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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1420529
Apple Might Finally Resurrect the 12-inch MacBook, New Survey Suggests By Jesse Hollington Apple has been sending out numerous surveys recently looking for customer feedback on various products, from questions about the iPad mini’s screen size to how they use their iPhone chargers. Its latest survey, however, appears to be aimed at getting feedback from owners of a long-discontinued product: the 12-inch MacBook. According to MacRumors, the survey has been sent out to select customers, with a few generic questions asking for their thoughts on the MacBook’s size and features, and also what they would change about it. First launched in April 2015, the 12-inch MacBook was among the smallest, thinnest, and lightest Apple had ever made. While the screen was slightly larger than Apple’s 11-inch MacBook Air (the screen of which actually came in at 11.6 inches), it was thinner overall, had a very similar footprint, and weighed less. This was also the MacBook that introduced the controversial and ill-fated butterfly keyboard, which allowed for its decrease in thickness. It also featured a Retina display and packed in a better CPU and GPU, along with the new Force Touch trackpad and a USB-C port for the first time. Despite the name, it was designed to be a mid-range model that fit in between the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro — the opposite of how Apple has since named its iPad lineup. However, the 12-inch MacBook was only refreshed twice, first in 2016 with new CPU and GPU specs, faster flash storage, a longer battery, and a Rose Gold version. A subsequent 2017 bump offered even more modest improvements and was mostly intended just to bring the machine up to then-current specs. After skipping a refresh in 2018, it was discontinued in the summer of 2019 alongside the debut of True Tone displays on the MacBook Air and a new entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar. Despite this, the 2016- and 2017-era 12-inch MacBook will still be able to run macOS Monterey when it comes out later this year; the 2015 model will be left behind on Big Sur.