Apple Predicted to Release Ultra-Slim 12-Inch MacBook with Retina Display in Mid-2014

[Agent-P]

That's what I'm thinking they're going for. Once again just making it Macbook and MacBook Pro

Just get rid of all current macbooks and start again.
Macbook 11, 13, 15, 17 all with retina displays.

At first I thought Apple would just drop the secondary branding and make them all just MacBook (like the iMac line). If they went that route, then the base models would have to be pretty modest in terms of specs with the option to outfit them with better specs. But that might get confusing, so I agree that they may be going back to having two lines; MacBook and MacBook Pro.

 

[MauerFan]

I'd sell my 15" cMBP for this is an INSTANT.

 

[sshhoott]

Silicon Anode battery please. Then the slimness is welcome.

 

[Xerotech]

Apple is eating itself. They're making too many models of things. This is exactly opposite of what Stevy wanted.

 

[fertilized-egg]

Will they keep using the current silver aluminium design language or go with something different? Even if they stay with aluminium, there probably are many areas that could be redesigned.

Otherwise it could just be a thinner and sleeker version of the current Macbook Air design, like the iMac was last year. However it does feel like Apple could a jump to another design language sooner or later with the Macbooks.

Apple is eating itself. They're making too many models of things. This is exactly opposite of what Stevy wanted.

It'll probably temporary while we go through the Retina transition period. Once the yield, power efficiency and price have stabilized, every non-Retina model will probably be killed off.

That does make me wonder how long Apple will keep making the classic Macbook Pro. Will it become another iPod classic or the outgoing Mac Pro? It could live through as a zombie product without seeing much update but still see just enough demand to warrant a spot in the shelf.

 

[Marx55]

"The offering will likely be lighter and slimmer than the existing MacBook Air to further highlight ease of portability in the cloud computing era"

Just bring a 400 to 600 g 7 to 9-inch Mac (whatever form factor: clamshell, slider or tablet). That IS portability of a full computer (not the iOS toy)!

 

[emseven]

If the bezel and resolution resembles that of the rMBP, Apple will have built my perfect computer.

I currently own an 11" MBA and the battery life is just enough without Haswell and I love the form-factor.

The more you know: the iPad and 11" MBA have the same footprint.

 

[76ShovelHead]

Chromebook pixel?

Definitely nicer.

 

[Xiroteus]

They are getting to the point where there will be just one line of Macbooks. The thin craze can go a bit far. It's never a bad idea to have a super portable 12" Macbook and by the time you hit 15" don't worry about it to such a degree it affects battery, power etc...

Apple is eating itself. They're making too many models of things. This is exactly opposite of what Stevy wanted.

Since the Macbooks are just about reaching the size of the Air I wonder if they will just have three to four laptops total all with retina.

 

[the8thark]

A retina MBA is plausible. But can the gpu handle it? That is the question.

 

[a0me]

oh sure yup...
Best Buy Rep: hey, you want the 11",12",13" or 15"?
Customer: I was looking at the macbook
BB Rep: Yeah, they're all MacBooks, so 11,12,13, or 15?
C: I like the idea of maybe the 13
BBR: The Air or Pro
C: I thought you said they were all MacBooks
BBR: They are but there's two lines, the air and pro. Air 11 & 13, pro 12,13,15
C: 12? That's only an inch less?
BBR: Well...

Can you see the craziness? I'm not saying the 12" isn't true, but I'd put money on it that they won't be the exact same line. If the 12" is true, I'd guess that the 13" is going away. Who know's, maybe it's a consolidation. Or maybe he's got his sizes mixed up and the 12" is actually for an iPad. Maybe the air will be consolidated to a single size... I have no freak'n idea and neither does he but anyone with half a brain can realize that a only a 1" decrease in Apple's book does not justify a new product, it's just too confusing (for what apple has had for product lines). Now if it was any other oem, heck yeah... look at asus. 11,11.5,12,12.25 SE,13.3,14.2,15.1,15.8.... You get the idea

They're probably just fading out 11" models and replacing them with 12".

 

[TheMarc]

A 12" MacBook would be awesome. At present, the 11" air's vertical height hampers web pages. Adding a little size could really make a difference. Add retina and wow. We'll see...

I wish they just made the screen taller (and have a 16:10 ratio like the 13", not a 16:9 one).

 

[Gabichon]

I tell you what Apple, i've been waiting for 6 months for the next retina macbook pro to be release, but you move it and move it! Now it's mid of 2014????!!! Are you frigging kidding me?!!!

