In 2006, Apple introduced the “MacBook” marking the company’s entry into the market of Intel based chips. The laptop replaced the iBook and the 12 inch PowerBook lineup. However, in 2012, the company killed the line and for three years since then, it continued selling just the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro laptops.
Just like how the MacBook Air was termed revolutionary when it was released in 2008, under the helm of Steve Jobs. Apple tried to emulate the same by re-releasing the MacBook with a fresh new design in 2015. The 2015 MacBook was insanely thin, it sported a single USB-C port along with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Origin story of the troubled design
During the release phase of the 2015 MacBook, critics called it the laptop which would pave way for the next generation of laptops. The laptop was thin and light with a 12 inch high quality Retina Display. It also introduced the butterfly keyboard mechanism which uses less space in the body of the laptop but also compromises on the “amount of key travel”. However, the design is known for lack of proper air flow whereas the keyboard is known for being shallow and failing to work at times.
Since then, other MacBook lineups have taken the design language and various aspects of it such as the keyboard mechanism. In 2016, Apple released a redesigned MacBook Pro which shared a similar design language as the 2015 MacBook and in 2018, the company introduced the current MacBook Air with similar design to the 2015 MacBook.
The future is a mixed bag
However, this year, Apple killed the 2015 MacBook Air and kept just the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro. The MacBook Pro is aimed at professionals who need powerful chips and the MacBook Air is aimed at people looking for “regular use” laptops for tasks such as web browsing.
The 2015 MacBook could be thought of as an experimental product. Will Apple bring back the 12 inch lineup? It’s very unlikely as the iPad Pro has started entering the segment with big screens, powerful chips, and a powerful OS (iPadOS).
