12 Inch Macbook in 2024

[aespana]

How I didn't see this thread before.

I love my Macbook 12" 2017 (base model) but just can't use Monterrey/Ventura. Those two run horrible with this machine. Catalina is the best OS since is the most optimized for Intel processors but sadly is too old. I'm now with Big Sur and works really good.

 

[swamprock]

How I didn't see this thread before.

I love my Macbook 12" 2017 (base model) but just can't use Monterrey/Ventura. Those two run horrible with this machine. Catalina is the best OS since is the most optimized for Intel processors but sadly is too old. I'm now with Big Sur and works really good.

Big Sur is pretty sweet in its final form. Once they fixed most of the bugs, it became pretty much rock-solid. Unfortunately, once Apple fixes an OS, it's usually taken out of the update schedule

Awaiting a 2017 Space Grey model that needs a new battery. I've got one waiting here for it, but the notebook is currently in delivery hell (stuck in Hawaii).

 

[aespana]

Big Sur is pretty sweet in its final form. Once they fixed most of the bugs, it became pretty much rock-solid. Unfortunately, once Apple fixes an OS, it's usually taken out of the update schedule

Awaiting a 2017 Space Grey model that needs a new battery. I've got one waiting here for it, but the notebook is currently in delivery hell (stuck in Hawaii).

Yeah, Big Sur works really well but you are right, the software support is falling and falling with time. Apple just let the OS to it's luck at this point. Glad that main browsers still support the system and also, if you got apps through the Apps Store before, you can download the old versiones that work most of the time (Onedrive for example).

Good luck with you 2017 Space Grey!

 

[ignatius345]

Would you go for a secondary machine being the 12 inch MacBook?

My friend used her old 12" Retina MacBook to get through a day of zoom calls recently because she didn't have access to her M1 MacBook Air. I don't think it did it well but it did get her through the day.

I do love the lightness and I'd consider toting one around as a writing-only machine -- if it had a usable keyboard. Even when they aren't broken, butterfly keyboards feel like absolute and total ass to type on.

 

[EugW]

My friend used her old 12" Retina MacBook to get through a day of zoom calls recently because she didn't have access to her M1 MacBook Air. I don't think it did it well but it did get her through the day.

Which 12"? I recently gave a 2.5 hour PowerPoint lecture via screen sharing on Zoom, and my 2017 Core m3 didn't break a sweat in Zoom. Zoom isn't very taxing (unless you're upscaling significantly to the external display).

The main problem with the 12" Retina MacBooks is the battery life since these machines didn't have the best battery life to begin with, and now the batteries are very old, some even nearly a decade old.

 

[ignatius345]

Why not a 13-inch iPad Air instead?

Speaking for myself, no, an iPad is not a subtitute for a Mac. And even with a Magic Keyboard thing attached, it's just nowhere near as easy to deal with as a laptop.

The thing that bugs me is that Apple seems to have decided that the ultraportable laptop user can be served by iPads, and maybe that's why we don't have a proper successor to the Retina MacBook.

 

[ignatius345]

Which 12"? I recently gave a 2.5 hour PowerPoint lecture via screen sharing on Zoom, and my 2017 Core m3 didn't break a sweat in Zoom. Zoom isn't very taxing.

Not entirely true about Zoom not being taxing. Even on my M1 Air, the power consumption approximately doubles on Zoom. Not that it struggles, but it does warm up and runs through a good chunk of battery percentage over the course of an hourlong call, going from under 5 watts in basic use (email, web, writing), which shoots up over 10 watts on Zoom call.

I don't remember which Retina MacBook my friend has, but I do recall that back when she was using it as her primary machine it would straight up stop working if it was in a warm environment and trying to do a Zoom. (She's a clinician who uses zoom a lot).

 

[EugW]

Not entirely true. Even on my M1 Air, the power consumption approximately doubles when I'm on a Zoom call. Not that it struggles, but it does warm up and runs through a good chunk of battery percentage over the course of an hourlong call.

I don't remember which Retina MacBook she has, but I do recall that back when she was using it as her primary machine it would straight up stop working if it was in a warm environment and trying to do a zoom call. (She's a clinician who uses zoom a lot).

Strange. I've been told if you record meetings and use virtual backgrounds and such, that can up the CPU usage, but if you don't it works just fine. Like I said, I had no problems with Zoom with my 2.5 hour lecture. Here was my setup on my 2017 m3:

1. Running PowerPoint 2016 in presenter mode. Main screen with my notes and next slide on my MacBook screen, and actual presentation on external screen (which was actually a 2010 iMac in Target Display Mode).

2. Running Zoom with screen sharing, sharing the external screen (iMac) over Zoom.

Yeah, battery life wasn't great, but the machine didn't struggle otherwise. FWIW, I do have 16 GB RAM though, if that makes a difference. PowerPoint crashed once in that 2.5 hours, but I blame PowerPoint for that. I'm using an old version and I've found PowerPoint can occasionally be flaky with large presentations. Zoom never crashed during that time, and the machine never became sluggish (or at least never became any more sluggish than it usually was with that Core m3).

