Apple's 12-inch MacBook may be coming closer to a rebirth

AppleInsider

A new rumor from a generally accurate leaker claims that Apple might be planning to bring back the 12-inch MacBook that was last updated in 2017 -- although it might not appear until 2024.

12-inch MacBook compared to 13-inch model

A new rumor on the Korean blog platform Naver from leaker "yeux1122" claims Apple plans to refresh the product, according to a source from a supply chain parts company in Taiwan. Apple reportedly intends to announce whether mass production of the device will begin as early as the second half of this year.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in 2022 that he hadn't heard of any rumors about a 12-inch MacBook refresh. Display analyst Ross Young also mentioned his supply chain sources hadn't heard of any refresh plans.

However, previous rumors said in 2022 that Apple was working on a 12-inch MacBook refresh, alongside a rumored 15-inch MacBook Air. According to Young, who has a strong track record for display predictions, the larger device could be called a MacBook.

If the rumors are true, it might mean that Apple would end the MacBook Air moniker, instead offering a MacBook in two sizes. The 15-inch MacBook is rumored to launch in April 2023, while the possible 12-inch MacBook might not appear until 2024 or later.

The leaker that generated Wednesday's report has a mixed track record. They accurately predicted the launch of M2 MacBook Pro models in 2023, but missed the mark saying that the iPhone 14 Pro would have 8GB of RAM when it actually launched with 6GB.

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blastdoor

I would be really surprised if Apple dropped the name "MacBook Air." It's a great name and it's been an incredibly successful product. 

I would also be surprised if Apple dropped the 13" MBA and only had a 12" and a 15". While the 12" form factor might be appealing for people who want the smallest possible (while still being usable) MacBook, it seems niche to me. 

I wonder if it would make more sense to keep the 13" MBA and add a smaller 11" MBA. 

TheObannonFile

12” and 13.6” need to be Air

15.x” needs to be MacBook or MacBook Studio.

and, of course, 14” and 16” MBP’s.

right_said_fred

I loved my 12 inch, still have it, still works ( has a bump due to battery)
With an m series processor and a decent keyboard would be fantastic. Even if they kept a single usb-c, but with a MagSafe as well.

baconstang

For my mobile stuff I like them as small as possible.  Still rocking my 11" MBA and my 12 mini.
At home, it's a 5K with an extra 4K monitor.

entropys

I would be very interested in a 12 inch rMB revival if it

1. Does not have a butterfly keyboard
2. Has more than one port.

If both of those aren’t addressed, absolutely not interested.

entropys

baconstang said:

For my mobile stuff I like them as small as possible.  Still rocking my 11" MBA and my 12 mini.
At home, it's a 5K with an extra 4K monitor.

I got my 11 inch MBA out of the cupboard the other day and updated the OS.  Love the size, but damn but that is a low res screen.

baconstang

entropys said:

baconstang said:

For my mobile stuff I like them as small as possible.  Still rocking my 11" MBA and my 12 mini.
At home, it's a 5K with an extra 4K monitor.

I got my 11 inch MBA out of the cupboard the other day and updated the OS.  Love the size, but damn but that is a low res screen.

Yeah, well I don't do photo editing or spreadsheets on it.  I need to have my glasses on to notice the pixels.

charlesn

Be still my heart! I would buy a new 12" Macbook on day one of its debut. It may not have called an "Air," but for me, it truly lived up to the Air name and was the best Air form factor of all time. I worked for a major cable television group of networks at the time and within a couple of years it was the laptop of choice for most of our execs. 2 pounds, insanely thin and as fast as it needed to be for the major business apps. I finally sold my original 2015 model last year and my M2 Air now feels like an anchor by comparison. 

I could argue that it wouldn't make sense for Apple to have separate 12" and 13.5" screens in their consumer laptop lineup--but the Air's screen was slightly smaller (13"?) when the Macbook 12" debuted, so it's not as if Apple hasn't done this before. And with Apple Silicon, it could be much faster than it ever was without heat concerns, while still having amazing battery life. 

PLEASE, Tim!

zimmermann

With a little help from Opencore Legacy Patcher I’m running Ventura on my golden MacBook and it still is my laptop of choice when traveling. Thin, light, and happily working with most business programs. Won’t be selling it for years to come. Battery is still great. 

macgui

I appreciated the increase screen size of the 13" MBA over the 12" MB. It wasn't much on paper but in use it made a lot of difference to me. The 12" is thin and cool looking, but I got tired of the display size. After going back a couple of times for comparison, it was back to the MBA.

mrstep

right_said_fred said:

I loved my 12 inch, still have it, still works ( has a bump due to battery)
With an m series processor and a decent keyboard would be fantastic. Even if they kept a single usb-c, but with a MagSafe as well.

No doubt, the MB 12" at 2 lbs was a truly fantastic portable computer, and with the M series it would now be fantastically powerful to boot.  I don't understand why Apple calls the current 13" MB an "Air" when it's effectively as heavy as the MBP13. The original Air was called that because it was lightweight.

darkvader

Screw that.  Bring back the 17" MBP.