Right on the money, illustrates just exactly how small the 12" MacBook is in physical volume 😎
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Apple Surveys 12-Inch MacBook Users for Opinions on Size, Features, and More
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Q-6
They recently surveyed iPad Mini owners to get their opinions about the size of the screen and other features.Survey? WhyTF do they need a survey?
No survey needed. Just Do It.
Jeez, they are lost
But supply chain sources say the new iPad Mini is already in production for a launch this fall.
Maybe Apple's survey department is looking for things to do?
When I bought my M1 13" MBP back in December 2020 my thought was that I'd use it as my new traveling companion when I finally start traveling again and would sell my 2017 12" MacBook. Welllll...... I love the M1 and use it quite a bit anyway, but realized that for traveling nothing can beat that lightweight 12" MacBook and so I've still got it living here in the household, too! Next trip I go on, it will accompany me on the journey while the somewhat heavier and larger 13" M1 stays home.....
If Apple were to bring out a new M1 version of the 12" MacBook, I would snap it up in a heartbeat, no doubt about it. Two ports would be definitely be preferred, although the one port on the 2017 12" MacBook has been manageable one way or another. Often when I travel I am also taking photos and I have an external SDD to use for backups of the image files; it can be a bit of a nuisance to have to have just the one port that does both charging and every other function as well on the 12" MacBook, but it is doable. For travel, a 500 GB SDD and 16GB RAM would suffice since I don't store a lot of files on that machine anyway.
If Apple were to bring out a new M1 version of the 12" MacBook, I would snap it up in a heartbeat, no doubt about it. Two ports would be definitely be preferred, although the one port on the 2017 12" MacBook has been manageable one way or another. Often when I travel I am also taking photos and I have an external SDD to use for backups of the image files; it can be a bit of a nuisance to have to have just the one port that does both charging and every other function as well on the 12" MacBook, but it is doable. For travel, a 500 GB SDD and 16GB RAM would suffice since I don't store a lot of files on that machine anyway.
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I really wish Apple would just kill the air. Their naming hasn’t made sense in a really long time, and there’s absolutely no reason they can’t capture every consumer price point with 4 models of laptops as they did in 2005.
12” and 14” MacBook
14” and 16” MacBook Pro
What’s hard about this.
12” and 14” MacBook
14” and 16” MacBook Pro
What’s hard about this.
The 12" MacBook wasn't a big seller so it makes sense to do a survey. It's stupid to put money towards R&D and create products that only a niche market will buy.Survey? WhyTF do they need a survey?
No survey needed. Just Do It.
Jeez, they are lost
The aspect ratio sucked. I get it for the sake of keyboard width, but I could never overlook how little height the screen had.
I own three of them.
- fits on airplane tray unlike the 13” and iPad 12.9”
- fits on trains’ desk unlike the 13” and iPad 12.9”
- together with IPad Air weights the same as a MacBook
- travelling with both the 12” and iPad Air gives you tons of flexibility, including two monitors setup with sidecar
- I personally think it is the best MacBook ever made, design-wise
Wishes:
- thunderbolt
- second port
- integrated cellular
- fits on airplane tray unlike the 13” and iPad 12.9”
- fits on trains’ desk unlike the 13” and iPad 12.9”
- together with IPad Air weights the same as a MacBook
- travelling with both the 12” and iPad Air gives you tons of flexibility, including two monitors setup with sidecar
- I personally think it is the best MacBook ever made, design-wise
Wishes:
- thunderbolt
- second port
- integrated cellular
I would love to see a 12" MacBook reboot or a major MacBook Air update with 12" and 14" models.
An Air as this heavy and thick thing just seems like a bizarre use of the "Air" brand. I still remember Steve Jobs pulling the original Air (granted, 11" EDIT: nope that was 13" !) out of an envelope on stage.The 13" MacBook Air is almost 50% (!!) heavier in weight than the 12" MacBook. [...]
And it is 1 inch wider and 1/2 inch deeper [...] Why would I want a big and heavy 13" MacBook Air?!?
I always thought the Air had exactly that intention - a traveling executive's email-reading computer where lightness takes priority over all other decisions.
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When released, the 12 inch MacBook had a retina display at a time the MacBook Air did not.
