Apple Hints At Possible 12-Inch MacBook Return In Customer Survey
After updates in 2016 and 2017 (along with some price cuts along the way, which chipped away at its original $1,299 starting price), Apple eventually discontinued the device in 2019. However, Apple is allegedly testing the waters for reintroducing the 12-inch MacBook. According to MacRumors, the survey asked prospective customers to weigh on the size of the laptop along with what they’d like to see changed about its design if it were to make a return.
The positioning for the 12-inch MacBook would be rather interesting if Apple were to bring it back to the lineup. The 13-inch MacBook Air is currently Apple’s cheapest laptop, with a starting price of $999. However, retailers regularly discount the 13-inch MacBook Air to $899 or less. For example, we recently saw it priced for an insanely low $749 at Best Buy with an education discount (which anyone could access).
The 12-inch MacBook would need to hit a price point of perhaps $899 or maybe even as low as $799 (before discounts) as not to encroach on the larger MacBook Air. But of course, this is all speculation at this point. And since we’re speculating, we’d hope that Apple would rethink the original decision to only include 1 USB-C port. If we had a wish list for the laptop, we’d ask for an M1 processor (likely limited to the 7-core GPU version), two Thunderbolt 4 ports, scissor-style key switches, and improved battery life (the latter two requests are the most likely to come to fruition).
This isn’t the first time that Apple has sent out surveys to get customers’ opinions on upcoming products or feature omissions in products. For example, last July, before the launch of the iPhone 12 family, Apple sent out a survey asking what customers did with the wall charger that comes in the phone box. Around this time, rampant rumors alleged that Apple would remove the wall charger from the box. Not surprisingly, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro launched without wall chargers, much to the ire of many customers that felt that Apple was incredibly stingy.