 

[Yebubbleman]

Speaking for myself, no, an iPad is not a subtitute for a Mac. And even with a Magic Keyboard thing attached, it's just nowhere near as easy to deal with as a laptop.

The thing that bugs me is that Apple seems to have decided that the ultraportable laptop user can be served by iPads, and maybe that's why we don't have a proper successor to the Retina MacBook.

I think enough people decided that the 12-inch MacBook wasn't comfortable for them to use. I always found them to be extra cramped. 13-inch seems to be the sweet spot.

 

[ccbc]

I think enough people decided that the 12-inch MacBook wasn't comfortable for them to use. I always found them to be extra cramped. 13-inch seems to be the sweet spot.

Having used my inexpensive MacBook 12 for a few months now, I realized the same thing. The comfort is perfect on a M1 MBA. The keyboard travel is way better, it feels more natural to type on for any long-form entries.

I am thinking about selling the former now.

 

[staceyu]

The thing that bugs me is that Apple seems to have decided that the ultraportable laptop user can be served by iPads, and maybe that's why we don't have a proper successor to the Retina MacBook.

Honestly it could if Apple would simply let the iPad Pro spread it's wings and put MacOS on it. Personally I think the >$1k price tag is a little much for a iPad that is limited compared to the cheapest MBA available....that has the same exact internals.

And I've had a rMB since 2018, and I love overpowered ultraportables (My previous before this was an Alienware M11x). The 14 in Pro is nice and spacious in comparison , but size can make it a little too unwieldy for my backpack. I'll revisit it in the next redesign...

 

[JiggyJaggy]

Which 12"? I recently gave a 2.5 hour PowerPoint lecture via screen sharing on Zoom, and my 2017 Core m3 didn't break a sweat in Zoom. Zoom isn't very taxing (unless you're upscaling significantly to the external display).

The main problem with the 12" Retina MacBooks is the battery life since these machines didn't have the best battery life to begin with, and now the batteries are very old, some even nearly a decade old.

Realistically how many hours does yours work with general work?

 

[EugW]

Realistically how many hours does yours work with general work?

Are you asking about battery life? If so I’m not 100% sure for stuff like surfing and email since sometimes it’s plugged-in, but for the Zoom PowerPoint lecture as described earlier, it was not plugged-in. IIRC it was >95% charged when I started, but I can’t remember if I had 17% or 37% left after 2.5 hours. Anyhow that would suggest the total might have been between about 3 to 4 hours on battery with this type of usage.

Battery is the original, meaning it’s over 7 years old now, but with lower than average wear.

 

[kinga]

Cons: Apple no longer makes them new, so you'll be looking at used models. This means potential for older specs and battery wear.

 

[ignatius345]

Honestly it could if Apple would simply let the iPad Pro spread it's wings and put MacOS on it.

Not for me. I don't need or want a touch screen, and I prefer the form factor of a laptop versus the add-on keyboard thing that an iPad uses.

 

[Lucas Curious]

I had the 2015 and 2017 and sold both in 2020 when the M chip came out. I was sure apple would make an M replacement. Currently using 14" M3 Max and going round Europe for 3 weeks thinking I dont want to pack this thing. Was wondering if I should get the 2017 again if it's super cheap just to have a portable cheap Mac I can beat around. I odnt want to take my MAX cause it was expensive and I have stuff on the drive in case I lose it. Id like a simple small Mac to type on into the cloud. just sold my iPad mini 6 too because I find I dont like using iPad os and no keyboard.

 

[EugW]

I had the 2015 and 2017 and sold both in 2020 when the M chip came out. I was sure apple would make an M replacement. Currently using 14" M3 Max and going round Europe for 3 weeks thinking I dont want to pack this thing. Was wondering if I should get the 2017 again if it's super cheap just to have a portable cheap Mac I can beat around. I odnt want to take my MAX cause it was expensive and I have stuff on the drive in case I lose it. Id like a simple small Mac to type on into the cloud. just sold my iPad mini 6 too because I find I dont like using iPad os and no keyboard.

I still have my 2017 12" MacBook, but for web based stuff in the cloud and websurfing, I use an 11" iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard. I really reserve usage of the MacBook for specific productivity tasks like PowerPoint presentations on an external screen. (It works on the iPad, but there are some software limitations on the iPad version.)

 

[loby]

I had the 2015 and 2017 and sold both in 2020 when the M chip came out. I was sure apple would make an M replacement. Currently using 14" M3 Max and going round Europe for 3 weeks thinking I dont want to pack this thing. Was wondering if I should get the 2017 again if it's super cheap just to have a portable cheap Mac I can beat around. I odnt want to take my MAX cause it was expensive and I have stuff on the drive in case I lose it. Id like a simple small Mac to type on into the cloud. just sold my iPad mini 6 too because I find I dont like using iPad os and no keyboard.

