Would you buy a MacBook 12" in 2021?

[DaneTheGr8]

Hey guys,

So I have come across a really good deal (considering a bit expensive for an older device) but gorgeous 2017 (released 2018) Gold MacBook 12" 8GB, 512GB i5 Intel which is on sale at the moment.

I know stock will be hard to find and I am thinking that it's really unlikely that Apple will revisit this size and form factor for the M1 chip - which irritates me, but I am so tempted to buy this as a new laptop in 2021 in addition to my current MacBook M1 Pro.

It would literally be a glorified purchase to have this nice form factor and use it when travelling or on the go working opposed to using my MacBook M1 Pro which is a power horse and an amazing battery.

Although these machines, discontinued, are still quite expensive - any ideas if you would purchase one today or continue to wait and pray Apple does actually re-release the MacBook Air with smaller bezels and thinner and lighter more alike to the MacBook 12" with an M1X chip?

 

[Mimiron]

Never. It's small and outdated. You will be better off buying an iPad Pro for traveling and get a Magic Keyboard if needed.

 

[Larry D]

Being someone who owns a MacBook 12” 2015 model. I say yes you should get one if you can get it at a decent price.It is for sure the best for travel and operates really well. I also have an 11” iPad Pro with the magic keyboard.This too is an amazing device and with the magic keyboard seems very much like a laptop. However, with the magic keyboard it weighs more than the 12” MacBook And still is not a laptop. I love my MacBook 12” and it still funtions like a brand new Mac...

 

[jsamuelson]

Complete waste of money, they will be EoL very soon. If it's Intel and it doesn't have Touch ID or more specifically the T2 chip I wouldn't touch it. I've just come from a MacBook (the 2015 model admittedly) to a new M1 Air, and the difference is stark. If you want something on the go, an iPad is the best choice in my opinion.

 

[Lwii2boo]

Never.
Your best option for small and light are M1 MBA or iPad Air 4 / Pro 2018 / Pro 2020.
I would avoid any other model because of old SoC or less optimised product (battery life / performance / noise / intel cpu etc)

Edit : I just saw you have a M1 MBP 13, there is absolutely NO reason to get a 12 Macbook other than very low budget to get better machine but since you have a M1 macbook, this is a big NO for me. Form factor is way too close to justify spending that cash for a bad product that is just sexy and that's it.

What the hell, M1 MBP owners considering 12 Macbook with trash intel cpu, are you crazy man haha?

If you want an extra device, you can give a shot to an iPad

 

[playtech1]

My fleet of MacBooks now comprises a 12 inch MB, a M1 MBA and a 2015 15 inch MBP.

All of these have their place, but specifically for travel the 12 inch MB's size and weight is amazing. I love mine.

However, I would no longer pay top dollar for one, since the writing is on the wall for Intel Macs generally.

 

[Mike Boreham]

Hey guys,

So I have come across a really good deal (considering a bit expensive for an older device) but gorgeous 2017 (released 2018) Gold MacBook 12" 8GB, 512GB i5 Intel which is on sale at the moment.

I know stock will be hard to find and I am thinking that it's really unlikely that Apple will revisit this size and form factor for the M1 chip - which irritates me, but I am so tempted to buy this as a new laptop in 2021 in addition to my current MacBook M1 Pro.

It would literally be a glorified purchase to have this nice form factor and use it when travelling or on the go working opposed to using my MacBook M1 Pro which is a power horse and an amazing battery.

Although these machines, discontinued, are still quite expensive - any ideas if you would purchase one today or continue to wait and pray Apple does actually re-release the MacBook Air with smaller bezels and thinner and lighter more alike to the MacBook 12" with an M1X chip?

I have great empathy with your desire for a 12" MacBook. I have had 2016 and 2017 12" MacBooks, then switched to an MBP. Then in late 2019, even after they were discontinued, I switched back to second hand maxed out 2017 MacBook, which I was very pleased with, and kept until the M1 MBA came along.