Only you can set you free.

 

[SockRolid]

Random nitpicks:

Never liked the aluminum bezel around the MacBook Air screen. Maybe Apple can switch to a black glass bezel like the MacBook Pro (and all other Apple computer screens.)

Getting tired of plastic keys. I'd like glass keys, and I'd like the fit and finish to be improved so the backlighting doesn't leak around the edges.

And maybe it's time to drop the "Air" and call the low-end laptop line "MacBook."

 

[Jensend]

12" retina air makes sense, especially if it can be made at about the size of the current 11".
2304x1440 is way too low res, though. Either double the current 11" res, or use the 13" Retina MacBook res.

 

[swingerofbirch]

My favorite laptop was the 12" PowerBook, so I like the idea of this.

 

[alexlovesmacs]

I hope this is true, I need to retire my aging MacBook Pro.

 

[Ryth]

I tell you what Apple, i've been waiting for 6 months for the next retina macbook pro to be release, but you move it and move it! Now it's mid of 2014????!!! Are you frigging kidding me?!!!

Um...you know this is the Mac Book AIR, not Mac Book PRO Retina.

Haswell MBPR's will probably be out in in the next month whenever the new MacPro hits. BTW, don't be surprised to possible see the Mac Book Pros show up in black also like the new Mac Pro.

 

[dampfnudel]

Random nitpicks:

Never liked the aluminum bezel around the MacBook Air screen. Maybe Apple can switch to a black glass bezel like the MacBook Pro (and all other Apple computer screens.)

Getting tired of plastic keys. I'd like glass keys, and I'd like the fit and finish to be improved so the backlighting doesn't leak around the edges.

And maybe it's time to drop the "Air" and call the low-end laptop line "MacBook."

Maybe someday Apple will drop both "Air" and "Pro", just offering a 12" and 15" MacBook with retina display standard. Another possibility could be a MacBook/iPad hybrid with touchscreen which sounds plausible based on the rumor of a larger 12" iPad and now this rumor of a new ultra-slim 12" MacBook.

 

[rixax]

A 12" MacBook would be awesome. At present, the 11" air's vertical height hampers web pages. Adding a little size could really make a difference. Add retina and wow. We'll see...

Yeah a 12 inch would be awesome if it was a 4 core 2.8ghz. Or better yet, a 6 core.

 

[mcdj]

Would love this if they do it with a glass screen and a nice rigid non-tapered frame like the 13 rMBP. My wife's 11" Air screen feels mushy and scratch prone, like plastic, and the overall construction feels kinda flimsy compared to my 13 retina.

 

[yinz]

This is very exciting news! I'm very intrigued about how this will shift Apple's Macbook line! Would they get rid of the 13" rMBP and the 13" MBA as they would be redundant with the 12" Macbook?

Maybe it'll be 11" MacBook Air entry model, 12" MacBook with Retina Display, and 15" MacBook Pro

At this point, the 11" size would be redundant with the 12", but the non-retina and the smaller size would allow Apple to keep the price down. No matter what happens, if the 12" MB is real, then it's exciting!

 

[JayCee842]

I tell you what Apple, i've been waiting for 6 months for the next retina macbook pro to be release, but you move it and move it! Now it's mid of 2014????!!! Are you frigging kidding me?!!!

Did you even read the title?

 

[cclloyd]

I hope Apple doesn't end up having too many products again like they did before.

 

[Beta Particle]

Apple really needs to simplify their line-up:

12" Retina MacBook Air
13" Retina MacBook Pro
15" Retina MacBook Pro


The 12" MBA would have the same physical size as a current 11" model, only with a smaller bezel.
I don't know why anyone would want a 13" MBA when the 13" Pro exists, other than pricing reasons. That can be fixed by reducing the base spec of the pro.

The "pro" is not a pro machine these days anyway, perhaps just drop the suffix and have a 12/13/15" MacBook line. I doubt we will see the 17" model return.

They really need to bump up the resolution of all their displays too. 1280x800 x2 on the 13" and 1440x900 x2 on the 15" is woefully inadequate - it's less workspace than the old pro machines had, and the current Airs have.
The scaled options are very blurry, and at x1 everything is too small.

13" PC notebooks have moved to 3200x1800 now (1600x900 x2) which is much more fitting for a display of that size. (though some might prefer 2880x1800 at 13")