Is your new MacBook Air crashing frequently? Blame Google Chrome
Several users on Apple's Support Communities reported that their new MacBook Airs have crashed frequently, and in most cases they have pinned Google Chrome as the main cause. Luckily, all of our speculation was cleared up this evening.
Context & Ripple Effects
MacBook Air hardware had already faced visible launch-quality problems in 2010, including reported screen defects that Apple later acknowledged internally. The 2012 crashes matter because reports point away from a component fault and toward a widely used third-party browser.
Chrome's growing browser reach raises the support stakes for Apple and Google: a stability problem on a newly purchased MacBook Air can be experienced as a failure of the computer, regardless of which company owns the underlying software.
First-order effects
- New MacBook Air owners using Chrome face crashes until they change browser use or Google addresses the identified cause, while Apple support must distinguish application-triggered failures from hardware defects.
Second-order effects
- Google faces pressure to validate Chrome more tightly against new Mac hardware and OS configurations, because its browser can shape perceptions of Apple’s notebook reliability.
Third-order effects
- As browsers become central, continuously updated software on personal computers, device makers and application vendors share accountability for launch stability rather than being judged in isolation.
The trend: The MacBook Air reports illustrate how platform reliability is increasingly determined by the interaction between flagship hardware and dominant third-party software.