According to the most recent information that was shared by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has plans to introduce a larger 15-inch MacBook Air in 2023. However, a previously rumored 12-inch MacBook with Apple silicon is no longer scheduled to launch this year.
In 2022, Apple’s product selection includes a significant number of MacBooks. Nevertheless, there is a specific MacBook model that has been excluded from the lineup, and that is the 12-inch MacBook. In July 2019, Apple decided to stop selling 12-inch MacBooks since the company discovered that the resulting laptop was underpowered. This was due to the fact that the device was equipped with a less powerful processor than later models.
Gurman made a casual reference to a 15-inch Macbook Air in his report; nevertheless, little is known about this laptop. On the other hand, according to a claim by MacRumors, which cited display analyst Ross Young, Apple plans to start producing 15.5-inch display panels for a new MacBook MacBook Air during the first quarter of 2023.
Will Apple, at some point in the future, bring back the 12-inch MacBook?
Due to the fact that Apple has not provided any official explanation for its decision to discontinue the 12-inch MacBook, all we can do is speculate about it. This particular model was controversial because it made significant design compromises in order to achieve its goal and also because it included changes that made the user experience worse.
To begin, Apple’s controversial butterfly keyboard debuted on the 12-inch MacBook, which was the very first laptop to feature it. Because of the way it was designed, dirt and other particles could readily get under the key, which caused it to stop functioning properly. Because of the widespread nature of the butterfly keyboard issues affecting Apple laptops, the company was forced to initiate a repair program for the defective keyboards.
Apple’s decision to use only one USB-C port for the majority of the 12-inch MacBook’s connectivity was another controversial change the company made with this model. This decision caused problems for customers who wanted to charge their device while also connecting a different peripheral to the laptop at the same time.
Also, the FaceTime camera on the 12-inch MacBook was only capable of 480p resolution, despite the fact that the 720p cameras found in other MacBooks at the time were one of the many drawbacks associated with purchasing a Mac.
In addition to the fact that the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are sold at prices that are nearly identical to one another, it didn’t make much sense to have the 12-inch MacBook as part of the lineup. This is especially true when considering the weak performance of Intel Core M chips and the fanless design of the device. However, if Apple were to offer a new 12-inch MacBook equipped with an Apple silicon chip, we believe the company would not have to deal with these issues.
As a direct consequence of these issues, Apple decided to pull the plug on the 12-inch MacBook in 2019, bringing to an end a production run that spanned almost nine years, beginning on the day when Steve Jobs revealed the original 12-inch Macbook for the first time in 2008.
Despite this, there is still a chance that Apple will relaunch the 12-inch MacBook and make it available for purchase again. Gurman has stated that the product is no longer on Apple’s near-term plan; nevertheless, if the company does decide to give it a go, it is possible that it will be released at some point in the not-too-distant future.