The rumored 12-inch MacBook with Apple Silicon - a 2024 perspective (Speculation Megathread?)

[dgdosen]

I'm on the record for being a huge fan of an ultra-portable (keyboard width), apple silicon laptop.

I think there's a niche that Apple can exploit. The 'three machine user' would own:

- a no compromise desktop (say an Apple Studio or above...) where performance matters most.
- a minor compromise portable laptop (say an M3 Pro/Max device) where battery life/performance balance matters most.
- a more compromised ultra-portable laptop (say an M3-ish device) where portability matters most.

Apple's existing hardware can check those first two items, but it's missing on the third.

 

[AlastorKatriona]

Seeing as I own both, I can completely reject this statement

There is always one. I'm sure you can't reject it in a way that convinces anyone else that there is a legitimate and practical difference.

 

[AlastorKatriona]

The ONLY purposes of a 12" MacBook are:
- Portability
- Price

That's it. The product has no other purpose or reason to exist. It is there to achieve a certain level of portability, and to hit a price point.

It's then impossible to argue that a modern 12" MacBook would be meaningfully different than the 13" MacBook Air.
- Price: At $1,099, the 13" is already as low as Apple is willing to go for a new, current generation MacBook. With inflation and general trend, I can't see a $899 or $999 MacBook happening. Not for a new, current generation product.
- Portability: You'd have to demonstrate a real example of how half a pound of weight or 1 inch of overall size changes the portability of the product. And you can't. These are close enough that they will fit in the same bags, can be physically carried by the same people, etc. There just isn't a single argument here.

 

[subjonas]

I think it’s possible Apple just wants nothing to do with the butterfly keyboards and associated products after that whole fiasco. The 12” MacBook’s thin design probably depended on the thin butterfly keyboard.

That and the market probably isn’t big enough for them. If it is big enough they‘ll make it.

 

[jouster]

I have a son going to college in a couple of years and I know we're probably going to need to get him a laptop and I don't think I'd want to get him anything smaller than maybe a 14" MBA. 12" is just too little.

Then again, kids type papers on their iPhones these days, so.......

What does he want, though?

I brought my daughter, who's headed to college in the fall, to the Apple Store to compare Air models. She wants the 13" M2. When she saw the 15" she just laughed. She found it absurdly big.

For my part, I'd take a smaller Air in a heartbeat. Had the 11" many years ago and I loved the form factor. With modern bezels, an updated 11" could have a substantially bigger screen and you'd have to pry it from my cold, dead etc. etc...

 

[Makisupa Policeman]

It would be cool to see a new version of the 12” MacBook with an Mx chip in the near future.

I loved the portability of the original 12” rMB but it was massively underpowered and would get hot with fairly light tasks. Also the 1 USB-C port was extremely impractical.

Maybe they could even go down in size to around 11.5” and retain the same FF as the 12” rMB due to the notch and smaller bezels. It would make sense with the current Air lineup:

11.5” Air
13.6” Air
15.3” Air

That would be a nice range of size and portability.

 

[Chuckeee]

It would be cool to see a new version of the 12” MacBook with an Mx chip in the near future.

I loved the portability of the original 12” rMB but it was massively underpowered and would get hot with fairly light tasks. Also the 1 USB-C port was extremely impractical.

Maybe they could even go down in size to around 11.5” and retain the same FF as the 12” rMB due to the notch and smaller bezels. It would make sense with the current Air lineup:

11.5” Air
13.6” Air
15.3” Air

That would be a nice range of size and portability.

Yes, it would be nice but I wouldn’t hold my breath

 

[Makisupa Policeman]

Yes, it would be nice but I wouldn’t hold my breath

Yah I don’t think it’s happening, but we can still dream!

 

[dgdosen]

It would be cool to see a new version of the 12” MacBook with an Mx chip in the near future.

I loved the portability of the original 12” rMB but it was massively underpowered and would get hot with fairly light tasks. Also the 1 USB-C port was extremely impractical.

Maybe they could even go down in size to around 11.5” and retain the same FF as the 12” rMB due to the notch and smaller bezels. It would make sense with the current Air lineup:

11.5” Air
13.6” Air
15.3” Air

That would be a nice range of size and portability.

11.5/12.5 inches and < 2 lb. I wonder if they could shrink that air chassis...

 

[Reached]

Would love to see the 12 inch Macbook return, would be an instant buy for me!

