Apple quietly pulls 12-inch MacBook from sale

Amid changes to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, Apple has removed the 12-inch MacBook from its online store's product lineup, a move that will push consumers towards models from the other two MacBook varieties.

Unmentioned by Apple but happening alongside a refresh of both the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro ranges, the product icon for the MacBook line was taken down from the App Store's Mac list at the top of the screen. Usually on the far left of the list, "MacBook" is no longer visible, with the MacBook Air now the left-most Mac.

Attempts to visit the former MacBook product page by AppleInsider now redirects visitors to the general Mac page.

The MacBook lineup from the Apple Website as of July 8 (above) and July 9 (below)

The removal of the MacBook range now means consumers no longer have the option to acquire a 12-inch notebook from Apple. The current smallest models in terms of display are the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 13-inch variants of the MacBook Pro. Shoppers can still order units from Apple Authorized Resellers with savings of up to $200 off, although inventory is limited.

The last update to the MacBook line took place in June 2017, where the range saw updates to the dual-core processors, the introduction of Intel HD Graphics 615 GPUs, Bluetooth 4.2, and a second-generation butterfly mechanism for the keyboard.

30 Comments

grayfox691 13 Years · 26 comments

About 5 years ago

I wonder if it's dead forever or if it will be reborn into apples first ARM Mac. It's certainly a bummer because I have one of those 12 inch MacBooks and well, it's incredible. Its lightness and smallness were simply unmatched. The new MacBook Air is impressive, but once this little guy has spoiled you, it will be hard to move to something heavier. If only it could somehow have had two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports it would be my personal "perfect" Mac.

RIP little guy!

sergioz 12 Years · 338 comments

I am sure it’ll come back once they start to release ARM based laptops.

melgross 20 Years · 33622 comments

Yup. I knew people would be posting about an ARM Mac as soon as this bit came out. I would imagine that Apple would have kept the Macbook in the lineup longer if that were the case though. An ARM Macbook would be a major announcement, and why have people speculate about it months before it happens? If it were true, it seems that the announcement could come as a “one more thing” right after the new iPads are announced in September.

rogifan_new 9 Years · 4297 comments

melgross said:

Yup. I knew people would be posting about an ARM Mac as soon as this bit came out. I would imagine that Apple would have kept the Macbook in the lineup longer if that were the case though. An ARM Macbook would be a major announcement, and why have people speculate about it months before it happens? If it were true, it seems that the announcement could come as a “one more thing” right after the new iPads are announced in September.

The lineup was a bit of a mess. It’s much simpler now. I’ve read elsewhere that Intel was no longer making chips suitable for this machine. Did Apple actually confirm this product is dead for good? The iPad Air went away for a while but now it’s back. Maybe the same will happen with the MacBook.

osmartormenajr 11 Years · 286 comments

Four and a half years ago I gave the MacBook a serious thought, before I decided for a MacBook Pro. The main disadvantage, in my opinion, was the Core M put-putter of a processor that was inside, which didn’t make a good pair with my scientific computing needs.

I agree with the previous comments, the writing is on the wall for a ARM based MacBook, perhaps in the near future.