2025-03-09 16:00:00
Apple announced the infamous 12-inch Retina MacBook a decade ago today, an experimental new Mac that was as controversial as it was revolutionary.
Apple unveiled the 12-inch MacBook on March 9, 2015, at the "Spring Forward" event in San Francisco, California. The event was primarily focused on the Apple Watch, which was being fully detailed ahead of its launch the following month, so the debut of the brand-new MacBook line took many by surprise. Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced the new MacBook as a "reinvention" of the notebook.
The device was extremely controversial due to its underpowered performance, single USB-C port for both charging and data transfer, short battery life, unreliable butterfly keyboard, and high price point ($1,299 starting price in 2015—the same as a MacBook Pro at the time).
However, the 12-inch MacBook offered a glimpse at what was to come in the Mac lineup. It was the first Apple device with a USB-C port, terraced battery, butterfly keyboard, and haptic trackpad. It was also the first MacBook with a design focused on efficiency, a Retina display in a non-Pro model, multiple color options, and without a fan or an illuminated Apple logo.
In 2016, Apple refreshed the 12-inch MacBook to add Intel Skylake Core m3, m5, and m7 processors, improved battery life and faster PCIe storage, and a Rose Gold color option. In 2017, it introduced Intel Kaby Lake Core m3, i5, and i7 processors, and a second-generation butterfly keyboard for slightly better reliability.
It was discontinued upon the introduction of the 2019 MacBook Air. The 12-inch MacBook was functionally replaced by the 2018 MacBook Air, which effectively adopted its design, but with an additional USB-C port, a single fan for active cooling, and a larger display.
What do you think about the 12-inch MacBook a whole decade later? Let us know in the comments.
2025-03-09 00:09:40
The highlight of Apple deals this week is Best Buy's and Amazon's pre-order discounts on the just-announced M3 iPad Air, 11th generation iPad, and M4 MacBook Air. You'll also find great, record-low prices on AirPods Pro 2, Apple Watch Series 10, and the previous generation M2 MacBook Air.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
2025-03-08 21:00:00
There was definitely "something in the air" this week as Tim Cook promised, with Apple making a number of product announcements to breathe new life into several of its Mac and iPad products.
Some aspects of the announcements were expected while others were a bit of a surprise as was Apple looking to entice potential customers with some interesting choices for its new products, so read on below for all the details!
2025-03-08 16:00:00
Apple announced the Mac Studio and Studio Display three years ago today.
The Mac Studio and Studio Display were unveiled as the final major announcements of Apple's "Peek Performance" event. Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced them as a completely new Mac product category and a powerful new display designed for creative professionals.
The Mac Studio is positioned between the Mac mini and the Mac Pro. The first model featured the M1 Max or the newly introduced M1 Ultra chip, offering the best performance of any Mac at the time. The base M1 Max model started at $1,999, while the M1 Ultra variant began at $3,999. Fully configured, the M1 Ultra model could exceed $8,000. Many saw the Mac Studio and Studio Display as the spiritual successor to the 27-inch iMac, which was discontinued on the same day as the Mac Studio's launch.
In June 2023, during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple announced M2 Max and M2 Ultra chip options for the Mac Studio. Enhancements included support for up to six 6K monitors and improved connectivity options, such as Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E.
Earlier this week, Apple introduced the latest iteration of the Mac Studio, now featuring the M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. The M4 Max offers a 16-core CPU and up to a 40-core GPU, starting with 36GB of RAM, while the M3 Ultra boasts a 32-core CPU and up to an 80-core GPU, with configurations supporting up to 512GB of RAM. Both models include Thunderbolt 5 ports.
The Studio Display marked Apple's reentry into the consumer display market after more than a decade of absence. Prior to its release, Apple only offered one high-end professional monitor in the form of 2019's Pro Display XDR, which was aimed at a niche audience with a price tag of $4,999, without a stand. The Studio Display introduced a more accessible option for the wider range of users looking for a high-quality, premium external monitor that works well with Apple devices.
Rumors suggest that Apple is developing a new Studio Display model with mini-LED backlighting, expected to be released later in 2025 or early 2026.
2025-03-08 06:43:34
Apple is delaying some of the Apple Intelligence Siri features that it expected to be able to introduce as part of iOS 18, and it's not clear what that means for the rumored smart home hub that the company is working on.
The hub has been described as a "Command Center" for controlling Wi-Fi connected smart home products, and rumors suggest that Siri's planned feature set is meant to play a major role in the device's functionality. Siri is supposed to be getting smarter, able to learn more about users and to do more in and between apps, which would go a long way toward making a smart home control device more appealing.
Back in November, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the device had been designed around App Intents, the more advanced app and task control feature set that is delayed. Gurman also said that it would be marketed as a way to chat with Siri, and that the device is "designed to bring Siri and Apple Intelligence to life in a way that hasn't happened before."
Gurman initially said the device could launch as soon as March 2025, but in January, he suggested Apple would not make that timeline due to Siri delays. With the Siri Apple Intelligence features being pushed back even further, it's entirely possible Apple's "Command Center" won't be ready to go until 2026.
Apple's acknowledgement of the delay suggests that the Siri capabilities aren't going to be introduced until iOS 19, and the timing remains unclear.
The smart home hub is expected to look something like a mini iPad, and it will be square in shape with a six-inch display. In addition to controlling smart home products, it will have a selection of Apple apps so people will be able to make video calls, look up recipes, listen to music, access their calendars, view photos, and more.
2025-03-08 04:38:23
Apple today shared a somewhat vague statement announcing that some of its planned Apple Intelligence Siri features will take longer than expected to develop, and it's sounding like those Siri capabilities aren't going to be implemented until iOS 19.
Apple's statement, for context:
"Siri helps our users find what they need and get things done quickly, and in just the past six months, we've made Siri more conversational, introduced new features like type to Siri and product knowledge, and added an integration with ChatGPT. We've also been working on a more personalized Siri, giving it more awareness of your personal context, as well as the ability to take action for you within and across your apps. It's going to take us longer than we thought to deliver on these features and we anticipate rolling them out in the coming year.""In the coming year" isn't exactly concrete, and could be interpreted as in the next 12 months, or as 2026. If it's taken as in the next 12 months, that leaves room for a launch that's still part of iOS 18, but 2026 is firmly iOS 19. Direct Apple acknowledgements of product delays are uncommon, and if Apple was on track to introduce the Siri features in iOS 18, would the company bother to make a delay announcement at all? It seems unlikely. For that reason alone, there's a good chance Apple has pushed the feature set to iOS 19.
Reading between the lines, and based on my PhD-level fluency in Cupertino-ese, what Apple is saying here is that these "more personalized Siri" features are being punted from this year's OS cycle to next year's: to iOS 19 and MacOS 16. Apple's years in this context aren't calendar years, but Apple's OS product years. Those years effectively start at WWDC.
