Apple to Replace Faulty MacBook Air SSDs

Apple revealed Thursday that older versions of its MacBook Air might have faulty flash storage drives, which it will replace for free.

The issue, which could result in failed drives, affects certain 64GB and 128GB flash storage drives used in MacBook Airs sold between June 2012 through June 2013.

To find out if your machine is affected, go to the Mac App Store, click on Updates, and choose the MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.1. That update will test your drive and let you know if you need to have it replaced.

If you have a sad Mac, Apple recommended setting up a Genius Bar appointment at a local store, locating a nearby re-seller for assistance, or contacting Apple technical support.

Apple urged users to back up their data before bringing the MacBook Air in for service. Cupertino also warned against installing any OS update or new apps until the faulty drive is replaced.

"You will be able to reinstall the operating system version that shipped with your product by going to the Mac App Store," Apple said. "Any other applications or other data should be restored from the back up that you made before the replacement."

The glitch does not mean customers get any additional coverage under the standard warranty, which is good for three years after the sale.

These are not the devices currently on sale from Apple. At its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June, Apple updated its MacBook Air lineup with the new "Haswell" 4th-gen processors from Intel. The new 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs include faster graphics, faster Wi-Fi, and a big boost in battery life. For more, check out PCMag's review of the new 13-inch MacBook Air and 11-inch.