Latest Apple rumor: super-slim 12-inch MacBook Pros on the way?

Macworld Expo 2007 is only a few weeks away, and so the Apple rumors are starting to fly, although this one apparently won't come to fruition until closer to February. According to MacScoop, "sources believed to be very reliable" say that Apple is currently working on a super-slim widescreen 12-inch MacBook Pro (17-inch model, pictured), which would still contain the optical drive and that dual-core processor action we've heard so much about. The details on this particular rumor are similarly skimpy -- all we've got is a potential price point of somewhere around $1,700 or $1,800, and that if this product exists, it apparently won't be out until February 2007. As usual, folks, we suggest that you remain as skeptical as we are about this bit of gossip for the time being. Believe it or not, the rumor mill's been known to be wrong from time to time.

[RyanTV @ Dec 4th 2006 7:53PM]

please let it be true! I'll buy one in an instant!

[GJP303 @ Dec 4th 2006 7:59PM]

I would get one, but seventeen hundred bucks is a little steep when all your getting is a twelve inch. But that's just my opinion, some people don't like to lug around big machines and this would be perfect for them.

[kambiz Kamrani @ Dec 4th 2006 8:00PM]

Typo? From "is only a few weeks ago" to "is only a few weeks away."

[LukeA @ Dec 4th 2006 8:01PM]

"Macworld Expo 2007 is only a few weeks ago"

wtf?

[Javaflash @ Dec 4th 2006 8:06PM]

Ryan, I second you. I will even pre-order it.
GJP, Sony costs more, and it comes with loads of issues + zero support.

[diulei @ Dec 4th 2006 8:07PM]

Make it a 13" widescreen and I'd buy it. I like the regular MacBook but it's just a little bulky for me - and I'd like a real GPU too.

But then again, this is just the Apple Rumor du jour.

[mrhammerstein @ Dec 4th 2006 8:10PM]

oh god, let it be true. let me overspend more money on apple computers. a 12" for $1700. what is this, 1995? please stop the insanity. why do people fall for this? they're now pc's with a different operating system - only they cost $1000 more.

and don't give me that it's more reliable. i know already. but it ain't worth $1000. i wish i had half the money all you suckers have.

[tho @ Dec 4th 2006 8:32PM]

Show me a laptop with the same specs as this and i'll sell it to you.:
standard 15" MBP with 1GB ram, 120GB disk and 2.16 Core 2 Duo: $2174. i really dont think youll find a laptop with the same specs for $1174.

[Silent @ Dec 4th 2006 10:28PM]

Some People are always on the go, and they do not need a 17 inch Laptop that weighs a lot.. they want light, small and power efficient. that is why there is a market for ultra portable laptops.

[larsonst @ Dec 5th 2006 1:23AM]

Perhaps you have half the money because you regularily make short sighted decisions like "Go PC" which is more a waste of $800 instead of a $1K savings from "Get a Mac". Just a thought

BTW I work on a PC 8 hours a day and would not trade the Mac BMW experience for the PC Trabat experience at home. I'm happy to pay for quality-Steve

[mikey @ Dec 4th 2006 8:24PM]

why the hell would anybody want a 12" mbp? if you're buying a mbp over a mb then it's down to more processing power, more ports etc - i.e. largley more for professional use. i'd like to see somebody mixing a 24 channel logic project, or do some serious photo/movie editing on a 12" screen. squint squint.

[Geir E @ Dec 4th 2006 8:59PM]

Sorry to ask, but I find it quite likely that a frequent traveler will find the use for a 12". You know, the crowd that usually buys ultraportables?

[LittleJoe @ Dec 5th 2006 4:56AM]

Lets all face it... the market for a ultra-portable macbook PRO is clear...

the suit and tie jet setters.

Am I wrong? I dont think so. Its aimed right at business folks who need something small to travel with but dont want to travel with the same cute laptop their college son/daugter has. They want something sleek and expensive.

Its just different strokes for different folks. I use my MBP for work too, but I dont travel, hence I rock the 17 incher.

