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Apple Discontinues 12-Inch MacBook

Craigwilliam said:
I suppose this means either they have a replacement on the way or they expect people to just buy the MacBook air now.
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I think if they have a replacement in the pipeline, they would have kept the old one around until then, to give people the direct upgrade path.
Now they just risk losing many of the ultra portable fans, like myself. I'm never going to switch to an iPad or Air. I'd rather switch to a Windows ultra portable.

The only other possibility would be that Apple had planned to replace it with something else, killed the production, but then the replacement was not ready.
Though I think this probability is rather slim.
 
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velocityg4 said:
I think you're missing my point. What was the new Macbook should have been the Macbook Air. The Macbook Air was originally intended as the premium priced ultra portable model. The Macbook as originally intended was to be a general purpose budget model.

When Apple relaunched the Macbook. It's placement made no sense. Being thinner, lighter and more expensive than the Air. Being that it was newer than the Air. It simply should have been the new Macbook Air model. Bringing the 11" and 13" into one 12" model. Essentially that's what it was. Without being labeled Air. Suddenly the Air became the heavier budget model. A reversal of their original roles. Their names became ironic.

It would have made more sense to repackage the Macbook Airs of the time in a cheaper and thicker poly carbonate shell as Macbooks. Instead unveiling the 2015 Macbook as the new Macbook Air.

For quite a while it seemed as though the Macbook was the replacement of the Air. Without being named Macbook Air. As the Air remained a dilapidated model. Until the end of 2018. When they finally launched a new model.
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I think part of the issue here is the word "Air." Apple sort of made it meaningless recently. Until today, the Macbook Air was not the thinnest or lightest Macbook, and the iPad Air still isn't the thinnest or lighted iPad. It's sort of how car companies use the word "Limited" or "Special Edition" to describe certain trim tiers that are neither limited nor special. Like those, "Air" is just a meaningless fluff word at this point.
 
Maybe all the keyboard replacements made the product too expensive. I just got a new keyboard in mine.

It's the most useful laptop I had. Because the most useful one is the one that you actually have with you. Taking the 12" with you always works. The 13 MBP is not much fun in that regard. I once had an 11 (pre-retina) Air, that felt like a toy.

It works nice for developing (Xcode, IntelliJ etc.) on the go or in the garden, even Photoshop and Illustrator work "ok" for occasional stuff. A thunderbolt port would have been nice of course (or make that two of them).

Just did a short compilation timing today... admittedly from command line and not multi-threaded. MacBook (1.4 GHz) took 55 secs, my 5.1 cMP (2.93 GHz) took 1 min 25. Time to replace the big thing anyway, I guess.

Writing this on the MacBook with a 32 inch screen wired up, powered with a hub. It really fits most needs effortlessly.
 
essential said:
this is upsetting. i loved the idea of the 12" macbook but was waiting for a true refresh that never came. it very much seemed like a v1 product. i loved the footprint, but a single thunderbolt and the 480 webcam weren't enough ... and i refused to buy an apple laptop with a butterfly keyboard.

we just got rumors this week that apple is finally moving away from the butterfly keyboards back to scissor, so i thought we'd finally get a new 12" macbook with refreshed specs, scissor keyboard, 2 thunderbolt ports, an upgraded webcam, and hopefully a touch id sensor like the new air's. i was ready to buy that product, disappointing.
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Isnt the butterfly keyboard issues isnt happening to macbook 12 inch?

Yes rather have them upgrade the 12 inch with touch id, hd camera and additional usb port.
 
I have a feeling that the 12" MacBook really is gone for good. The MacBook Air was the replacement.

Their laptop selection is a lot simpler now. You've got the basic (Air) and the premium (Pro). Both products are easy to differentiate and now that Apple updated the base MacBook Pro with the touch bar, it's now even easier to see the differences.

Perhaps the rumoured ARM processors Apple are developing will be put into the MacBook Air first?
 
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Brammy said:
I still have an 11" Air, that I love, but iOS 13 is starting to eliminate some of the need I had for an ultraportable computer. The MacBook doesn't' comp well to an iPad Pro. Once you add in a keyboard case, the IPP gets expensive.

The MacBook was a great computer for those who prioritized weight over power. I feel that is a niche market. If I was on the road a lot, I'd really like it.
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I agree. I actually just upgraded from two 2013 11" Macbook Airs to two 2018 12" Macbooks.

But I think what Apple is saying here is: if you want ultra-portable and fanless, we have some iPads to sell you.
 
satchmo said:
Finally.

Not saying the MB12 was a bad laptop, but there were just too many similar products in Apple's product line.
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To me the Air is a bad value. For $200 and 4 ounces more you get a quad core processor and Touch Bar.
 
Like many here very disappointed with this

I have just been convincing the Mrs to replace her flagging battery 2015 MB for a 2018 one and gift the old one to her parents

The MBA is just wrong for her usage, so looks like a win for a W10 laptop now
 
Anyone nay-saying the MacBook has clearly never used/traveled with one. It's essentially weightless in a bag, and is significantly more portable than the 13" Air or Pro.

It always reminded me of the old school 11" Pros, and I really love using mine. I've had mine since launch, but if there are some deals on these, I might need to pick another one up.
 
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i can count the amount of people who bought this device with me since it's release in 2015 on one hand.
 
oneMadRssn said:
I agree. I actually just upgraded from two 2013 11" Macbook Airs to two 2018 12" Macbooks.

But I think what Apple is saying here is: if you want ultra-portable and fanless, we have some iPads to sell you.
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SteveJUAE said:
Like many here very disappointed with this

I have just been convincing the Mrs to replace her flagging battery 2015 MB for a 2018 one and gift the old one to her parents

The MBA is just wrong for her usage, so looks like a win for a W10 laptop now
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There is no 2018 12” MacBook. I guess you meant the 2017.
 
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Too bad. That is the fabless model right? I always wanted one. I kept trying to convince myself I would learn to like the keyboard but it never happened
 
Mr. Dee said:
A pointless experiment from day one. The MacBook Air, while still not perfect is what the MacBook should have always been.

It looks like someone at Apple is taking charge and bringing back some sanity to the product lineup. I don’t know about you, but it looks like the past few years of chaos in the product line we’re due to Jony Ive.

Now that he is basically on his way out, they are restoring some sensibility.
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Nope. I had the old Air, and I’ve bought two 12” MacBooks since. The MacBook is great and noticeably smaller and lighter than the Air, which is the point.
 
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