Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

sime0n

macrumors newbie
Sep 6, 2008
22
32
Nice. I still have my 11” MBA from 2011. I’ve upgraded to a MBP 13” 2020 Intel model but I still occasionally use the MBA. The size is perfect for me.
huge macbook 12 fan here. love that form factor and size. currently on 2020 mba, but hope they bring back the 12''. the weight is a huge difference. 2# vs 3#.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EedyBeedyBeeps

Apple Knowledge Navigator

macrumors 68040
Mar 28, 2010
3,693
12,917
No. If anything, Big Sur was designed with larger screens in mind.

And don’t forget that once Apple redesigns its 13” notebooks, they’ll reduce the chassis size to something smaller.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert

4sallypat

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2016
4,034
3,782
So Calif
huge macbook 12 fan here. love that form factor and size. currently on 2020 mba, but hope they bring back the 12''. the weight is a huge difference. 2# vs 3#.
Yes same here, my daily bedtime Mac is the 2017 12" rMB.

Hoping when Apple does a re-design of the Air, I think it will be the the same weight, thickness and form factor as the 12" rMB ???

I would not mind a 13" M1 Air that is not so "wedgy shaped" and "thick bezels"
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert

jdb8167

macrumors 601
Nov 17, 2008
4,859
4,599
Honest question: how should Apple differentiate the MacBook & the MacBook Air?
12" Retina. Under 2 pounds. Smaller battery. Maybe one Thunderbolt/USB4 port and mag safe? Though I would still rather 2 TB/USB4 and no mag safe.
 

guzhogi

macrumors 68040
Aug 31, 2003
3,772
1,891
Wherever my feet take me…
12" Retina. Under 2 pounds. Smaller battery. Maybe one Thunderbolt/USB4 port and mag safe? Though I would still rather 2 TB/USB4 and no mag safe.
Okay, what specs for an Air? Slightly bigger screen & battery? For Pro, I'd like to see maybe a 14" & 16" models, 4 TB ports each, slightly thicker for bigger battery, better cooling and more powerful CPU/GPU.
 

jdb8167

macrumors 601
Nov 17, 2008
4,859
4,599
Okay, what specs for an Air? Slightly bigger screen & battery? For Pro, I'd like to see maybe a 14" & 16" models, 4 TB ports each, slightly thicker for bigger battery, better cooling and more powerful CPU/GPU.
I could see a 12” MacBook with an M1 once the Air moves on to a 2nd generation Apple Silicon SoC. Keep it low end and less expensive than the Air. Slightly less battery life than an M1 Air but much lighter and less expensive.
 

4sallypat

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2016
4,034
3,782
So Calif
I could see a 12” MacBook with an M1 once the Air moves on to a 2nd generation Apple Silicon SoC. Keep it low end and less expensive than the Air. Slightly less battery life than an M1 Air but much lighter and less expensive.
From the cost of the original rMB 12", my i5 was $1500 so I would suppose IF Apple came out with a 12" model, price point would be higher than the base M1 Air...
 

usagora

macrumors 601
Nov 17, 2017
4,869
4,456
Indeed. My Bride is still sporting her '17 12 inch MacBook as her DD. She does not care for the larger Air. I hope Apl will reintroduce it or something similar. Instant buy for her if/when it comes.

Has she tried the M1 MBA in person? I was shocked at how much smaller it was than my 13" 2012 MBA even though the display is still the same size. I frankly don't see a point in a separate MacBook with the current MBA already being so small. In fact, they should probably just rebrand the MacBook Air as just MacBook at this point.

IMG_0121.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: senttoschool

bobcomer

macrumors 601
May 18, 2015
4,949
3,699
From the cost of the original rMB 12", my i5 was $1500 so I would suppose IF Apple came out with a 12" model, price point would be higher than the base M1 Air...
It had a better screen than the Air when it came out, and to tell the truth, that could be what differentiates it again. I like the Air, but the screen really isn't anything special.
 

4sallypat

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2016
4,034
3,782
So Calif
It had a better screen than the Air when it came out, and to tell the truth, that could be what differentiates it again. I like the Air, but the screen really isn't anything special.
Yes, the 12" had a Retina display that over shadowed the Air for many years before they switched to Retina.

I love both my 12" rMB: 2015 and 2017. They are perfect traveling companions - super light, thin and easy to carry onto a plane. Plus I carry the smaller 18W USB charger for traveling....
 
