The other thing I will note - I'm sad to say that my 12" MacBook has fallen off the couch a few times... and somehow, it seems to land on the (hard) floor pretty much undamaged which is astounding.
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MacBook 12 appreciation thread
- Thread starter SamRyouji
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I took the opposite approach, I suppose - I wanted a 2017 for sure and one with 16 gigs of RAM. Not the most plentiful thing on the used market but I found one in great condition that had had its butterfly keyboard recently replaced. Still running the battery it had when I got it - I thought about getting it replaced before the price hike, but... I almost never run it on battery and the battery is still 'good enough' so I will probably wait until next year.
One observation I will make about the 2017 model, at least: go to Geekbench and look at the single-core performance numbers compared to, say, those on the 5,1 Mac Pro. Obviously, the passively cooled machine won't be able to sustain that level of performance the way the beefy 5,1's coolers can, but... the numbers show, say, around 1050 single-core, 1800 multi-core for the i7-7Y75 in my 12-inch. Meanwhile, my 12-core Mac Pro gets in the low 500s single-core, 3800 multi-core.
I find the storage kinda slow on the 12-inch, e.g. updating Microsoft Office takes forever. But... the SATA SSD in the 5,1 is likely worse. I think modern macOS is optimized for the crazy fast storage on the later Intels and the AS machines.
But here's my key question - if an M3 MacBook mini/nano launched tomorrow, would you spend the money for a new one? I still don't think I would... although, if it had built-in cellular and I could convince a carrier here to provide service for it at a reasonable price, maybe I'd think about it hard.
loby
macrumors 68020
Your model is what I really wanted and should have bought when I had the chance. 🙂. with the better CPU, Graphics and 16 RAM, your model is more capable to do more (including not capping out on Big Sur).
Yes...these MacBooks are not race horses and are underpowered etc. They were designed (expensively) for travel and light tasks, though can handle some heavier applications a little at times, but not much. I was watching a movie with the Amazon Prime app on my 2015 model today (speakers and screen are nice) while trying to charge the laptop and I got a message stating that the laptop is overheating and the message suggested to close the Amazon Prime app to resolve the issue... I have TG Pro app to monitor levels and everything looked ok....so VERY underpowered. Had to unplug the power and run on battery and everything was ok -was able to finish my movie. 🙂. Using it now as I type.
I was VERY puzzled about Geekbench scores too...., for I actually looked on Geekbench for 12" MacBook 2015 scores a few days ago to compare and it did not seem correct to me. Both Single and Multi scores were higher than I originally thought....
Geekbench also stated that MacBook 2015 scores were much higher than my old MacBook Pro 2010 (?). This is not true. My MacBook Pro 2010 runs circles around MacBook 2015, but maybe scores are related to the default HDD in the MacBook Pro 2010 (I replaced the HDD with a SSD and it is night and day faster). I have an i7 dual core in MacBook Pro 2010 compared to the underpowered Dual-Core Intel Core M in the 2015 model. I ran Geekbench on MacBook 2015 and got similar scores as what was online, but did not believe it...especially for real time applications.
The SSD also is kind of slow on MacBook 2015, write speeds are slow, but read is just ok (faster). I do not think speed tests reveal real time or actual usage results, but at least it gives us something to compare.
Great key question....would I go out and buy a 12" MacBook M3 if it came out today??? Humm...if I could afford it, I would say: "absolutely". I can give my MacBook 2015 to my wife who has always eyed it from day one when I brought it home. 🙂. MacBook 2015 Gold "looks" good and she says it is "cute" LOL.
If Apple would not cripple a 12" MacBook M3 if they made one, it would probably process and run soooo fast, that it could possibly be the only laptop (computer) I would need for quite sometime. Apple wants you to buy buy buy, so they would probably cripple it anyway, but a M3 12" would be a fast and powerful small laptop. If able to plug into my Studio Display...the BEST of Both worlds...
