macOS 12.3 Monterey Bricking Some Repaired 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros
MacRumors has corralled multiple reports of the macOS 12.3 Monterey update bricking Macs that have had their logic boards replaced, specifically 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. The problem appears to be related to a firmware bug that causes these Macs to enter an endless reboot loop or an “iBoot Panic” message. For luckier users, the update completes, but the Mac remains on an earlier version of macOS. For now, avoid updating your Mac if Apple has replaced its logic board as part of a repair. Apple is aware of the problem, and a fix will likely appear soon. Due to Apple integrating more hardware components onto the logic board, including memory and storage, replacements have become an increasingly common way to fix a wide variety of problems.
It bricked my totally factory original Mac mini (2018).
Ouch! What has Apple said about that?
Unfortunately just the canned response of a support article that eventually directed an erase/install/restore. I tried for several days to get them interested in figuring out why since I’d heard of similar instances but it went nowhere.
For reference, here is the Apple Developer Forums thread on the subject:
https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/701681
And that worked to bring the machine back, but the problem cropped up again when you tried to update again? I almost wonder if Apple might have replaced the logic board in your particular Mac for some odd reason before you ever got it.
No, it didn’t happen twice. It was erase, install fresh unused 12.3, restore from CCC backup with Migration Assistant. All good in the end but no one gave a hoot about figuring out the cause.
Not too surprising, I guess—the support reps are probably focused on getting you running again and figure that the engineers will be looking into the problem based on how they code the internal reports.