Apple's Rumored 12-Inch MacBook Could Be Pro Model With M2 Pro and M2 Max

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman on Thursday reported that Apple is considering launching an all-new 12-inch notebook at the end of 2023 or in early 2024. Gurman said it is unclear if the 12-inch model would be a low-end MacBook or a higher-end MacBook Pro.

Twitter user "Majin Bu" has since claimed that the model will be a new 12-inch MacBook Pro that may be equipped with Apple's next-generation M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. In the MacBook Pro, Gurman said the M2 Max will feature a 12-core CPU and up to a 38-core GPU, while the M1 Max maxes out with a 10-core CPU and a 32-core GPU.

Apple has released both lower-end and higher-end 12-inch notebooks in the past. At the low end, Apple introduced an ultra-thin 12-inch MacBook that weighed just two pounds in 2015, but the notebook was discontinued in 2019. And at the higher end, Apple offered a 12-inch PowerBook G4 in the mid-2000s, prior to the original MacBook Pro.

In any case, Apple silicon chips deliver impressive performance per watt, paving the way for Apple to introduce ultra-portable, high-performance MacBooks without the thermal constraints of Intel processors that the company used over the last decade and a half.

Majin Bu has a hit-or-miss track record with Apple rumors, but he has gained some credibility recently after tweeting that Apple was planning a new 14.1-inch iPad Pro. The rumor has since been backed by very reliable display industry consultant Ross Young, who tweeted that his supply chain sources have confirmed that Apple is indeed planning a new 14.1-inch iPad Pro with a mini-LED display that could launch in 2023.