Back in the day the Apple’s 12-inch MacBook was a highly advanced laptop. There are rumors that the device might be coming back. A Korean source, that might or might not be trusted has claimed that “major activities” relating to the 12-inch MacBook is happening.
Nothing is confirmed yet, however, yeux1122 claims, by the second half of 2023 Apple should have decided whether it will move ahead with mass production. At the moment, things are at the “preparation level” for the device.
Industry experts have had mixed reactions to rumors that the 12-inch MacBook may make a comeback. While Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated in June 2022 that he had not heard of any plans for a 12-inch MacBook from his sources, display industry specialist Ross Young expressed similar skepticism and noted that Apple is instead concentrating on laptops that are 13 inches and larger.
Despite this, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman has indicated that a 12-inch MacBook is being developed. However, more recently, he suggested that the device was “no longer on Apple’s near-term roadmap,” but did not explicitly state that the company had abandoned plans for it.
Given this industry skepticism, it is advisable to approach yeux1122’s claims with caution, especially since the author does not have a reliable history of accurate Apple leaks. Nonetheless, it is worth keeping in mind.
Why did it fail?
One of the reasons the 12-inch MacBook initially failed was that it was severely underpowered, as its super-thin chassis could only handle a mobile processor from Intel. However, the rise of Apple silicon has given Apple far more efficient chips to play with. These days, Apple silicon means a new 12-inch MacBook might actually make sense.
Will Apple move forward and actually release a new version of the 12-inch MacBook? We will just have to wait and see.