Even now I am sometimes tempted to get one, but I recognise the only basis on which it makes any sense is the same reason people buy old cars, mostly nostalgia, and enjoying the experience, not for practical reasons......except for the small footprint.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I agree with the other posters voting against the purchase, unless you can get it cheap. An M1 MBA is a much better deal in the long run.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I do not think I'd spend more than $400 on a 12' MBA from yesteryear. Those things were pretty slow even when they were released, let alone today - things are only getting more bloated and requiring more hardware to load. But only you know your usage and your preferences.

I'd definitely use that $ to get an iPad Air with a bluetooth keyboard / mouse but if you need a laptop form factor - I'd use the extra $ and get something that will last a lot longer. But that's me and my preferences.

 

[jeremiah256]

Longtime MacBook 2015 owner.

Even if it’s a great deal, going from the new keyboard and trackpad on the newer Macs to the one on the MacBook will frustrate you. Especially if you’re a decent typist.

I’ve owned countless keyboards and the one on the MacBook is easily top two worst ones I’ve ever used.

 

[radiologyman]

Eventually Apple will release miniLED M1 Macbook with smaller bezels. Big question is how close they would be able to get to that 2lb marvel that MB12 was...

 

[Mike Boreham]

Longtime MacBook 2015 owner.

Even if it’s a great deal, going from the new keyboard and trackpad on the newer Macs to the one on the MacBook will frustrate you. Especially if you’re a decent typist.

I’ve owned countless keyboards and the one on the MacBook is easily top two worst ones I’ve ever used.

The keyboard on the 2017 models was much improved over the 2015 and 2016 models. If I were ever to get another it would def be 2017.

But I never had a keyboard fail on any of the three 12" MacBooks I owned.

 

[jeremiah256]

The keyboard on the 2017 models was much improved over the 2015 and 2016 models. If I were ever to get another it would def be 2017.

But I never had a keyboard fail on any of the three 12" MacBooks I owned.

Yep, agreed, no keyboard physical failure. Which, unfortunately, meant I had no real excuse I could give to the wife to replace it earlier .

 

[EugW]

No, I would not buy a 2017 MacBook unless it was really, really inexpensive.

I own a 16 GB 2017 m3. I really like its form factor and will be keeping it a long time. However, it's already almost 4 years old and isn't exactly fast, and plus it only has one USB-C port (which isn't Thunderbolt) which can be an annoyance. Also, while I don't know how the trackpads are on the M1 models, the MacBook's trackpad click feel is not as strong as the MacBook Pros from the same era.

It's sad that it seems Apple has abandoned the 12" size class. The size is perfect for me. The holy grail for me would be an M2 2021 12" model with two Thunderbolt ports and a trackpad with a stronger click feel.

 

[ssmed]

No.
Underpowered
Only one port - ridiculous
No thunderbolt

Yes.
Really excellent for travelling as was the 11" air before
Definitely a second or third computer

 

[EugW]

Really excellent for travelling as was the 11" air before

I really disliked the screen on the 11.6" Air. The 12" MacBook's screen is soooo much better.

BTW, for longer trips I tend to carry both my iPad Pro and my 12" MacBook. The iPad Pro is better for content consumption like with Netflix, since you can't download Netflix shows to a MacBook. They pair well for work too, with Sidecar. I used to do a lot of PowerPoint type stuff, and a 12" MacBook with 10.5" iPad Pro is a great match using Sidecar.

P.S. A friend asked me to try to fix his old 2011 15" MacBook Pro the other day. OMFG that thing was so heavy. Almost 6 lbs. It was such a contrast to what I'm used to.

 

[ignatius345]

I am thinking that it's really unlikely that Apple will revisit this size and form factor for the M1 chip

I'd think the opposite! I think the M1 (and a good keyboard) was the only pieces missing from making that one of the all-time great MacBooks. If the MacBook Pros are truly going back to a design that has a lot of ports, as the rumor mill says, then it seems like this might be exactly the time for them to put the "Air" back into the MacBook Air and release a really capable, ultralight laptop with true all-day battery life.

