Bring back Apple's BIG FAILURE with Apple Silicon (please)! 

Why the 12“ wasn’t the first M1 Laptop from Apple will always be a question for me. It would have been PERFECT!!

What I would do is have it as the entry level macbook, get rid of the Air M1 and keep this line as the under 1000dl mac with one generation back SOC. Have the Air be one level up from this. It sucked in performance but the computer itself was amazing I loved it for quick weekend trips for office and email.

The 12 inch retina macbook was my favorite computer I've ever owned. Only things I'd change is maybe another USB C port and thinner bezels to compete with current screens. I loved the butterfly keyboard, but the current tech is fine too.

An Apple silicon 12" or 12.5 Inch Macbook would be awesome! I guess the only issue would be if you put the M2 inside it would overheat even more. They could make modded version where it only uses efficiency cores or heavily uses them? The m2 efficiency cores are actually very good.

Agreed! I was talking to Vadim about a new 12" last week. It would be sweet to have a new one even if it has 1 TB port + Magsafe. Not sure if you saw our video on low power mode, but the most impressive thing about M2 is just how powerful it is in low power mode because of the much better efficiency cores. I'm talking about half the power usage of those intel M3 chips with super low temps and killer performance.

I would definitely buy one. My wife loved her 11" air because of how thin and small it was. When we recently replaced it with an M1 Macbook Air, she was disappointed at how much heavier and larger it was compared to her beloved 11" air. However, there wasn't another choice. A 12" macbook similar to the old 12" would have been perfect.

A modern version of the 12" MacBook would be an incredible machine. Hell, even if Apple gave it the A15 chip if it allows them to lower the price to $800, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Yisssss, it was such a based form factor, even an under-clocked M1 or M2 would be good for this thing. It was unbelievably portable, and I desperately want it back :3

I had a couple of these MacBooks and loved them. Never did anything requiring great speed and didn't know I was supposed to hate the keyboard... so it was great.

Yes, I would buy a new 12” MacBook powered by Apple silicone and replace my current one from 2015.

Nice call. Laptop is still irreplaceable for some tasks and the 0.7 lbs weight difference really matters. I am still using my almost maxed out 12-inch 2017 MacBook retina ram and still waiting for MacBook SE with m2 chip.

I’m with you. The 12.5” M2 (or M3 3nm) is my dream computer! Most of the power with none of the bulk.

I remember seeing this MacBook and being really excited, but as someone who edits a lot and needs ports for hard drives, memory cards, monitors etc I knew it wasn’t for me. Which is a shame because I LOVED the look of it. Feel like it was just a big flex from Apple just to say ‘look how thin we can go’. It’s a great device for being totally wireless, if you don’t need any peripherals for your computing experience, but some industries and workflows just weren’t at that stage at the time, and still aren’t.

If they replaced the M1 air with a 12” M2, added more than one USB-C and a reliable keyboard while keeping the $999 price point, they’d be onto something. I always thought that a smaller, less capable machine that cost more than the Air was a non starter.

Yes, yes, yes!!! My wife is using one since 2017 and loves it very, very much. I proposed to exchange it to an M1 Air last year, but she said "meh. It's nothing special." And I fully get it.

12" almost got me but I'm one of those that preferred the 11" Air for the small size. An M2 11" or 12" would be attractive.

Yeah! That was the mind blowing product! In both ways - there was so huge admiration about form-factor itself and that there was so giant disappointment about a first laggy new mac in my entire life!

The biggest miscalculation was its starting price of $1300. This along with having only 1 USB port and many disliking the feel of the 1st gen butterfly keyboard led to most customers choosing the Air instead. I saw this play out over and over again on the sales floor. It wasn’t even about the Intel CPU. It just never felt like a good value proposition to almost anyone.

