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Apple debuts all-new 12″ MacBook with ultra-thin chassis, new Retina screen, Force Touch

During its Spring Forward event in San Francisco today, Apple officially took the wraps off the ultra-thin 12″ MacBook we exclusively profiled in January. With an all-new 2304×1440 resolution 12″ screen, and reengineered keyboard that runs nearly the entire width of the machine, the new MacBook has a tiny footprint, yet the thinnest screen housing ever on a Mac. A 1.1GHz version with 256GB will sell for $1,299 starting on April 10, with a $1,599 model bumping the processor to 1.2GHz and 512GB storage. A 1.3GHz version was also announced but not priced.

It’s the first fanless Mac notebook, with a miniaturized logic board only 1/3 the size of the prior 11″ MacBook Air, and most of the rest of the internal space occupied by batteries. The CPU is said to be a low-power Intel Core M processor, which can turbo-charge up to 2.9GHz in the 1.3GHz model, plus an Intel HD Graphics 5300 GPU. Apple promises 9-10 hour battery life depending on whether you’re using the web or watching iTunes videos. Apple says that it can “operate in silence.”

Screen Shot 2015-03-09 at 1.34.40 PM

 

Measuring 13.1mm thick at its thickest point, it’s 24% thinner than the prior 11″ MacBook Air, and weighs only 2 pounds – the lightest MacBook ever. In addition to a traditional silver color, it’s being offered in gold and space gray colors for the first time in the MacBook family. The plastic antenna cover at the hinge has been replaced with aluminum, making the new MacBook the most substantially metal version yet.

An all-new keyboard required re-engineering and strategic space reductions to remain full size. Apple is using a butterfly mechanism for keys that are more precise and accurate than before, as well as thinner, with individual LEDs to backlight every key.

New-backlight-macbook

The touchpad incorporates Force Touch, debuted in the Apple Watch, and has the Taptic Engine built in for feedback. As predicted, it doesn’t click; there are four force sensors inside. Using OS-level software, the sensitivity can be adjusted to determine how much pressure you want the computer to detect as a “click.”

802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless are inside, with one data port: USB-C. The reversible connector supports everything via adapters, supporting power, USB data, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA. A headphone port and twin noise-canceling microphones are also built in, along with a large unified speaker grille above the keys. See additional pictures after the break.

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Comments

  1. epicflyingcat - 9 years ago

    This looks amazing but there’s one HUGE dealbreaker: no headphone jack. Wireless headphones/earphones simply aren’t there yet.

    • epicflyingcat - 9 years ago

      Haha, ignore me it does have a headphone jack, just noticed on the video.

    • Amine Kamoun - 9 years ago

      Agree, should they announce now wireless earphones with Apple Watch ? unlikely… :/

    • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

      It said there is a headphone port, at least that’s what the article mentions.

      “802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless are inside, with one data port: USB-C. The reversible connector supports everything via adapters, supporting power, USB data, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA. A HEADPHONE PORT and twin noise-canceling microphones are also built in, along with a large unified speaker grille above the keys. See additional pictures after the break”

  2. Amine Kamoun - 9 years ago

    This is give you a wow effect (+ 900 grams !).

  3. Billy Bilbo Phillips - 9 years ago

    So If you want to charge and then play a video through HDMI how do you do this when it only has one port? also clever how they will make you buy an accessory to play VGA, HDMI, USB etc.. Oh well I will still buy it as its apple haha :)

  4. robinlmp - 9 years ago

    So what’s the point in the MacBook Air (both sizes) now?

    • George Crump - 9 years ago

      Well, at least for the 11″ it will be the entry level. Probably starting at about $800 I bet

    • rettun1 - 9 years ago

      They are cheaper, have more ports, more screen size options, and better battery life. It’s not like they have become useless now that there is a new computer out…

      • poldev - 9 years ago

        And don’t forget, better processors. These Broadwell-Y are a joke for more than $1000!

  5. “It’s the first fanless Mac”
    => the power mac G4 cube was fanless :)

  6. Andy Brooks - 9 years ago

    I can’t believe they killed off the glowing Apple logo! this is awful! Im happy to see macbook come back. but that glowing logo was a big deal to me. I missed it. I feel like the air needs to be killed off now. the new macbook is thinner and far better than the Air. The Air is junk beside the new Macbook. I was hoping to see updates to Apple TV, a 21″ retina iMac, new Retina Thunderbolt Displays, and a mouse and trackpad with haptic feedback.. Perhaps its in the works.

    • It’d be better if they included these new improvements to the mackbook air: smaller bezels, the new trackpad/keyboard, change the thunderbolt for USB-C, 8GB of RAM and 256GB base. I don’t really care the thinnest, MBAir is thin enough. Only one port! This is ridiculous!

  7. Joseph Frye - 9 years ago

    Only a 1.1 GHZ processor? Could I still run Photoshop on it if necessary?

    • ericisking - 9 years ago

      yes, I bet it can, but just not as fast as a MacBook Pro. So the trade-off/decision will come down to portability vs. power.

  8. Johan Gunverth - 9 years ago

    Goodbye, MagSafe. Hello, broken USB port and demolished Mac.

  9. donnybeattie - 9 years ago

    So no USB-C to Thunderbolt adapter… Is Thunderbolt dead?

    • Seems like it after Europe passed the “All phones must have USB port” law. Seems like Apple fans can’t get a break trusting Apple to be universal. First Firewire, now Thunderbolt :(

  10. Samuel A. Maffei - 9 years ago

    Still only limited to 8GB of RAM. WTF?!? That’s the deal breaker for me. I don’t care if Mavericks uses advanced memory compression techniques. Elipse runs so much better on a 16GB Mac and Xcode 6 is a fairly large memory hog in it’s own right.

  11. Hildegerd Haugen - 9 years ago

    Hmm, this one in 14″ would not have been bad, but I want the 17″ MBP back instead.

  12. bennynihon - 9 years ago

    This is absolutely gorgeous, but a 12″ screen is simply too small. Especially when trying to get any work done on it with multiple windows open. Give your customers what they want, Apple. Something like this new MacBook, but in a 15″ variant.

  13. davidjohenmarques - 9 years ago

    Funny how the HDMI adapter is more expensive than the Apple TV.

    HDMI MacBook adapter: $79
    Apple TV for AirPlay: $69

    • rettun1 - 9 years ago

      It’s almost like they are pushing for more wireless world….

      But I agree, eighty bucks for that adapter is whack.

  14. Thomas Georgetown - 9 years ago

    One port for all connections sounds like a neat idea until your laptop is needs charging and you cannot use it to move files from a ‘connected’ external hard drive. Seems you will be limited to one or the other. I don’t think I would care for that, would rather have another connection port.

  15. I love the look… but 2 things i don’t understand! no MagSafe? really? that will means a lot of broken laptops… so more sales! and second why USB-C and not a lightning port? both reversible, data/audio/charge capable! why apple, why?

  16. CPU and GPU provide less horsepower than the corresponding parts in the 11 inch MBAir. That’s a shame.