Also, that little Retina MacBook is just loaded with horrible compromises. One USB port, a truly wretched keyboard, a very slow processor, so-so battery life... As others have pointed out, if you truly need an ultralight Mac laptop right now, I'd say just get a used 11" Air as a bridge until something hopefully much better arrives.

 

[ignatius345]

I’ve owned countless keyboards and the one on the MacBook is easily top two worst ones I’ve ever used.

I got rid of mine within a month. Banging my fingers on that piece of #%* for more than 2 minutes made me want to die. I went back to my 11" Air and then waited (and waited) until the 2020 Air last year, which I pounced on immediately.

 

[Burebista]

Get one second-hand for real cheap if you can't help lusting over it. But there's no reason to at this point.

If you need/want something smaller than 13" - get an iPad Air with A14 for $600. If you find yourself typing a lot get a Magic keyboard or other cheaper keyboard. It's gonna be a versatile portable setup for both content consumption and productivity that will last you for years to come.

 

[Mike Boreham]

If you need/want something smaller than 13" - get an iPad Air with A14 for $600. If you find yourself typing a lot get a Magic keyboard or other cheaper keyboard. It's gonna be a versatile portable setup for both content consumption and productivity that will last you for years to come.

For some people an iPad with MK is a valid alternative. Small footprint but heavy and expensive. But for many people ipadOS simply does not replace macOS, and that was the unique appeal of the 12" MacBook....full macOS in something the same size as an iPad.

 

[Burebista]

For some people an iPad with MK is a valid alternative. Small footprint but heavy and expensive. But for many people ipadOS simply does not replace macOS, and that was the unique appeal of the 12" MacBook....full macOS in something the same size as an iPad.

Fair enough, although I would argue it's probably vice versa - for some people Mac OS is a must while for many (vast majority) iPad would do the job, especially now that it's a bit less restricted. But either way the OP didn't specify his use cases he just mentioned he likes the aesthetics.

 

[Mike Boreham]

Fair enough, although I would argue it's probably vice versa - for some people Mac OS is a must while for many (vast majority) iPad would do the job, especially now that it's a bit less restricted. But either way the OP didn't specify his use cases he just mentioned he likes the aesthetics.

No he didn't and that's obviously important. The topic has been well aired and there is no correct answer, but not sure I can leave your "vast majority" unchallenged

 

[Burebista]

No he didn't and that's obviously important. The topic has been well aired and there is no correct answer, but not sure I can leave your "vast majority" unchallenged

If we're talking about people on this forum and other tech-oriented sites, then sure the "vast majority" may sound like an overstatement. But let's not forget that people here are actually a small niche compared to the general population. At least 8 out of 10 people out there "in the wild" (especially if you look outside of US and other first-world countries the proportion will be even greater) would be totally satisfied with iPad as their main personal computer.

And those of them who grew up with touch-based UI would even prefer it over Windows or Mac OS. This generation is about to enter the market pretty soon

 

[Mike Boreham]

If we're talking about people on this forum and other tech-oriented sites, then sure the "vast majority" may sound like an overstatement. But let's not forget that people here are actually a small niche compared to the general population. At least 8 out of 10 people out there "in the wild" (especially if you look outside of US and other first-world countries the proportion will be even greater) would be totally satisfied with iPad as their main personal computer.

And those of them who grew up with touch-based UI would even prefer it over Windows or Mac OS. This generation is about to enter the market pretty soon

I certainly agree that the tech forum using population is a tiny and an unrepresentative fraction of the populace at large, especially MacRumors!

I would also agree that iPadOS will do the job for the "vast majority" of the populace at large, provided the "job" is limited to email, browsing, media consumption and social media, which for many people it is.

I think the "vast majority" becomes questionable when you consider people who create and edit documents, either work or home use, although even here I agree iPadOS is more capable than many realise.

But yes the general direction is away from macOS towards iPadOS, and is a generational thing.

 

[chrfr]

The single USB-only port is a huge inconvenience, and the permanently defective keyboard will be a continuing, expensive problem on these. The size difference does not make up for the shortcomings of the 12" MacBook when compared to the M1 Air.