12" + M3 + 16GB of ram, the ultimate portable workhorse 🤩

 

[Lioness~]

Would love to see the 12 inch Macbook return, would be an instant buy for me!

12" + M3 + 16GB of ram, the ultimate portable workhorse 🤩

Had forgotten that rumor.

I‘ll give the purchase of the 13” some time anyway, as I really need to clelan out my old MBA before making that purchase, as I want to get away with 16/256GB this time too ☺️

 

[MrGunny94]

Would love to see the 12 inch Macbook return, would be an instant buy for me!

12" + M3 + 16GB of ram, the ultimate portable workhorse 🤩

Would be great to leave my 14" at home docked and when I'm out on the go with the 12".

My aunt is still rocking her 2017 12" model man, she said she ain't upgrading until a new one comes out was it fits in a woman purse

 

[Makisupa Policeman]

Would be great to leave my 14" at home docked and when I'm out on the go with the 12".

My aunt is still rocking her 2017 12" model man, she said she ain't upgrading until a new one comes out was it fits in a woman purse

Yes, this would be a really nice setup!

My 14” is plenty portable to be sure, but having something ultra light and small that would just get tossed in a tote or something, almost iPad size but with macOS, would be so cool.

The old 12” rMB was about as close as we got. It’s just too bad it was hobbled with a slow chip and single port. I loved mine aside from those fairly major flaws.

 

[Makisupa Policeman]

One needs only about 30 seconds with a current 13" MacBook Air to conclude that no 12" MacBook should ever exist again. The Air is light, highly portable, large enough to actually be usable (for some), lasts forever, highly performant, with decent I/O for its size. And the price isn't bad either.

The last thing Apple needs is MORE tiers in their product lines. There are too many already. The current MacBook line is the only one even slightly organized (2 consumer models, 2 pro models....ish). Please don't advocate for mucking that up.

You have a point here.

The current Air is a great, portable machine to be fair. I’m just not sure people who never used the 12” rMB quite get how phenomenally light and ultra portable it really was. Far more even than the current Air, as good as it is. The 0.7lbs made more difference than you’d think.

But again to your points, I do understand that Apple’s lineup is already messy and trending towards bigger devices. Those of us who loved the 12” rMB are a bit of a niche market like iPhone mini users I guess!

 

[Funny Apple Man]

I hope they revive the 12 inch. I love that thing.

The 11-inch iPad with Magic Keyboard is not as good as that 12 inch Macbook.

 

[Closingracer]

What does he want, though?

I brought my daughter, who's headed to college in the fall, to the Apple Store to compare Air models. She wants the 13" M2. When she saw the 15" she just laughed. She found it absurdly big.

For my part, I'd take a smaller Air in a heartbeat. Had the 11" many years ago and I loved the form factor. With modern bezels, an updated 11" could have a substantially bigger screen and you'd have to pry it from my cold, dead etc. etc...

This!

The 14 inch MBP is as big as I'll take it for a portable machine. 15 inches or the 16 inch Air/Pro is too big and would essentially only be used at home for me.

I would love a Small flagship phone. Smaller the better for my tech. I got the iPhone 12 Pro at the time because I wanted the pro phone but considered the 12 mini because of the size but the battery life was lacking.

I have a S24 Ultra but also keep my Pixel 8 because it is smaller.

 

[Closingracer]

Would love to see the 12 inch Macbook return, would be an instant buy for me!

12" + M3 + 16GB of ram, the ultimate portable workhorse 🤩

Problem is where do you put it in the lineup? Apple knows it will cannibalize something and probably the 13 Air sales. I mean I guess they could knock off the M2 Air and gimp a 12 inch MacBook somehow. Maybe a M1/M2 and limit RAM and storage options. like 16gb 512 max.

 

[Lioness~]

Would’ve loved a 12” but a an order on a Midnight MBA 13” is placed now.
Hope I don't regret it if a 12” comes.
But I want a new portable now!

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

- Portability: You'd have to demonstrate a real example of how half a pound of weight or 1 inch of overall size changes the portability of the product. And you can't. These are close enough that they will fit in the same bags, can be physically carried by the same people, etc. There just isn't a single argument here.

Having transported a 12” Macbook around for years, I can safely say you are wrong here. There is definitely a portability difference, that makes a clear difference. Now the market for users who wants that is going to be miniscule, so not worth it to market.