Sadly, I don’t think Apple is going to bring this 12 inch form factor back. It would just bite into all sales from the MacBook lineup. The Pro that users buy without actually needing, the overrated and disappointing silicon Air’s. Mostly Everyone would get the 12”. I Just got two 2017 models one i5 256ssd the other 2017 i7 512 go ssd both 16gb ram. I use them for game development since Apple doesn’t want to invest in a touchscreen macOS.. this is the closest to an iPad Pro. I use screen duet with the headless i5, and it’s basically the Mac pad that I’ve always wanted. Don’t think that this is a solution for having macOS on iPad. Most of the applications that you will want to run are not optimize for touchscreen controls, they do work, however, but the workflow is not as efficient as using mouse or trackpad.

Yes. I was expecting apple to bring the 12 back. The naming scheme seems absolutely chaotic at this point. The 12 could be the new small Macbook Air that was canceled a while ago.

Better option: Put macOS on the 11-inch iPad Pro.

This would be the perfect Mac for me

You and Snazzy will be the reason people demanding Apple to make a 12 inch MacBook SE

I would love to have a 12 inch apple silicone Mac, for sure.

I used my 12” 2017 macbook for the past 4 years every day (I bought a maxed out one used) until the m2 MacBook Air maxed out arrived on my doorstep 2 weeks ago. It’s the closest, lightest, fanless option to the 12” macbook that I’ve loved using for so long.

I used to be impressed by the form factor of the 12", but after owning a 13" M1 Air, I feel like this is the perfect laptop for me. With the rise of cloud gaming (and my country's fast and cheap internet) I can literally do anything on this little, portable and quiet laptop.

I think a 12" Macbook would be perfect nowadays; it was definitely ahead of it's time. Change the bezels, chip, keyboard, update the webcam and screen.... I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Do you ever see an m1, or m2 light chip coming out, maybe it would have extra efficiency cores and have a lower base clock to still give you good performance in a small budget friendly package?

Have a 2016 MB and still love it, yes its slow but the form factor is still awesome. If they ever ship an M based version I will definetley be buying one.

The ThinkPad Z13 with Ryzen 7 6860z has very similar dimensions to this MacBook, so they could probably get away with a 13.3” display with smaller bezels!

I would definately buy a 12 inch Apple silicon Macbook, I had two of the original ones a 2015 one and a 2017 one which i used extensively when traveling, they were very slow, but I put up with it for the fantastic form factor.

Yes... even with a M1 chip the 12" Air, for me, would be a great travel companion.

The 12” MacBook with an M1 or M2 would conflict with the Air IMO…That said I would buy one in a second.

The 12” MacBook (2016) was both my favorite computer at first and the most disappointing one by the end. It was crazy, thin, light, portable. It felt like an iPad that functioned like a Mac. 👌 But the keyboard went out twice, the usb-c went out twice. It gave up the ghost, oh-so-much sooner than any other apple product I’ve owned. So after I buried it, I backtracked a year and got the 2015 MacBook Pro. That’s still my daily driver today. If they bring it back I’d say lose headphone jack (gasp!) and put a USB C on both sides.

I’m considering getting a Mac spec 2017 one to work with my M1 iPad Pro. That seems like a good combo

Not enough room for ports other than USB-C. No HDMI. No microsd card reader. Back to dongle hell. Also, customers end up paying for Apple's "risk-taking".

13" for me is quite perfect for a laptop BUT I would probably switch my 13'' MacBook Pro for an iMac and get a 12'' MacBook Air instead of an iPad. That would be great.

not gonna happen, the ipad pro was made to replace that gap, a 12 inch macbook would cannibalize ipad sales

I just bought the last 2017 m3 MacBook 12-inch, from a pawn shop. Wiped it from scratch and didn’t restore any backups - it’s been great! Battery life is “fine” and the PDFs load and scroll a bit slow, but I barely notice it. I use Screen Sharing to load my desktop Mac and play games remotely. For sound, I go to the AirPlay menu and select the MacBook 12-inch … and this works! Two-way sharing of audio & video.

