Rumor | Apple still contemplates 12-inch MacBook revival

It has been more than five years since the 12-inch MacBook received its last hardware upgrade. Since then, the reintroduced 13-inch MacBook Air (from US$1,099 on Amazon) has served as the most compact device in Apple's laptop lineup. However, a new rumor now claims that the smaller base model might make a comeback after all.

MacRumors reports that according to a post on the Korean blog "Naver", one of Apple's Taiwanese suppliers is actively preparing and working on parts and components that are intended for a new 12-inch MacBook. The source further claims that Apple is still undecided whether the notebook will move on to mass production, and that a final decision on this matter is expected for the second half of this year. Until then, prospective buyers will have to resort to the aforementioned MacBook Air with the quick Apple M1 and M2 SoCs.

This rumor does directly contradict reports from several reputable leakers and analysts such as Mark Gurman, Ming-Chi Kuo and Ross Young, who do not expect Apple to revive the 12-inch MacBook anytime soon. It further remains unclear how the company would position the small laptop. Instead of an affordable base model, the new device was also rumored to be an ultra-compact addition to the high-end MacBook Pro line. Either way, claims revolving around the introduction of a new 12-inch MacBook should be approached with an appropriate amount of skepticism.