As far as replacing the battery, I replaced it a week before the prices went up (I scored). Today with the current replacement pricing for batteries, it might be a hard sell. Your model (I believe) is still not on the obsolete list, so you may still be able to get a replacement battery for your 2017 model, but my 2015 model is done. When Apple replaces the battery on these models, they replace the bottom chassis, so I am sure they are limited now even on your model.
If you desire to use and keep your MacBook 2017 for more years (and use it mobile) it "might" be worth to replace still, but better $ spent on newer laptop offerings (but of course heavier and defeats the purpose). But again...NO small 12", light, small and very compact...might be worth it. I also noticed performance improvements overall with the new battery, even while plugged into power.
But...if you are planning on replacing the battery eventually, you better do it now before they run out. I heard from Apple when I took it in for replacement this past January, I asked if my model was popular to replace the battery and the Genius who was helping me said "yes" without thinking about it. He said that they have done a few lately and my model was popular for a replacement. People still want a light (small) travel laptop. MacBook Air(s) are nice...but not an "Air" anymore.
EugW
macrumors P6
I think I'm done with new laptops. It's iPad Pros for me going forward since I no longer do much work on the road now. However, I may just keep my 2017 16 GB Core m3 MacBook until it dies, since they don't get much money on the used market now.
It should be noted though that you don't even need an M series chip for a small and light Mac laptop in terms of CPU performance. Even an Apple A16 would be a huge performance increase over those Intel chips:
Geekbench 6.1 scores:
1025/1900 - 2016 MacBook Core m7-6Y75
1020/1950 - 2017 MacBook Core m3-7Y32
1150/2100 - 2017 MacBook Core i7-7Y75
2650/6850 - 2022 iPhone Apple A16
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Am I missing something? I thought the rule was (at least) five years after discontinuation - the 2017 MacBook was discontinued July 2019, so... can't I walk into an Apple store in June 2024 (i.e. a year from now) and get a battery replacement?
EugW
macrumors P6
Yes, but if they don't have the battery (or replacement machine in the case of other devices), then you're out of luck. This can happen when you're near the end of that 5 year period. A while back I tried to get the battery replaced on my kid's iPad Air 2 (which I believe means a whole new iPad Air 2). The battery program was still active for that model at the time, but the actual product was unavailable so they wouldn't do it. Basically it means their battery replacement program is often useless in the last year or so of the program.
And it's not as if I live in the middle of nowhere either. I live in Toronto and went to the flagship Toronto Apple Store. They told me to go to a third party authorized Apple service centre, but that was horrible advice because those service centres order the replacement devices and parts from the same source: Apple.
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In case its of interest I just popped into the Apple Store with my 2015 Macbook 12 and the technician kindly pointed out the machine becomes obsolete on 31st July and will not be able to honour any our of warranty works on the laptops.
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EugW
macrumors P6
aespana
macrumors 6502
You really have patience guys 🤣. I just can't use Venture. I tried a few time but no, I feel that runs even more slow than Monterrey and just can't with it
Big Sur move nice on the 2017 m3 but i think that Catalina moves better
I visit this thread from time to time. After years I've kinda give up that Apple would provide us with a decent replacement for their legendary ultraportable.
iPadOS, even with the latest upgrades, is just simply inferior to macOS, except for some nieche workflows. The hardware is there (M2), the software is there (macOS), they even made a new thin scissor keyboard, but it's only on iPad.
This would be instant buy for me. It can be the same chassis, same single USB-C port (albeit with Thunderbolt), same battery (which would have great performance with M1/M2), same screen... ultimate portable device without the usual iPad's "unzipping this file will take 42 steps and 10-15 minutes".
iPadOS, even with the latest upgrades, is just simply inferior to macOS, except for some nieche workflows. The hardware is there (M2), the software is there (macOS), they even made a new thin scissor keyboard, but it's only on iPad.
This would be instant buy for me. It can be the same chassis, same single USB-C port (albeit with Thunderbolt), same battery (which would have great performance with M1/M2), same screen... ultimate portable device without the usual iPad's "unzipping this file will take 42 steps and 10-15 minutes".
