Last Updated on June 15, 2022 by srinivas
It’s vague, but the wording of Apple’s macOS Ventura system requirements seems to indicate that the company plans to release a new 12-inch MacBook in the near future.
At the bottom of the Ventura preview, Apple has posted a list of Macs that can run the new operating system. An eagle-eyed redditor named Posredstvennost noted (and discussed in a short thread) that the entry for “MacBook” is labeled “2017.” and later”, even though the 2017 model was the last to be released by Apple. There is no “and later”…unless Apple has something up its sleeve.
The MacBook, that is, the 12-inch MacBook that Apple sold outside of its better-known Pro and Air lines, was relaunched in March 2015, updated in 2016 and 2017, and finally discontinued in 2019 (there was also a MacBook line of 2006 to 2012). It was a divisive machine, but some experts like to see a version with Apple silicon.
Shortly after WWDC, a rumor surfaced that Apple is indeed working on a new 12-inch MacBook, adding a bit more intrigue to this particular finding.
Skeptics might suggest that whoever compiled the list simply copied and pasted the same wording for each device. But the iMac Pro and Mac Studio, each released in only one edition, are labeled as “2017” and “2022” respectively. There is no “and later” for those machines.
Apple
Is this a legit leak?
We think not, for several reasons.
One is that the person who compiled the list probably doesn’t have advanced knowledge of the Macs coming out later in the year. Marketing/editing and product planning are two different departments and Apple operates on a need-to-know basis.
Another is that, even if the person did you know, why would they choose to refer to that knowledge here, of all places? What do they have to gain? If you’re a disgruntled employee who’s decided to leak business-critical information, message a news site (if you want anonymity) or post it on social media (if you want exposure). You don’t leave clues embedded in marketing pages like the Riddler.
What has almost certainly happened here is that someone has carelessly used ambiguous formulations without realizing what it means.
Now, here’s the twist. Like the proverbial stopped clock, the ‘leak’ can still add up. Indeed, there are rumors that Apple is planning to release a new version of the 12-inch MacBook; Bloomberg thinks there will be a late 2023 or early 2024.
So maybe we’ll get our super-portable Apple silicone laptop after all. Just don’t expect it to be announced in the system requirements section of a macOS update.