  • Like
Reactions: bobcomer

jdb8167

macrumors 601
Nov 17, 2008
4,859
4,599
From the cost of the original rMB 12", my i5 was $1500 so I would suppose IF Apple came out with a 12" model, price point would be higher than the base M1 Air...
Remember the original MacBook Air was very expensive too--especially with a SSD. Apple brought the price down over time as the technology caught up to their design requirements. This could happen with the rMB 12" too. Retina is average on MacBooks now. If Apple used a previous generation Apple Silicon SoC for a 2022-2023 MacBook this might reduce cost if the M1 was still being used in other products--maybe the iPad Air.

I think some aren't factoring the difference between a 2 pound vs a 2.8 pound notebook. That is a significant difference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4sallypat

QuietGamer

macrumors regular
Nov 23, 2014
220
220
US
Has she tried the M1 MBA in person? I was shocked at how much smaller it was than my 13" 2012 MBA even though the display is still the same size. I frankly don't see a point in a separate MacBook with the current MBA already being so small. In fact, they should probably just rebrand the MacBook Air as just MacBook at this point.

View attachment 1766059
Yes, I have an M1 Air as my couch lappy.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
10,128
Atlanta, GA
Particularly as the Air is due a full redesign next year which will likely see it further reduced in size and weight.
The 13" MBP is due for a redesign, not the Air,and everything points to it getting larger not smaller. It's more likely that Apple will do a small Air than decrease the size of the 13" Air.
 

Falhófnir

macrumors 603
Aug 19, 2017
6,146
7,001
The 13" MBP is due for a redesign, not the Air,and everything points to it getting larger not smaller. It's more likely that Apple will do a small Air than decrease the size of the 13" Air.
Apple is developing a thinner and lighter version of the MacBook Air that will have thinner bezels than the current model. It is expected to continue to have a 13-inch display, though Apple considered and decided against at 15-inch model.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
10,128
Atlanta, GA
Someone reported a rumor that they might be which is much different from "Apple is...". Of course a 12" MB with tiny bezels would be even nicer and much smaller than the current 13" Air. When it comes to ultraportables, a lot smaller is much better than a little smaller.

 
Last edited:

Falhófnir

macrumors 603
Aug 19, 2017
6,146
7,001
Someone reported a rumor that they might be which is much different from "Apple is...". Of course a 12" MB with tiny bezels would be even nicer and much smaller than the current 13" Air. When it comes to ultraportables, a lot smaller is much better than a little smaller.

The footprint is dictated by the keyboard, not the display, so it can't be made smaller. You could put a 12.5-13.0" display in the existing body, but shrinking the body further around a 12" display would mean compromising on a full size keyboard, which Apple won't do.
 

darngooddesign

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
18,366
10,128
Atlanta, GA
You misunderstood. A 12" MB with tiny bezels, and therefore a larger screen, would be a lot smaller than the current Air while a 13" with tiny bezels would only be slightly smaller. A lot smaller is better than sightly smaller. Since both the Air and MacBook have the wedge shape so Apple could make a new small MacBook and just call it an Air.
 

Quackington

macrumors 6502a
Aug 12, 2010
546
314
England, UK
The footprint is dictated by the keyboard, not the display, so it can't be made smaller. You could put a 12.5-13.0" display in the existing body, but shrinking the body further around a 12" display would mean compromising on a full size keyboard, which Apple won't do.
I still have my old 11” MBA. I like the keyboard size on it. I’d love a new MBA this size. They could definitely get the screen bigger on it because those are some thick bezels by today’s standards.
 

jdb8167

macrumors 601
Nov 17, 2008
4,859
4,599
I still have my old 11” MBA. I like the keyboard size on it. I’d love a new MBA this size. They could definitely get the screen bigger on it because those are some thick bezels by today’s standards.
I loved the 11” MBA too. I remember going to the Apple Store to buy a new MacBook and picking it up and comparing it with the 13” and I only had one question, does it perform the same as the 13”. The sales person said yes. I bought it on the spot because I hadn’t ever seen or held such a portable computer. I tested it and sure enough, the i7 on the 11” performed identically to the 13”. The keyboard size never even entered into my decision making.
 

3rik

macrumors newbie
Apr 27, 2021
24
19
Ive gone from an 11" HP Pavillion to a 14" Lenovo (then to a desktop) and now finally the 13" MBA. Personally I wouldn't see the point in a 12" MacBook comeback. Or at least, I wouldn't buy one. I can't afford multiple MacBooks so the one I have needs to be the best balance. A 12" would be too small for me to do actual work on and a 15/16" would be too big to use in bed etc. The 12" would also have to lose the upward facing speakers from the Air which I wouldn't like.

I would honestly even prefer the 13.3" becoming a 14" but keeping the same body size (with smaller bezels) than a the next air having a smaller body but keeping the 13.3" display size.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.