I own a 12” macbook 2017 and I really really want it to be upgraded, I am now on a m1 MacBook Air. Really would like to see a 12” apple silicon

Unless they can figure out a way to go that thin again _without_ needing a butterfly keyboard, this kind of machine returning in Apple Silicon form ain't gonna happen. Yeah, they took some risks when they made all those innovations on the 12" MacBook, and the keyboard redesign that ended up costing them years of reputation was one of them...

Why would I choose a smaller screen and less performance and probably less battery life to save 0.5 lbs on an already under 3 pound computer? The 12 inch MacBook didn't make send then and it doesn't make sense now

It’s nice, but I don’t really see anything great about a super thin laptop. I’d rather have chunky and sturdy.

i have a feeling they could do an m2S where it has the same amount of cores as an m1 but with the power efficiency of the m2

12" Macbook with an M1/2/3 processor would be an instant buy for me.

Time for Luke to make his own 12 inch Apple silicon Mac. 😃

Great review thanks Luke I have to disagree with you that the first forced touch trackpad was introduced in 2015 MacBook Pro with the old design

This tiny Mac was amazing. I used it for a year and it was fantastic because it was light. If you carry in your bag you never feel you carry a laptop

There’s a whole generation of Macs that were ruined by the intel chips inside them. Even in 2015 this thing probably would have done a lot better if it had an iPad chip from that year instead.

The risk was iphone 13 mini as well. When they saw that 12 mini wasn't selling good, they should have made 13 mini.

I spotted small mistake in your video: it’s not a fantastic laptop, it’s a fanlesstastic laptop! I owned the 12” and would definitely buy a M1 version with the new keyboard. I love the portability. I hope Apple watches your videos too and they will come up something next year.

Ives being gone almost guarantees that this will never happen again.

Maybe bringing it back as a MacBook SE with 12 inch screen and M1 but to clocked back version and bring it in midnight, starlight, gold, and sierra blue (aye no one thought of that color huh?😂 a nice baby blue color!)

So you actually own that many macs... You sir are officially insane :)))

Well of course they could but then the Air would have no reason to exist. They should just slap a small fan to the M2 in the air, get rid of the 13" MBP and introduce the M2 Macbook.

Definitely the MacBook Air over MacBook 12-12.5”. Not that much difference in size and I wouldn’t want to compromise on performance.

To counter, look at where bold and risky got them. All their laptops from 2016-2019 were hot garbage.

the 13" . . . I like the real estate of a bigger screen. I right now have a M1 MBP 16" and besides having it future proofed one of the major reasons was the 16" screen. I would like Apple to have just an M2 (normal, so no pro, max, ultra) MacBook having a 16" screens. I think there are quite a lot of not pro users that do like the bigger screens and bigger touchpad and more spacious keyboard.

That thing could fit a 13” display easily. Just look at the new XPS 13.

I am completely with you on this issue as a 5 year user of the 12" Macbook.

it didn't fit anymore after the 13" air adopted almost all of its benefits... retina display, USB-C, butterfly keyboard. it was a niche item. they could totally do it now with apple silicon and the lessons learned and make it slightly lower cost. but they'd probably struggle to figure to how to fit it into their pricing scheme. they can't go $200 cheaper like they do between display sizes for the pro. starting at $800/900? i don't think they want to introduce a MacBook that cheap. i think they're leaving that space for the iPad or iPad pro, which wasn't nearly as mac-like back then as it is now.

Just opted for the 14” MacBook Pro over the M2 Air as it felt like more bang for the buck and TBH I never took my previous MBP out of the house so weight wasn’t a primary consideration. But I would definitely be tempted by an M2 12” MacBook as my travelling companion rather than an iPad

Absolutely, that was the best design ever

I bought the 12" MacBook back then for my wife and it still is what she daily uses. Just for email, surfing, collecting fotos, writing. It still serves her well, and she enjoys that small form factor, that makes it so easy to use anywhere.

I love the 2012 unibody MacBook 13 inch, I own a MacBook Air M1 but that MacBook Pro still is a beast, maybe buy one to upgrade it :).

