Rumors have been swirling around Apple for months that a new 12-inch MacBook would be coming sometime soon, and those rumors seem to be on the right track.
They say that the new laptop would be the successor to the very successful MacBook Air, have an ultra-slim design, run silently without a fan, have a retina display and feature a low-power Intel Core M processor.
These rumors have, however, been floating around since about October 2013. That was right around the same time that some supply chain research was released suggesting Apple was looking for sources for a 2304 x 1440 12-inch display.
Rumors really began to heat up in March of this year however when an Asian supply chain came forward with a report that Apple was looking for a new device with a thin, light, design, similar to its MacBook Air but with a redesigned trackpad and low-power processor that wouldn’t need a fan, giving it the ability to operate silently.
Plans to use a Broadwell-Y low-power Core M processor followed in September, along with another juicy rumor that Apple might release their new MacBook in a variety of colors, similar to their iPhone.
It’s rumored that this new MacBook will be incredibly thin, which should be a sight to behold when you consider that the MacBook Air right now is a mere .68 inches at its thickest part. It’s also believed that, because they’re planning on using an Intel Core M processor, they’ll be able to make it much thinner as there won’t be a need for a fan. This will also free up space for battery cells inside the new machine.
Say hello to the Broadwell-Y Core M processor
Combining high-performance with low power needs, the Broadwell-Y Core M processor should give future Apple products a lot more efficiency. These new processors, which Apple hopes will usher in something they’ve dubbed “new form factors”, won’t need an internal fan since they are made to run cool.
Adding fuel to the rumors about the new 12-inch MacBook is the fact that, back in October, Apple released several new, more powerful Core M chips. Called the Core M 5Y71, these new chips run at 1.2 GHz, have a maximum Turbo of 2.9 GHz and feature HD 5300 graphics as well as turbo frequencies that go up to 900 MHz.