 

[ric22]

I'd like to assume that the M1 MacBook Air will eventually disappear from the line-up, and the current redesigned Air will take its place at $999.

You called that right. 👍🏼 For education it would be nice if they could offer cheaper MacBooks and iMacs than they do- but even then they're appealing to wealthy schools/wealthy parents.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Having transported a 12” Macbook around for years, I can safely say you are wrong here. There is definitely a portability difference, that makes a clear difference.

Agree.

Now the market for users who wants that is going to be miniscule, so not worth it to market.

Not if you factor in women, professional women, who want something portable, reliable and powerful.

Many here have written about the appeal of the 12" for students.

I will argue that there is an even larger (potential) demographic, one that is less well reflected on tech sites, (which is yet another argument for diversity in tech design teams, but, I digress), namely, professional women.

In fact, I would argue that one of the reasons the original MBA design sold so well was that it appealed to women. The (improved) 12" appealed to the same demographic.

In any case, I am a middle aged woman, and there is an enormous difference in weight between the old 15" (my first Apple, which was a MBP, and which - to be quite candid, was too large and too heavy to be (comfortably) portable, especially when dashing through large airports while transiting), a 13" MBA, and, the very best computer I have ever owned, a maxed out CTO 11" MBA, which, quite literally, has travelled the world with me.

Weight (thus, portability) and size matter; they matter very much. As do reliability (that butterfly keyboard was the reason I never purchased the 12", despite its gorgeous appearance and portability), and decent power.

While I loved my 13" MBA, the 11" MBA was (and is) the perfect sweet spot where power, portability and reliability all met, and I would be ecstatic if a (well designed) 12" computer were to make an appearance in Apple's line-up.

And no, an iPad is not the answer for someone who writes, that is, someone who writes a lot, and who needs a fully functioning keyboard.

 

[AlastorKatriona]

Having transported a 12” Macbook around for years, I can safely say you are wrong here. There is definitely a portability difference, that makes a clear difference. Now the market for users who wants that is going to be miniscule, so not worth it to market.

Having transported all manner of laptops around for decades, I can safely say you are wrong here. 1/2 lb or 1" in overall size does not fundamentally change how it is transported, or when/how it can be used.

 

[Lioness~]

I've had 11, 12 and 13” Mac's, both MBA's and MBP's, and sure it's a difference, but the weight is not what bothered or excited me. It's more the size that can feel either too small or to big.
I get it that Apple stopped with the smaller Mac’s, and made smaller iPad's and bigger iPhones instead.
But it's not a replacment to small portable Mac's and to macOS. Personally not very interested in iPad's for anything ptoductive.

The size of 13” MacBook Air is in a sweet spot - not too small, not too big. I assume that the M3 have much less bezels then my old 2018 MBA have, (its still here, I can see it).
I wont bother about the notch, not an issue to me. I don't think so now anyway, but I will report if it gives me nightmares and something scary starts to comes out of it during late nights.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Having transported all manner of laptops around for decades, I can safely say you are wrong here. 1/2 lb or 1" in overall size does not fundamentally change how it is transported, or when/how it can be used.

Congratulations on not being able to see things from other points of view but your own.

 

[LaterWolf]

I've had 11, 12 and 13” Mac's, both MBA's and MBP's, and sure it's a difference, but the weight is not what bothered or excited me. It's more the size that can feel either too small or to big.
I get it that Apple stopped with the smaller Mac’s, and made smaller iPad's and bigger iPhones instead.
But it's not a replacment to small portable Mac's and to macOS. Personally not very interested in iPad's for anything ptoductive.

The size of 13” MacBook Air is in a sweet spot - not too small, not too big. I assume that the M3 have much less bezels then my old 2018 MBA have, (its still here, I can see it).
I wont bother about the notch, not an issue to me. I don't think so now anyway, but I will report if it gives me nightmares and something scary starts to comes out of it during late nights.

I kinda agree, my mom doesn't. Opinions!
Jokes aside, I feel 14'' is the sweet spot for me. Now someone will come and say "YOU ARE OBJECTIVELY WRONG, (insert laptop size)'' IS THE BEST"
No. 1: don't scream, we are all ears
2. Opinions! You might like 13, I might like 14, if someone likes 15, 16, or even 17, I can respect that.
And this post is directed too.....

Having transported all manner of laptops around for decades, I can safely say you are wrong here. 1/2 lb or 1" in overall size does not fundamentally change how it is transported, or when/how it can be used.