Apple has yet to begin shipping its newest M2 MacBook, but the company reportedly has several more models on the way, including a 12-inch MacBook.
Apple just launched new a new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, but a recent report has revealed more exciting MacBooks are coming, including a 12-inch model. Apple’s newest 13.6-inch MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro are powered by the company’s M2 chip. The M2 MacBook Air brings a new design that includes a notched display similar to the 2021 MacBook Pro models and a MagSafe charging port.
In contrast, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Pro keeps the old design. It doesn’t have a notched display, skips the MagSafe port, and retains the equally loved and hated touch bar. In addition to the new computers, Apple also announced new updates for iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS. Surprisingly, no new features were announced for tvOS.
Apple insider and Bloomberg reporter, Mark Gurman, revealed several new details about future MacBooks, some of which are not expected to launch until a few years from now. Among the upcoming computers is a 12-inch MacBook that is expected to arrive in late 2023 or early 2024. The last 12-inch computer from Apple was released in 2015 and had its fair share of issues. While it is not yet known whether this new model will belong to the MacBook Pro line, what is certain is that it will be powered by an Apple chip. Of course, this could raise a concern over whether a 12-inch MacBook will compete too much with the company’s iPad Pro.
12-Inch MacBook Vs. IPad Pro
When Apple launched its last 12-inch MacBook in 2015, the iPad Pro 12.9 released in the same year didn’t pack quite as much processing power. However, with current iPad Pro models now powered by the same Apple chip found in MacBooks, the differences boil down to form factor and operating system. Apple itself is positioning the iPad Pro as a laptop replacement, which leaves one wondering why it would want to launch a MacBook that competes in the same size segment as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. At the same time, Apple probably wants a laptop that can take on the 12.4-inch Surface Laptop Go series. While it most likely won’t be as cheap as $599, it would be nice if it cost less than the $999 M1-powered MacBook Air.
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12-inch MacBook aside, Gurman also said a 15-inch MacBook Air is on the way and that it could arrive as early as next spring. Since its launch in 2008, Apple has only offered the MacBook Air in 11-inch and 13-inch models, which means the 15-inch version will be the first in the product line’s history. According to Gurman, Apple wanted to launch the 15-inch model this year but shelved it in favor of the newly launched 13.6-inch model powered by Apple’s M2 chip. Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) added more information by tweeted that the 15-inch MacBook Air will actually have a 15.2-inch display. Young also added that it will lack ProMotion and MiniLEDs.
In terms of later this year and early 2023, it is expected that new MacBook Pro models powered by the yet-to-be-announced M2 Pro and M2 Max chips will be released. The new 14-inch and 16-inch computers are codenamed “J414” and “J416”, respectively. Apart from the new chips, the expectation is these MacBook Pro models won’t be strikingly different from Apple’s 2021 versions.
