no solution ready. I was instructed to return my devices or wait for a solution. Without a running operating system there is no way for me to install future updates so these computers are effectively scrapped.
A detour solution: restore an M1 Mac with another Mac
While Apple support has not yet been able to provide a solution to the affected users, MacRumors provides it itself. It also comes from readers and requires not only the faulty M1 Mac, but another Apple computer. In addition, a cable is required to connect the two devices and Apple Configurator 2 (here are the official instructions). Restoring from another Mac resets the firmware, updates the reset operating system to the latest version, and installs this macOS on the internal storage of the target Mac. Data will be lost in the process.
Recommendation: Do not restore an Apple Mac with an M1 chip for the time being
Currently it should be the case with the new Mac models from Apple - the MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air and the Mac mini - give no reason for recovery. If, like the user quoted above, you want to get rid of preinstalled apps, you can simply uninstall them. In any case, you run the risk of wrecking your computer when restoring M1 Macs with the latest version of macOS Big Sur. Incidentally, it is similar when installing macOS Big Sur on old MacBook Pro models from 2013 and 2014. You can find the article on the topic here: ATTENTION - macOS Big Sur is wrecking old MacBook Pros!
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After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.
