Now that it makes sense could Apple please release a 12" Macbook again?!

[KingofGotham1]

In my opinion MBA sizing is all wrong. At 13.6in the MBA screen is oversized for users who prefer smaller but it's underspecced/inferior, compared to MBP14, even though the dimensions are comparable. MBA and MBP sizes ought to be staggered: 12-14-15-16.

I agree the sizing and layout of Apple's current laptop line is just off

I always thought something like...

12" MacBook

14" MacBook
14" MacBook Pro

16" MacBook
16" MacBook Pro

Just makes it simple for the consumers. Do I want a light device and sacrifice some power/ports or do I need all the bells and whistles of a Pro model (Pro Motion, ports, power etc)

Right now its...

13" MacBook Air (13.3 and 13.6 with the M1 and M2 versions)
13" MacBook Pro

14" MacBook Pro
16" MacBook Pro

and a rumored 15 MacBook Air.

It's clear they have some legacy devices that will be phased out soon enough, but it makes the lineup messy.

 

[Tyler O'Bannon]

Absolutely. Here’s what the MacBook lineup should look like:

12” and 13.6” MBA

15” MacBook Studio - M2 with single fan design, replaces M2 MBP

14” and 16” MBP

 

[Boil]

 

[Xand&Roby]

I was a PowerBook 12” user until 2015, when I bought the first MacBook 12”.
I bought a second one in January 2020.
Apple has lost the ability to make similar products, just look at the iPad mini 6, which has lost what was good in the iPads (screen 4:3), to have the bump of the camera, the LCD screen, the uncomfortable Touch ID, and in any case it is an obviously engineered product BEFORE the dismissal of the historical design team, so much so that today Apple no longer produces anything ‘mini’: iPhone, Mac, Watch. It only has an iPad that to become an adult (that is, a mini Pro), if it ever becomes, it will take years, a HomePod mini that has the cpu of the Watch S5, the Mac Mini that is a war remnant of World War II.
Even Apple TVs are no longer mini!
Does Apple know how to make miniaturised products, which cost more than the big ones? I don't think so.
In the first instance, designers are missing: for a designer to engineer something small is a fulfilling challenge, for management a risky cost.
I would really like a replacement for the MacBook 12” but given that Apple products can deliberate today I gladly do without it, so for Apple 12” customers can get enough an iPad Pro 13” that costs twice as much as a MacBook 12”, without adding the keyboard. It's wasted time, with this Apple. First it has to see a drop in sales for years, then maybe they will go back to making quality products, both hardware and software.

 

[wingennis]

I had the 12" MacBook and loved the size, weight, and screen. Didn't even mind the keyboard. Part of me thinks Apple won't revive such a small MacBook form factor because of the iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard. As an owner of said pro and keyboard, I wish we would get another 12" MacBook or Air. The iPad/keyboard combo feels as heavy as my 16" Pro.

 

[Realityck]

I would really like a replacement for the MacBook 12” but given that Apple products can deliberate today I gladly do without it, so for Apple 12” customers can get enough an iPad Pro 13” that costs twice as much as a MacBook 12”, without adding the keyboard.

Part of me thinks Apple won't revive such a small MacBook form factor because of the iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard.

You’re both suspecting Apple trying to pitch iPad Pro’s over smaller Mac laptops. Perhaps Apple should release another 12” laptop to see if both could survive rather than seeming to protect their iPad market. I also wanted a iPad mini with a better display that was a full smart phone, and again Apple tries to keep things separated.

 

[tstafford]

iOS just isn't the same as MacOS. I don't want an iPad even it if is Promotion/OLED/etc.

I'm going to keep using my 2019 MBA for this purpose until I can't. The issue is I'm spoiled by my MBP14 and Studio. The Intel MBA feels slow and the battery is terrible. But I'm not paying $900 to get a machine that looks exactly the same and has the same screen. I guess I'll just wait until the battery needs replacement and do something then. I'm not putting $200 in to that machine for a new battery.

 

[FlyingTexan]

I wonder how Apple views a really small (11/12 inch) Mac vs. the iPad Pro w/ a keyboard folio.

I tried and tried to like the iPad but could never get there. iOS just isn't MacOS. Give me an ultra compact laptop as a bedtime machine over the iPad. But I sense I'm in the distinct minority on this one.

I don't think you are. There are times when Apple just pushes ahead like when they only had dual USB-C ports. Still not a fan!

 

[FlyingTexan]

Given that small use case, she'd likely do fine with an iPad and a keyboard. And that can be done quite cheap.

It is quite an increase if you carry the laptop around a lot, especially the 40% weight difference. I love the size of my 12" Macbook as I commute a lot every day.

Ipad/keyboard sucks if you're a lap user or like me and on airplanes all the time. If it were that great you'd see it taking over but sales numbers seems to say otherwise. I'd like the smallest laptop they can muster. Performance in a small design. I don't need it for anything other than a daily driver. All I do is watch Fubo and surf the net and do emails with my M1 13" MBP. But I picked up the MBP because it was 25% brighter screen, extra battery, active vs passive cooling, and noticeably better spearkers. I spend around 200 nights a year in hotels and couldn't even tell you how many miles I have on this MBP already but I can tell you that there's plenty of people out there that don't use them for anything content creation at all and could really use a smaller form factor. I climbed Kilimanjaro with a 12" macbook because it was light enough. Trust me that you feel every freaking ounce of weight. I'm from Texas if you can't tell so going from sea level to 19,000ft was already bad enough.

