Ten years ago today, Apple released the infamous 12-inch Retina MacBook, an experimental new Mac that was as revolutionary as it was controversial. On March 9, 2015, Apple released the 12-inch MacBook at the "Spring Forward" event in San Francisco, California.
The main focus of the event is the Apple Watch, which is being thoroughly detailed ahead of its launch next month, so the reveal of the new MacBook range has taken many by surprise. Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the new MacBook is a "reinvention" of the laptop.
The device was controversial for its lack of a fan, weak performance, a single USB-C port for charging and data transfer, poor battery life, unreliable butterfly keyboard, and high price (it started at $1,299 in 2015, the same price as the MacBook Pro at the time).
However, the 12-inch MacBook allows us to see the future of the Mac product line. It's the first Apple device to feature a USB-C port, a ladder-shaped battery, a butterfly keyboard, and a tactile trackpad. It's also the first MacBook to feature an efficiency-focused design with a Retina display in a non-Pro model, multiple color options, and no fans or illuminated Apple logo.
In 2016, Apple updated the 12-inch MacBook with Intel Skylake Core m3, m5 and m7 processors, improved battery life and faster PCIe storage, and offered a rose gold color option. In 2017, it launched Intel KabyLake Core m3, i5 and i7 processors, as well as a second-generation butterfly keyboard with slightly better reliability.
This product, which had a mediocre performance in the market, was discontinued after the launch of the 2019 MacBook Air. The 12-inch MacBook is functionally replaced by the 2018 MacBook Air, which actually takes the design of the 12-inch MacBook but adds a USB-C port, a single fan for active cooling, and a larger display.