I bought a Macbook 2015 as just a protable that I can “beat around” instead of lugging my Macbook Pro 2021 16” around. Well.. even though it is old in tech and very limited, it grew on my and is one of my “go to” for simple tasks etc. I liked it to my surprise so much, that I replaced the battery at Apple. Now..it runs nice and as a fresh battery that can last me close to working hours before having to plug it in.

As mentioned before, the 12” form factor is just comfortable to use and is a sweet-spot for mac laptops. Too bad we will not see another 12” or maybe not for a longer time.

 

[Lucas Curious]

I bought a Macbook 2015 as just a protable that I can “beat around” instead of lugging my Macbook Pro 2021 16” around. Well.. even though it is old in tech and very limited, it grew on my and is one of my “go to” for simple tasks etc. I liked it to my surprise so much, that I replaced the battery at Apple. Now..it runs nice and as a fresh battery that can last me close to working hours before having to plug it in.

As mentioned before, the 12” form factor is just comfortable to use and is a sweet-spot for mac laptops. Too bad we will not see another 12” or maybe not for a longer time.

I saw an auction on eBay for a 2016 that sold for $83 a few days ago. I see a bunch used locally but I would only get the 2017 since I used to have the 2015 and 2017 and the 2017 keyboard made a difference. It also had h.265 engine.

I'm currently in europe with my 14" M3 Max but at this point im carrying $8,000 of value in my little day pack between this Mac and camera gear. Id like a $200 2017 to carry for reserving stuff and typing so I dont have to care if it gets stolen.

 

[loby]

I saw an auction on eBay for a 2016 that sold for $83 a few days ago. I see a bunch used locally but I would only get the 2017 since I used to have the 2015 and 2017 and the 2017 keyboard made a difference. It also had h.265 engine.

I'm currently in europe with my 14" M3 Max but at this point im carrying $8,000 of value in my little day pack between this Mac and camera gear. Id like a $200 2017 to carry for reserving stuff and typing so I dont have to care if it gets stolen.

Yes..the 2017 is the one to get. But we have to keep in mind that probably the battery will need to be replaced and soon the thermal paste…and these laptops take a lot of effort compared to other Mac laptops to work on. Battery is glued to the bottom, so there is the first challenge.

 

[EugW]

I saw an auction on eBay for a 2016 that sold for $83 a few days ago. I see a bunch used locally but I would only get the 2017 since I used to have the 2015 and 2017 and the 2017 keyboard made a difference. It also had h.265 engine.

I'm currently in europe with my 14" M3 Max but at this point im carrying $8,000 of value in my little day pack between this Mac and camera gear. Id like a $200 2017 to carry for reserving stuff and typing so I dont have to care if it gets stolen.

I only like the 2017, but for <$100 I'd pick up a 2016 as long as the keyboard works and the battery isn't shot.

 

[Akulareb]

Happy to find such thread, I've played around swapping parts and repairing 2015/2016 in the past, and always missed the amazing portability of the 12".

My work laptop for the past two years was an M1 Pro 16", but realised i never needed such amount of power on the go.

Found a 2017, i5, 512gb SSD for just £140 and couldn't say no.

It came with Catalina, but I've downgraded to Mojave, because I'd still like to run some 32bit apps.

Any of you guys have done thermal mods?

E.

 

[cyberdogl2]

I just did a thermal mod on two 2017 models: the i5 and i7

Learned that between them there isn't much difference in performance. At least when running Sonoma, both of them pretty much run on turboboost.

Thermal mods were a moderate challenge. Not too hard, and kinda fun.

I'm using it for travel paired with an apple vision pro. Using the 12" retina MacBook with Universal Control inside visionOS is fantastic.

 

[Dhonk]

Really, what would a perfect MacBook be? I bought the 13" iPad Air and like it around the house, but I hate using it on the couch with the case. I'd much rather have a full laptop experience.

• 12.5-13.5" screen (current one is about 13", but obviously has bezels)
• perhaps slightly bigger keyboard, although I found it perfect.
• It could have an M1 or M2, or perhaps a slightly throttled M3-M4.
• 2 USB-C ports
• Magsafe
• a screen that is both fantastic while sipping power. Perhaps it naturally has more nits when plugged in while defaulting to less when mobile
• possible cellular chip
• While I loved the design, perhaps using the current boxy shape would allow for better battery capability.
• a Travel Apple-Branded portable charger that could subtly attack to the device (through MagSafe? USB-C? or like Apple Pencil) to charge on the go.
• Software tweaks that would give it an option for a slightly dumbed down version of the OS that would allow for less taxing of the battery. So perhaps full Mac Mode allows 9 hours battery life, but Mac Lite allows for 18 hours by running a few less taxing resources, etc.

 

[Roadster Lewis]

I have a 2015 base model, but I guess it is technically a third laptop, after my main work/personal machines. I had the battery replaced last year whilst Apple were still able to do it, but really the main problem with it is lack of software support.