[Jazzay @ Dec 4th 2006 10:34PM]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2371954&CatId=2289

2.0Ghz Core Duo (so not Core 2 Duo, and only 2Ghz), 2 (TWO) Gigabytes of RAM, Higher resolution screen and a more video memory for 1800, $400 cheaper than a similarly specced MBP.

Yea, it's not great, but I'm not the one saying PCs are a grand cheaper, but theres still a premium for an apple (unless you consider a .16Ghz bump and lower resolution worth $400)

I like the Acer better, anyway, carbon fiber, sweet.

(disclaimer: I'm one of those 'to each his own' types, I couldn't care less if you bought a mac or even run around telling me to buy one; this is just my futile addition to the discussion)

[fubar @ Dec 4th 2006 9:04PM]

w00t!

Unless, of course, it shuts down intermittently, has a flaky screen, occasionally roasts a battery, discolors its case and whines annoyingly.

But if it didn't do any of that....

[mike @ Dec 4th 2006 9:07PM]

and PC users scratch their heads as to why the slimmest notebook out there needs to get slimmer...

...this is why Apple is so important.

[zverg @ Dec 4th 2006 11:04PM]

Funny, my fully functional 14" ThinkPad is thinner than any laptop apple has ever made..

[DM @ Dec 5th 2006 2:12AM]

Actually, apple notebooks aren't the slimmest out there. Check your facts and try again.

[Nick @ Dec 4th 2006 9:07PM]

Actually Tho, my MBP pricing and specs beat that...So I issue a new challenge...Anyone who can beat a 15.4" MBP with 2GB ram, 200GB HDD, and 2.33 Core 2 Duo for $2159 (before taxes) speak up. You CANNOT find a PC with those specs that cheap...Not to mention your crappy PC won't have OS X.

[Joe Smith @ Dec 4th 2006 9:46PM]

dude, where and how did you get it that cheap? tell me, tell me!

[eij @ Dec 4th 2006 9:14PM]

i think i would like a macbook pro 12" if it were thin and light. i've been living with a ibook G4 12" until recently (it just got ill a logic board for no apparent reason :/) and i loved the dimensions except the height and weight. i took it to school everyday on bicycle so macbook pro 12" would be a perfect replacement for the ibook. however i do not think it would be worth much more than a macbook vanilla.

[sr @ Dec 4th 2006 9:33PM]

This Thinkpad X60s user might actually consider a Mac now.

[Mr. B @ Dec 4th 2006 9:37PM]

I hope this is true... this is the one Apple product i've been hoping for. I love my Vaios, but i'd buy this in an instant.

[Nick @ Dec 4th 2006 10:07PM]

Using Apple's ADC (Apple Developer Community) discount...Was advised to do so thru a thread at MacOSRumors....Link: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=245972 . 400$ off anything...Now, I stare at perfection...*Muah. Like a finely cooked stew.

[Nick.b @ Dec 4th 2006 9:53PM]

If this happens i am already sold. I love my macbook just because of its size but i want a little more GPU for my money for lan parties. I would sell my macbook book in an instant.

[Sam @ Dec 4th 2006 10:11PM]

I am willing to spend the extra money on the far superior Apple design and software. When this comes out I know it will be super-thin, powerful and gorgeous. That's all I care about.

[Luke @ Dec 4th 2006 10:11PM]

Weird that there are so many people on Engadget ignorant about typical price points. $1700-1800 for an ultraportable is actually on the cheap side. Sony tends to charge $1800-2500 for theirs, and although there are several other brands that make ultraportables for around $1500 they generally come stocked with an underwelming Core Solo or worse.

I'm writing this on a 12" MSI-1057 Whitebook with a 1.83 CD2, 2g ram, 80 hard drive that cost me $1200ish using retailer discounts! And an MSI-1057 is no MBP.

Apple bashers are generally ignorant. Apple notebooks often cost LESS than similerly situated PC's, especially with the Student/Teacher discount. That ignores "premium" features like a slot loading optical drive.

