Since this post, more information has leaked out that the 12 doesn't mean 12" but rather 12-core ARM. 8 power cores and 4 low power core.
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Hold up...ARM-based 12” MacBook coming?
- Thread starter Florida Gator
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Isn't it possible that it means both? They likely have a rather low power chip designed, but using 8 power cores and 4 lighter cores to make up for the individual cores not being too powerful. I don't understand chip architecture, but I assumed the 12" factor is perfect to debut a fanless ARM chip. BTW, I recently picked up an m3 2017 12" and I love its portability. It's what I was hoping for.
I don't get the sense Apple thinks there is a market for a 12" Macbook. If you want something light and portable, they seem to be steering you to iOS and the iPad.
Talk about a bizarre turn. A well-known leaker suggests that Apple still has plans for a 12” MacBook, one that will see a new version of the butterfly keyboard!
For ARM MacBook 12"🤔
apple did not give up on butterfly keyboard, they are trying to improve on the structure, and solve the issue, we might see it comes back again in future.
For ARM MacBook 12"🤔
apple did not give up on butterfly keyboard, they are trying to improve on the structure, and solve the issue, we might see it comes back again in future.
Well, that's interesting. I didn't see that one coming. My prediction was that they could bring back the 12" MacBook in 2020 or 2021 with an ARM SoC, but my assumption was it would just have the scissor keyboard.
This guy/gal has been pretty accurate so this "dream" cannot be ignored.
The butterfly should be moth balled. Truly a terrible experience for the majority of those who actually need to use their keyboard to type.
If they can have something even beefier in there than on the iPad Pro I could see games made on metal running great on this thing. If Fortnite can do 120fps on iPad Pro it would run well on MacBook with ARM. Just wonder how the transition will happen or if they will just have Mac OS run on both X86 and arm for the time being which would probably be hard to support long term.
I am currently very tempted to get a Surface Laptop 3 13.5" simply because of the bigger screen. After years of the 12" I just want something bigger.
There is a decent market for a 13" to 14" thin/light/fanless Macbook IMO.
I would buy a new 12 inch MacBook so ****ing quick, ARM, AMD, Intel, whatever it takes.
Will this "ARM MacBook with Butterfly Keyboard" [sic] come with a Keyboard Replacement Program?
I would much prefer a fan-less 12-inch MacBook with the new scissor keyboard even over the 2020 MacBook Air I just bought. I miss the smaller size of my 11" MacBook Air and no fans would make it perfect.
The 11 inch MacBook Air is my favorite computer of all time. It truly is a shame that Apple chose to bring back something so pedestrian like the MBA, and not focus on lowering the cost and increasing the performance of the MB 12
The reason for this move seems to be to increase processor power, increase battery life, and reduce footprint. Desperately necessary if apple is to compete with next-gen Windows machines.
I see the entire MacBook Air/Pro line taking the form factor of the 12” Retina- meaning 12”, 14”, 16” screen sizes of the same ridiculously thin/light housing with a lot more power (gaming) and a lot more functionality (optional touchscreens) with a ton more battery life and far more portability.
I'm hoping there is a new 12 inch ARM MacBook this year.
Since new models of the MPB and MBA have already been released, that would just cannibalize sales. It would make perfect sense to release a 12'.
Since new models of the MPB and MBA have already been released, that would just cannibalize sales. It would make perfect sense to release a 12'.
I know Apple won't do this, but I'd love them to see just release a new ARM based MacBook next week. Update the design with scissor-keyboard, an extra port and ARM internals.
Most (normal, not nerds like us lot) people I know who buy an Air for example, just use the Apple suite of apps and maybe Google Chrome and their web apps. So why couldn't Apple release that laptop right now with the caveat that its effectively an Apple "Chromebook", limited to their apps and the App Store?
Most (normal, not nerds like us lot) people I know who buy an Air for example, just use the Apple suite of apps and maybe Google Chrome and their web apps. So why couldn't Apple release that laptop right now with the caveat that its effectively an Apple "Chromebook", limited to their apps and the App Store?
i’ve had a 2014 MBP 13” And recently picked up a Used 2017 mb as an iPad replacement. I’m loving it. I would probably get a new 12” as my accessory device and switch my main device to a new 21-23” imac
Releasing their first ARM Mac in the 12" size makes total sense. The old 12" filled that niche for those who wanted MacOS but with iPad-like portability and fan-less design. I use mine with just the built-in apps and Office and a few games here and there and works just fine. All the web apps run just fine in Safari. I'd assume the new 12" will just be faster with upgraded hardware, but they definitely need to keep it down to its original 2 pounds.
Will ARM processors be able to run Windows 10?
I ask because since 2015 I only use my MacBook 12" as a pure Windows machine, I don't know or want to know OSX.
That's a good question. Microsoft released their Surface X with an ARM chip, and Raspberry PIs with ARM chips also run that special version of Windows. Not sure if it's something you can install officially. Others may know.
The future ARM MacBook is unlikely to run Windows 10 of any flavor.
1. Microsoft has not made Windows 10 on ARM available for sale.
2. Apple's chips are not strictly ARM compatible. Apple throws away a lot of backwards compatibility prescribed by ARM. For instance, the A13 doesn't have any hardware support for 32-bit.
3. Apple is unlikely to make software drivers available for anything but macOS.