Is the 12-inch MacBook Making a Comeback?
According to a sketchy rumor shared on the Korean blog Naver, Apple may be continuing its plans to bring back the 12-inch MacBook. While the reliability of the source is unclear, this news has excited many MacBook fans who are eager to see the return of this iconic device.
History of the 12-inch MacBook
The original 12-inch MacBook was introduced in March 2015 and featured a thin and light design that weighed just two pounds. It was Apple’s first notebook to feature a fanless design, USB-C port, and butterfly switch keyboard. Apple updated the 12-inch MacBook in June 2017 and discontinued the device in 2019. Since then, there has been renewed interest in the potential of a new 12-inch MacBook, especially with Apple’s transition to its own custom silicon chips for the Mac.
Mixed Track Record
The rumor of the 12-inch MacBook’s return comes from the account “yeux1122,” which has a mixed track record aggregating accurate Apple rumors. According to an alleged source at a company that supplies parts to Apple in Taiwan, Apple is preparing to reintroduce the 12-inch MacBook with the latest features such as upgraded iPhone transfer feature. The company purportedly seems to be weighing up the future of the device and has yet to confirm if it will reach launch. Nevertheless, production activities related to the device are said to be ongoing. Apple apparently plans to confirm whether the device will move forward to mass production as soon as the second half of this year.
Skepticism
In 2022, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that he hadn’t heard of any plans for a new 12-inch MacBook model. Display analyst Ross Young similarly expressed “skepticism” about Apple launching new MacBooks with display sizes below 13-inches.
Bloomberg’s Report
Last year, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman was the first to concretely spark rumors about Apple reintroducing a 12-inch MacBook model with Apple silicon. He suggested that the device could come at the end of 2023 or in early 2024. However, in a recent report, he said that the new 12-inch MacBook was no longer on the company’s near-term roadmap. Still, he did not rule out the possibility of the device being pushed into 2024 or later, which could align with the latest claims from Naver.
While it’s exciting to think about the return of the 12-inch MacBook, we should take this rumor with a grain of salt. Only time will tell whether or not Apple will confirm the device’s return, but until then, we can only speculate. If the 12-inch MacBook does make a comeback, it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against Apple’s current lineup of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models.
