Apple may revive the 12-inch and 15-inch MacBook models next year

By Jacky On Jun 9, 2022

The M2 MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro aren’t even shipping yet, but Apple is reportedly already working on the next generation of laptops. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has new additions to its MacBook lineup in the works for next year.

Gurman reports that Apple could release a 15-inch MacBook Air next spring to go along with the 13.6-inch model unveiled at WWDC. The company reportedly considered releasing the larger Air this year, but decided to push it back and devote its time to redesigning the smaller Air. The new 13.6-inch M2 MacBook Air will go on sale in July.

Apple sold a 15-inch PowerBook and MacBook Pro for years before trading them in for the 16-inch model in 2019.

Apple is also working on a 12-inch laptop, but it’s unclear how it will be positioned in the MacBook lineup — whether it will be a professional laptop to complement the MacBook Pro, a consumer-level Mac that’s an alternative to the MacBook. Air, or somewhere in between. According to Gurman, this 12-inch laptop may not ship until late 2023 or early 2024.

The 12-inch form factor isn’t new to Apple. The company sold a 12-inch MacBook (pictured above) from 2015 to 2017, and it was offered as a low-end alternative to the 15-inch MacBook Pro. At the time, however, it was slightly more expensive than the MacBook Air and had fewer ports. Apple also made the 11-inch MacBook Air from 2010 to 2016, as well as a 12-inch PowerBook from 2003-2006.

The unnamed sources cite Apple’s desire to take a bigger chunk of the laptop market, as Apple’s Mac sales have grown significantly since the company switched to its proprietary silicon. To capitalize on the Mac’s newfound popularity, the company seems to believe it needs to offer more MacBook models to achieve its goals.

Just adding these new laptops to its current lineup will give Apple a wider selection to choose from, but it’s also a bit of a departure from the simplified product lineup philosophy the company has practiced for years. If the 15-inch MacBook Air replaces the 13-inch MacBook Pro (which was updated with the M2), that simplifies things a bit, as the two would have very similar prices.

More Macs for 2022

Gurman also reported on Apple’s plans for the rest of this year. The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro will receive chip upgrades to the M2 Pro and M2 Max by the end of this year or early 2023. The M2 Max will have 12 CPU cores, an increase over the M1 Max’s 10 CPU cores, as well as a maximum of 38 GPU cores, six more than the M1 Max.

Although Apple hinted at a Mac Pro upgrade at its March Peek Performance event, the company made no mention of the Mac Pro during the WWDC keynote. Gurman reports that Apple has been testing a new Mac Pro and a new Mac mini, which has an M1 model available as well as an Intel-based configuration for the price of $1,099. Gurman didn’t say when those Macs will be available, but he did say Apple is working on the M3 for the next iMac.