I owned the 12" PowerBook G4. Ordered it first week after MacWorld 2003. That laptop had everything - a full set of ports, a stellar keyboard, an optical drive, and a processor that was nearly the equal of the entry level 15" PowerBook at the time, all in a footprint that was the same size as a sheet of paper, making it oh-so-easy to pack in with college supplies, or use in coach. But its time came and went, and vainly hoped that Apple would release a comparable follow up.
The MacBook Air 13 legitimately had a footprint that was too big - 13" screen and giant bezels meant it was too deep to comfortably use on a plane.
The MacBook Air 11... too short a screen (vertically) to be comfortable using.
Then the MacBook was announced. Crisp screen, small size... but one port? Actually, 0 ports if plugged in? And not even TB? And that keyboard that had no travel (and we'd later find out would stop working)? Sigh.
The current MacBook Air is, I think, the pointless product. It has the same footprint as a MacBook Pro, but in a wedge shape and without a fan. Really, what's the point? It's not like you're saving much weight with it, either.
To get me interested in a MacBook 12", it would need to have the same ethos as the PowerBook 12: 90% of the performance, 60% the volume. And preferably the same footprint as a sheet of paper. That means 8.5x11" (the PB12 was 8.6" x 10.9"), a working keyboard, an M1x or M2 chip with 16GB RAM, and four TB3 ports - if I'm in an AirBNB for a week, I want to be able to leave the laptop plugged in on the desk, with a mouse, and still have the option to plug in an SD card reader or external display if needed (without a whole breakout box).
The MacBook Air 13 legitimately had a footprint that was too big - 13" screen and giant bezels meant it was too deep to comfortably use on a plane.
The MacBook Air 11... too short a screen (vertically) to be comfortable using.
Then the MacBook was announced. Crisp screen, small size... but one port? Actually, 0 ports if plugged in? And not even TB? And that keyboard that had no travel (and we'd later find out would stop working)? Sigh.
The current MacBook Air is, I think, the pointless product. It has the same footprint as a MacBook Pro, but in a wedge shape and without a fan. Really, what's the point? It's not like you're saving much weight with it, either.
To get me interested in a MacBook 12", it would need to have the same ethos as the PowerBook 12: 90% of the performance, 60% the volume. And preferably the same footprint as a sheet of paper. That means 8.5x11" (the PB12 was 8.6" x 10.9"), a working keyboard, an M1x or M2 chip with 16GB RAM, and four TB3 ports - if I'm in an AirBNB for a week, I want to be able to leave the laptop plugged in on the desk, with a mouse, and still have the option to plug in an SD card reader or external display if needed (without a whole breakout box).
I bought the 12" MacBook in October 2015, I upgraded the standard offering in terms of storage and RAM.. I had taken it in for repair a couple of weeks ago, and Apple surprised me with a new 13 inch MacBook Air replacement at no cost. The M1 2021 MacBook Air is a huge upgrade.. I couldn't be more delighted.
I agree, although I must admit it makes some sense for iPad. “Just an iPad” or the better “Air”. What didn’t make sense is how they positioned the 12” MacBook and 13” Air before, which was the opposite of iPad. Apple naming has never been great, so I guess it’s consistent.
I think 13" Air M1, 15" Pro 'M1X', 17" Pro 'M1Z' is all they really need, for the core lineup. I guess if they have the capacity to maintain 4 models, that does leave them one to experiment around a bit with, be it a 12" or a 24" 😝
If we're sticking to evens though, an 18" Pro would surely be quite something 😏
My wife has used the 12” MacBook, i7 CPU, as her primary (should say only) notebook since getting it in 2015. The battery is toast now and it’s beginning to have a few other issues. Of course, no options to repair at this point, but still handles much of her stuff just fine. We were about to replace it with an M1 Air, but she’s going to wait until it fully dies to see what else comes along. We love the form factor, but there’s no reason they can’t put a 13” screen in there with a thinner bezel and the M1 chip would be perfect. …keyboard was always crap and it was replaced once under warranty. Somehow she can still type on it OK, but the space bar only works 30% of the time for me as I must hit it on a different angle. And I find I’m fiddling with the thing quite a bit these days to help work through some of the issues. If it were up to me she would already have the new Air, but she’s determined to wait.