Star-fire
macrumors 6502
I've always wanted one, never bought one though, I love mini size tech. I finally found a 2017 with 16gb of ram (Wouldn't take less) it's only a M3 but really there isn't that much in power between them. I actually put it on a watch list and seller sent me a decent offer, a first for me. Only thing it needs a new battery but they are cheap and I can do the swap.
Star-fire
macrumors 6502
I got the MacBook and I lucked out it's an i5 not a m3, so a bit of extra power. It's in decent shape a couple minor scratches, battery is pretty bad but it will run for a 2-3 hours. Screen is nice, no major dents so I'm quite happy to have a 2017 i5/16gb/256gb for the price I got it at. The keyboard is pretty shinny so someone did quite a bit of typing on it. I ordered a new battery. It's running Ventura and seems to do OK at it. I just love how smalll it is, the keyboard is definitely a bit weird to type on (Using it to make this post). I'd love to see a M3 version with a bit better keyboard! Oh it's space grey, I wanted a gold one but couldn't find a 16gb one in gold.
I also have a 11" Air from 2015 with an i7/8gb and this is definitely smaller and much thinner overall also a bit lighter. The screen is obviously better and much prefer the 16:10 than the 16:9 of the air.
I also have a 11" Air from 2015 with an i7/8gb and this is definitely smaller and much thinner overall also a bit lighter. The screen is obviously better and much prefer the 16:10 than the 16:9 of the air.
aespana
macrumors 6502
Man very good purchase. Congrats!
That i5 should be better than a M3 and those 16gb will really help with Monterey/Ventura.
I wish I have one with those specs
MultiFinder17
macrumors 68030
I recently got a small lot of busted, liquid-damaged Macs from a friend of mine that runs a small shop. One of them was a 2016 12" base model, and I've really enjoyed the experience restoring it!
The keyboard needed replacing, as it was completed dunked up - a new top case was about $30 on eBay. I also ended up having to replace the trackpad, which was about another $20 to get this machine basically functional. Now it works well enough for my uses, though the USB port only does power, no data. I may replace that at some point in the future. The battery is also around 35% health, so I may look into replacing that in the future as well, though I'm enjoying seeing just how little money I can spend on this machine.
It's running Monterey, and I've been pleasantly surprised at how solid it feels running it. It's certainly no speed demon, but for basic use it's perfectly serviceable. I'm quite enjoying my free little TrashBook 🙂
The keyboard needed replacing, as it was completed dunked up - a new top case was about $30 on eBay. I also ended up having to replace the trackpad, which was about another $20 to get this machine basically functional. Now it works well enough for my uses, though the USB port only does power, no data. I may replace that at some point in the future. The battery is also around 35% health, so I may look into replacing that in the future as well, though I'm enjoying seeing just how little money I can spend on this machine.
It's running Monterey, and I've been pleasantly surprised at how solid it feels running it. It's certainly no speed demon, but for basic use it's perfectly serviceable. I'm quite enjoying my free little TrashBook 🙂
canuckRus
macrumors 6502a
Good luck with getting that. Erased my 2017 MacBook OS intending to reinstall it. Disk Utility Restore would not permit it.
I don't think that's a support/lifecycle issue - you should be able to make a flash drive with Ventura on another Mac and repartition the SSD and fix it... and you shouldn't even need that, that machine would have internet recovery.
(I had no problem using internet recovery a few weeks ago to put Big Sur on a late-2013 retina MBP, so I don't see why it wouldn't work on the 2017)
That being said, the fellow I bought my 2010 Mac Pro from... I think he had a similar issue, he tried to wipe/reinstall the OS and... got massively trapped because something about Disk Utility is not at all intuitive, at least for a Windows guy. I had my own set of issues getting an OS installed back on that drive (but those had more to do with firmware versions), but once you realize the weirdness of Disk Utility, it worked fine.
aespana
macrumors 6502
canuckRus
macrumors 6502a
My bad, it's been a while should have said tried "reinstall Mac OS Monterey" not Disk Utility.