 

[FlyingTexan]

You’re both suspecting Apple trying to pitch iPad Pro’s over smaller Mac laptops. Perhaps Apple should release another 12” laptop to see if both could survive rather than seeming to protect their iPad market. I also wanted a iPad mini with a better display that was a full smart phone, and again Apple tries to keep things separated.

what would be really awesome would be a hybrid. A 12" Macbook where the screen could flip back but also a hybrid OS. MacOS in one mode, flip the screen back and it transitions into iOS. Take my money I don't care at that point.

 

[MrGunny94]

I would love love to have a 12" sidekick Macbook. I love my 14" but the thing is that to carry it around under my arm all day when I'm jumping from location to location is annoying.

I'd buy a base model 12" for this.

 

[Solomani]

But Apple might have also moved on. They have marketing information that would tell them if there is a large enough audience for a new 12" MacBook. It might not have enough interest to justify a new product. Apple will have a pretty good idea if it will sell. The other problem is that there are rumors that Apple is going to introduce a lower-end 15" MacBook (maybe MacBook Air). If this rumor is true, I think it makes it much less likely that they would introduce a new smaller MacBook as well. It would clutter up the product line too much.

If anything... I was thinking that Apple might be afraid that a small 12" MacBook might cannibalize and confuse their marketing of the larger iPads Pros, which are already entering the 12"+ size category. And because Apple is (IMHO making a mistake) trying to blur the lines between iPadOS and MacOS.... there would be a huge marketing conundrum with selling both 12-inch iPads and 12-inch MacBooks.

 

[tstafford]

If anything... I was thinking that Apple might be afraid that a small 12" MacBook might cannibalize and confuse their marketing of the larger iPads Pros, which are already entering the 12"+ size category. And because Apple is (IMHO making a mistake) trying to blur the lines between iPadOS and MacOS.... there would be a huge marketing conundrum with selling both 12-inch iPads and 12-inch MacBooks.

This is my take too. They want you to buy in to the iPad as a small laptop replacement concept. I don't because iOS isn't fully functional and I don't care one bit about touch screen.

At least once a day I consider trading in my 2019 MBA on either a M1 or M2 MBA. But so far I can't bring myself to do it. Although I don't love the 2019 MBA, the two current options just aren't compelling enough to warrant the hassle or the $$$. An ultra light 12" would have done it.

 

[MrGunny94]

This is my take too. They want you to buy in to the iPad as a small laptop replacement concept. I don't because iOS isn't fully functional and I don't care one bit about touch screen.

At least once a day I consider trading in my 2019 MBA on either a M1 or M2 MBA. But so far I can't bring myself to do it. Although I don't love the 2019 MBA, the two current options just aren't compelling enough to warrant the hassle or the $$$. An ultra light 12" would have done it.

Without a Terminal and a proper macOS setup on the iPad Pro there's no way I'm going to use it as a light laptop. For the time being my 12" is used as a sidecar display when I need to get work done on my MBP14" on the go.

I too wish the iPad Pro 12" would be a 'good enough' computer, because the hardware is there but the software is a disaster..

 

[tstafford]

I too wish the iPad Pro 12" would be a 'good enough' computer, because the hardware is there but the software is a disaster..

The software is the deal killer for me. But even if the iPad ran MacOS, I'm still not sure I'd want the 12" pro for this purpose. With the Magic Keyboard the combo is over 3 lbs. How is that better than a M2 MBA? I want a compact machine right around 2 lbs. It can be light on performance because all I want to do with it is email, web browsing, Netflix and iMessage. If I could get that with reliable battery life in the 18-20 hour range I would pay good money. Like really good money.

 

[jdb8167]

The software is the deal killer for me. But even if the iPad ran MacOS, I'm still not sure I'd want the 12" pro for this purpose. With the Magic Keyboard the combo is over 3 lbs. How is that better than a M2 MBA? I want a compact machine right around 2 lbs. It can be light on performance because all I want to do with it is email, web browsing, Netflix and iMessage. If I could get that with reliable battery life in the 18-20 hour range I would pay good money. Like really good money.

Exactly. My M2 MacBook Air is 2.7 lbs. It also thinner and easier to use with the keyboard than a 12.9" iPad Pro + Magic Keyboard. The keyboard on my M2 MBA is superior to the Magic Keyboard. The trackpad is better too.

I would love to get a macOS notebook even thinner and lighter with the M2 SoC. I wouldn't mind sacrificing a bit of screen real estate and battery life to get it. The 12-inch MacBook weighed 2.03 lbs.

 

[dotnet]

I hope they make something like this. My wife refuses to update her 2015 MacBook 12" and I think it recently made Apple's 'vintage' list.

I’ve still got my 12” PowerBook G4, I wonder what list that is on?
😆

 

[rmadsen3]

I’ve still got my 12” PowerBook G4, I wonder what list that is on?
😆

PB12 is so big. Thicker than MBP14 and the other dimensions are pretty close to those of MBP14. Weight is nearly the same as that of MBP16!