Feel Apple will not bring back the 12 inch Mac laptop.

This is perfect with the M1. This time I hope they make the CPU have thermal pads built in to allow heat to dissipate more thru the aluminum body.

Yes! It was my favourite laptop. It will make a lot of sense to bring it back with m2 chip!

Would not ever buy a 12' MacBook, to small.

Watching this on 2017 model and love it to death. Best keyboard, best design and best dimensions. Surfing, youtube are tasks for this machine. Hate people complaining that it is slow, like wtf you plan to do on it? Photoshop?

I still have a 2016 M5 12 inch MacBook I bought when I was recovering from cancer. I still use it as my dining room computer though the battery is dead so I have to leave it plugged in all the time. I love the design. It was great to use when I was in and out of the hospital over a three year period. I, however love my 11 inch iPad Pro with the original Apple keyboard. It basically does the same things a lot faster. That, to me is the competition because of is similar size and price with a keyboard as opposed to the MacBook Air.

A 2 in 1 (like surface pro) 12" macbook with apple pen support would be great rather than just 12" macbook in previous form factor.

My favorite Macbook of all time is the 11” Air, which was crazy small, functioned as a full-fledged computer and could do everythign I needed (including photo editing). The 12” was like a dream laptop for me when it came out (great display, no fan, super light), but was too expensive and there was always something lacking (performance, battery, keyboard). Yes, with the M2 they could fix that, but the M2 Air would still be the more reasonable choice (i have it and love it). So the 12.5” M2 should in my mind not be the cheapest Macbook, but something fancy, with some display tech innovation, crazy materials being used, or something like that. A luxury Macbook for business folks etc.

I have the 2015 model and it still works, except I replaced the batteries a few years ago. I used it for three years as my main computer attached to a 24-inch screen. I still use it when I travel. It only weighs two pounds. The battery only lasts three hours before recharging. I'd buy it with an M2 chip, with hopefully a little longer battery life.

Hi Luke, I am an avid watcher of your videos from the UK and a subscriber….I have a question / video idea for you….I am not sure if you still have your iMac Pro but prices in the UK are dropping fast….I have a MacBook Pro 2018 and an i7 2017 iMac 5k, so the big problem is …when do you think Apple will remove support / OS X updates for iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro’s….is an iMac Pro a good buy or a money pit…would love to see a video on this topic as there is a lot of value around in the UK….but as an example is an iMac Pro a great buy or terrible decision…thanks keep up the good work…

Damn, I would instantly buy a 12 inch MacBook with the M2. Sure, it had its downsides, but having a super portable computer with a great screen and battery life (while also being less than 1 KG), it's a perfect computer for being mobile

I did buy one. Used it as a remote desktop to work and plugged into a decent sized monitor. Speed was not an issue connecting to high performance work servers. It supported decent monitor resolution so as a portable option it is great.

For component level repair and diagnosing, Apple Retina MacBooks motherboards are a nightmare, especially if they are dense. I'm never buying a MacBook that runs at 80+ degrees while watching youtube, and that has a soldered SSD that's needed to boot!

Interesting fact. The box of the M2 MacBook air shows it in the way Tim Cook presented the MacBook 12 inch.

Recently got a 2017 12" MacBook off eBay for my wife. Kind of a rare unit...BTO 1.4 GHz i7, rose gold (which Apple got rid of the following year in favor of regular gold). $380. It was in impeccable condition, no noticeable scratches or wear, screen and keyboard look fairly new, and the display is sharp and holds up decently to today's. Put it in a crystal clear case to protect it and show off that nice rose gold color. :) It's a pretty decent little system. For what she uses it for (browsing, email, photo management), it's perfect and more than enough computer, and will still be supported by Ventura when it comes out. And she loves how small and light it is, easily tossing it into her bag. Really wish Apple would revisit this form factor for users that are looking for ultra-slim, ultra-light, but I'm guessing with the focus on making the iPad more computer-like these days with the Smart Keyboard, the 13" Air will continue to be the smallest laptop we'll see.

