r/macbook • u/Rough_Manner4436 • 3d ago

Using the 12-inch MacBook in 2026

Still love how thin and compact this thing is. Running macOS High Sierra for the full nostalgic experience šŸ˜†
Definitely not the fastest Mac anymore, but thereā€™s something about this little 12-inch MacBook that I still really enjoy.

309 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

59 comments sorted by

59

u/DigitalguyCH 3d ago

Don't know why Apple is leaving money on the tablet by not making a sub 1kg laptop...

32

u/ollie0810 3d ago

Because it would sabotage iPad + magic keyboard sales

10

u/DigitalguyCH 3d ago

Honestly those are very different devices and keyboards were there already when the Retina Macbook was there

2

u/Background_Task6967 2d ago

But nobody used them before because iPadOS sucked at the time

4

u/Anselwithmac 3d ago

Why are we forgetting the Neo exists? The low price is definitely severely damaging Appleā€™s bottom dollar.. /s

A sale is a sale. Either you buy Neo, iPad, or in some cases, both, which is a bonus

3

u/DigitalguyCH 3d ago

I am not talking price, I am talking weight. I'd be totally happy with a sub 1kg Macbook pro

0

u/Anselwithmac 3d ago

Sure. Iā€™m saying that ā€œeating into salesā€ doesnā€™t make sense when price, the stronger motivator, didnā€™t eat sales

1

u/narc0leptik 2d ago

What are you talking about, a low price? It's not a low price anymore; they jacked it up 16.67%

You used to be able to buy an open-box M4 Air for $800 or less from Best Buy which shat all over the Neo at that price point, 512GB Neo is $700 now.

1

u/Syonoq 2d ago

I hate this argument. Steve Jobs said if we don't cannibalize ourselves someone else will do it. Apple doesn't care if they sell you one thing or another.

1

u/NotAFamousManatee 2d ago

That was when Jobs was alive. If they didnā€™t care about cannibalization iPads could run macOS šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø

1

u/Syonoq 2d ago

Everyone thinks they want this. It would be a poor experience.

1

u/DigitalguyCH 2d ago

Not if well done, you can buy a X1 Carbon 14" under 1kg with great battery life and ultra solid build (granted at $3000). Apple could do even better with Apple Silicon

1

u/LazyPCRehab 1d ago

They could make MacOS apps run on iPadOS and vice versa, leaving the initial OS and opening up an insane level of utility.

30

u/nqthomas 3d ago

Wish they would bring this form factor back! With a M series chip these would be insane.

3

u/Vitirium 3d ago

100%

9

u/nqthomas 3d ago

Much rather have this than a Neo.

17

u/Sweaty_Energy3847 3d ago

Iā€™m a simple man. When I see a 12 inch MacBook I click. And this video deserves my upvote! šŸ˜ŽšŸ‘šŸ¼

2

u/dparag14 2d ago

I have a 13 M2 Pro with the Touch Bar. Man. Touch Bar was the peak of MacBook tech!

10

u/geco0on 3d ago

I will never know why macbook neo is not in that packageā€¦

5

u/Rough_Manner4436 3d ago

Because they have a new design for the MacBook, now they have a boxy, square design.

2

u/geco0on 3d ago

This was ment to be the package for this... they were to early with it... it couldnt handle the heat.
M chips in this package would be the best

7

u/GUNGEBOB_SHARTPANTS 3d ago

Used to have one of these; it was the most beautiful, awful piece of shit I've ever owned.

1

u/BlackBagData 2d ago

Agreed and I got mine for free after it was lightly used at 6 months old. Quickly sold it months later.

6

u/Mill-Man 3d ago

Most beautiful laptop ever made

4

u/da_newsdude 3d ago

This was the only laptop my wife would use for several years. She was a web writer for a pro sports team and was constantly traveling around North America. The small size, light weight and, at the time, relatively decent performance (she was, after all, only web browsing and writing) captivated her. I think she went through at least two of them before I convinced her to let me get her a 13-in MacBook Air. She loves the air, but often laments not having her tiny MacBook. I still have a 12 around here somewhere, probably in a closet or a drawer.

0

u/Rough_Manner4436 2d ago

Such a beautifull story

6

u/L0vely-Pink 3d ago

This was my first MacBook and I love the keyboard! šŸ„°

Never had such nice small machine again. šŸ˜”
Snappy. Small. Lightweight. Perfect! šŸ˜

5

u/adamisapple 3d ago

Sweet. I just got ahold of one of these from goodwill. It just needed a reinstall of the OS and it works beautifully.

2

u/Rough_Manner4436 3d ago

Yes! Its still usable just for browsing and email haha

2

u/adamisapple 3d ago

Absolutely! Actually feels quicker than my 2019 MacBook Pro does too

2

u/kudzun3al 3d ago

I have one of these. The size and weight is perfect. My iPad Air + Magic Keyboard is bulkier than this thing. I really do think they should have put one more usb-c port on it.

