Apple may be planning to reintroduce the 12-inch MacBook after all, according to a rumor shared on Korean blog Naver.
The article comes from the account “yeux1122,” known for his mixed track record of collecting Apple rumors. According to an alleged source at one of Apple’s Taiwanese suppliers, Apple is preparing to reintroduce the 12-inch MacBook. The company appears to be considering the future of the device—a final decision is yet to be made. However, it is said that development of the device will continue. Apple apparently plans to confirm whether the device will go into mass production in the second half of this year. In 2022, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he had not heard of any plans surrounding a new 12-inch MacBook model. Display analyst Ross Young also expressed “skepticism” that Apple would launch new MacBooks with screen sizes below 13 inches. The original 12-inch MacBook was introduced in March 2015 and was characterized by its thin and light design.
Apple Silicon has rekindled interest in the 12-inch MacBook
It weighed just two pounds and was the first Apple 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. With Apple's announcement that it would switch to its own chips for the Mac, interest in a new 12-inch MacBook has revived. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was the first to flesh out rumors of the reintroduction of a 12-inch MacBook model with Apple Silicon last year, saying the device could launch in late 2023 or early 2024. Last month, he said the new 12-inch MacBook was no longer on the company's short-term roadmap, but did not rule the device out entirely, meaning a delay to 2024 or later is still possible, which could line up with Naver's recent claims. (Photo by Unsplash / Laurent Peignault)