Even more importantly, I’d be able to convince my mom to upgrade from the 2018 version to this with pretty much no change in weight. She has rheumatoid arthritis and is extremely limited in how much weight she can carry or hold which is why she got this rather than the 2018 MacBook Air.

I wouldn't want to be around Luke when he tosses around a slice of pizza like he does the MacBook @9:20.

Technical failures aside, the main issues with the 12" MB: 1. Single USB port 2. Price The 11" MBA was Apple's most affordable laptop, which the 12" MB should have replaced. Instead, the 12" MB was severely underpowered and under-connected for its price. Since cancelling the 11" MBA, Apple's had no sub-$1k laptop (no, I'm losing sight of the M1 MBA selling for $1 under a grand). A new generation ultra-light, budget laptop is the soul of Apple silicon.

As long as it has the new keyboard, not the old butterfly keyboard, I am all for the resurrection of the 12 inch Macbook.

I would consider it. I've always liked small screen laptops. I've had two Lenovo X series 12.5". yeah its a thicker design but it had all the ports. I have a 13.3" MBP and its a behemoth compared to the lenovo. I would love a 12" MacBook, provided it was cheaper than the current generation Air.

I would choose a 12" anyday over the standard 13"!

I think we surpassed it.. I see more and more pro apps coming to the iPad pro.. combining it with a keyboard you have mostly what you are looking for.. I don't see a huge audience for a 12" MacBook in the future who would not go for an ipad.. for me the 14" is the perfect sweetspot for an laptop if I need smth more portable I barely need all capability which comes with a macbook

The 12 Inch MacBook was the first thing that came into my mind when i first heard about Apple Silicon

"If apple did this again, but had it ACTUALLY WORK.. I think they'd do better" 😂

For me, this form factor fits THE REAL Macbook Air concept. I used to have a 12 inch 2015 retina with a stand, a magic mouse and a magic keyboard, I just had to sell it to buy a medicine for my mom :(. My experience was good, I really didn´t suffered the butterfly keyboard because I used the Mac as a desktop Mac, I miss how beautiful it looked (I had the Space Gray), I still have the dongle I bought to connect an external 24 inch monitor, SD card slot and 2 USB classic ports, the only thing I hated was the SSD storage, only 256GB, but still, one of the best designs, a living fossil from the Jony Ive era.

I went from a 2010 15" Macbook Pro to a 2015 Macbook 12" because I needed something very light to travel. Indeed the biggest problem is the processor, and the only one port. Now, I would still prefer the Macbook Air M2, I think it hits the sweet spot between portability, power and practicability.

I remember having a netbook back in 2012. My iPad ninth generation and iPad Air fifth generation are a whole lot better than that notebook ever was.

it is unbelievably thin and tiny my dirty mind starts to laugh

I had the latest 12" Macbook model - 2017 with top specs and it still wasn't able to blur the background while using Zoom video calls. Its successor is the Macbook Air M1.

With 12.9" iPads, we're not likely to see any 12" MacBooks.

If it would be at 899 dollars,it would be a good MacBook Air replacement

I have a 12" Macbook and a 13.3" M1 Macbook Air. Despite the fact that I once loved my 12" one, I do not believe the 12" would sell today. The reason is the iPhone screens have become big enough to compensate for a so small laptop. That is my opinion.

A+ for that thumbnail lol

The 12” was interesting because if you spent A LOT extra on the upgraded processor (m7), it was much better. It was just so expensive.

Thank you, for another very good video. But “heck no”, I would not buy this model if, Apple was to sell them again. What, I fell in love with and still own in my collection is a 12-inch G4 PowerBook with a max 1.5 GHz processor, max RAM of 1.25 GB, with USB “A” ports, FireWire-400 port, external display port, and a built-in DVD super-drive. Plus on this vintage model the rear Apple logo still lights up (smile…smile).