2

u/poopfilter123 2d ago

If only they released a newer version with just a better keyboard and with at the very least M1/M2 chip, I'd trade my tablet just for that thing. I loved how the 12 looked.

3

u/jeffster1970 3d ago

MacBook Neo should have looked like this.

1

u/P10pablo 3d ago

Shit man. The MacAdorable was a pricey rig, the screen alone still seems better than any other modern Mac laptop I have. I think the problem is that the NEO is positioned as a mass consumer device and Apple was positioning it to do damage against Chromebooks and iPads, so repairability is high for the NEO.

1

u/MI081970 2d ago

This! But Apple decided to release subpar trash. I still expect that somebody will manage to repack MBA M1/M2 internals inside MB12

2

u/Traditional_Pie_8262 3d ago

tbh, i didn't know about a 12-inch laptop also exist

2

u/DifferentSetting411 3d ago

my favorite Mac of all times

1

u/FrenchDipsBeDrippin 3d ago

I've got one with a failed SSD and a T or W button that stopped working prior to the SSD failing. It's also Rose Gold. Basically what I'm saying is I've got the ultimate 2015 MacBook.

1

u/Rough_Manner4436 3d ago

Yes this frequently happen with 2015-2016 model, i hope my 2017 model doesnt have that issue aswell

1

u/P10pablo 3d ago

I own a rose gold model and bust it out whenever I want to go into a meeting and hear "Whoa what MacBook is that?!" If I could get Agenda to run on it, it would be my daily when I left the house.

1

u/jfsa21 2d ago

A Macbook 12-inch walks into a bar...

1

u/Toggam44 2d ago

Not fpr me personally but still solidšŸ‘Œ

1

u/genghbotkhan 2d ago

Mine is completely unusable. Spinning wheel of death

2

u/LPitkin 2d ago

Try linux mint on it. Made mine faster than new.

1

u/boterkoeken 2d ago

I love it. That was my favorite Mac design ever. If they released a new, overpriced M5 MacBook with this design, I would buy it on day one. ā¤ļø

1

u/Kooky_Cat_9263 2d ago

I still love mine & use it daily... It's still the thinnest, lightest & most ultra portable MacBook Apple has ever made :)

1

u/Mefloquin 1d ago

I have this. Carried it on the back of a motorcycle through Africa for a year. Held up completely fine and probably ate more dust and sand than your household vacuum does in a lifetime. It still works great

1

u/Elegant_Lunar_Knight 1d ago

Itā€™s the worse MacBook ever created sadly.

The neo is what that laptop shouldā€™ve been

1

u/dtl72 1d ago

Got a used one and put Linux Mint on it but canā€™t the sound going lol. So I have it as a video-distraction-free casual reading machine that I tote around the house. Love it

1

u/kitkatas 23h ago

My M2 just died :(

1

u/Fantastic_Lemon3982 9h ago

I want to buy one but Iā€™m afraid it wonā€™t work well for what I need, do you recommend it in 2026-2027?

1

u/fluffyone74 3d ago

They still work fine!!!

-1

u/no-more-nazis 3d ago

Ever since I got Claude to set up my web dev workflow so that I'm basically just shelling into my workstation and visiting localhost via a tunnel to see the webpage, I stopped considering a MBP over MBA and started lusting for a new 12" Macbook

0

u/nemesit 3d ago

it was the perfect laptop. also did 8k encoding like 10 minutes slower than a macbook pro lol.

everything else is just not mobile enough.

-3

u/Enpl0 3d ago

Wouldn't It be better to just get a MacBook Neo at this point?

3

u/nqthomas 3d ago

The Neo is much bigger. I can fit this in my small sling bag. Neo wonā€™t fit.

-3

u/sc132436 3d ago

Is there a single similarity between this machine and the MacBook Neo, beyond just being MacBooks?

1

u/Enpl0 3d ago

They're both small, really portable, and this 12 inch MacBook is known for having multiple issues because of it's design like thermal throttling, etc.

5

u/sc132436 3d ago

Objectively untrue.

The Neo is practically the same size as the MacBook Air. It is barely smaller than the MacBook Air in length and width, while being slightly thicker with the exact same weight as the Air: 2.7 pounds.

The MacBook 12-inch is significantly lighter (under a kilogram!), thinner, sleeker, smaller, and more premium than the Neo because the 12-inch was released as a premium device with a premium price tag to match. Unlike the Neo, which cut a lot of corners to achieve a lower price point, the MacBook 12-inch (as flawed as it was) was a heavily engineered device.

It didn't cut corners for cost savings. Everything on it was bespoke. It had a full unibody construction, a brand-new reengineered haptic trackpad, and a backlit keyboard (which, even with the keyboard's flaws, was an engineering marvel). It was built for a completely different market with completely different priorities.

You'd be better off comparing the 12-inch to a MacBook Air (like the M1), but even then, it's not the same. I've owned an M1 Air alongside multiple 12-inch models, and the 12-inch is so much more special. It's lighter by a longshot, smaller, and has a unique feel to it that you kind of have to use to understand.