[SHOTT3R @ Dec 4th 2006 10:38PM]

I heard somewhere that slot loading drives cannot use mini-CDs. Is this true?

On topic, this MBP would make sense. The macbook is rather portly and doesn't have a decent graphics card. Frequent fliers would love this.

My contribution to the ever-present flamewar? Stop defining yourselves by what you buy. The computer someone uses makes them no better or worse than anyone else. If it does what you want, how you want, for the price you want, use it. It's just a tool. But if you can't shut up about it, so are you.

[traveller @ Dec 4th 2006 10:15PM]

I'm using my second PB 12" right now, hooked up to a 24" monitor in the office and I would sell my soul for an Intel version. I fly very frequently and use my PB on the train into work most days. It's a joy to watch the 15" portable users struggle with their units. I've just marked 1 Feb in my calendar.

[ryan @ Dec 5th 2006 12:49AM]

Jazzay,

the resolution is lower, not higher (1280x800 vs. 1440x900)

[JM @ Dec 4th 2006 10:59PM]

That's still way to big and thick! I'm gonna be saving for the InvisiBook, which will nicely complement my InvisiPod...

[Chris @ Dec 4th 2006 11:28PM]

This is something that I'd actually buy.

[pbg @ Dec 5th 2006 12:45AM]

agreed w/ luke i seem to remember my Rev A 12" PBook being in the $1700 range (still my favorite Macintosh ever) so price points sound about right. People who are hating in here never held the powerbook, it made the 12 inch ibook look like a childs toy and will definitly do the same to the massive macbooks and MB Pros. This will be my next computer if its for real, personally dont care about an optical drive fwiw

[mark smith @ Dec 5th 2006 12:51AM]

If it's super slim and ultra-portable enough, i wonder if they could run it off flash memory for the storage... Apple has been first to mass market with a lot of things... this could be one of them...
USB - iMac
Airport- iBook
Firewire...

[kudos @ Dec 5th 2006 1:56AM]

will it have a blu-ray slot loading drive!?

[Tech^Cellfish @ Dec 5th 2006 2:49AM]

Cool! We need ultra-mobile macbook pro's

[JonSedar @ Dec 5th 2006 4:33AM]

I'll buy one. That simple.

[iptydafu @ Dec 5th 2006 8:38AM]

Dude, they need to bring the 12" back--anything more is obnoxious. It was the perfect notebook, stick in the backpack, computer.

[chimbaktu @ Dec 5th 2006 9:49AM]

jeez, that took forevor to confirm my comment. there's already been several responses added.


keep in mind that i use G5 powermacs for 6 hours everyday. macs are good, but they are not 1 grand markup good.

[chimbaktu @ Dec 5th 2006 2:40PM]

tho


i went to the first notebook manufacturer that popped into my mind, hp, and low and behold i had no problem building one with those specs for less than $1174.

http://yareally.com/chimbaktu/misc/Picture1.png

screengrab for your viewing pleasure. that took all of 2 minutes to build.

silly mac fanboys.

[SjG @ Dec 5th 2006 4:27PM]

I just wish they'd bring out a 12" intel notebook. I don't care if it's "Pro" or "iBook," but I don't want to lug around all that extra machine. I do all kinds of development on my G4 12" PB, but I lust for more speed.

[mrhammerstein @ Dec 5th 2006 5:35PM]

"Show me a laptop with the same specs as this and i'll sell it to you.:
standard 15" MBP with 1GB ram, 120GB disk and 2.16 Core 2 Duo: $2174. i really dont think youll find a laptop with the same specs for $1174."

sorry i only found a DELL Inspiron 6400 for $1207 with Core 2 Duo (2.00GHz), 1GB SDRAM, 120GB SATA Hard Drive, and WI-FI WIRELESS CARD Dell Draft N Internal Wireless.

i know, it must cost $967 for that extra 0.16GHz.

[Maria P. @ Dec 5th 2006 7:00PM]

I currently use a 12in. wide screen PC laptop but it is almost time for an upgrade. I've been considering an MacBook and having one of comparable size would definately help my decision.

[spil @ Dec 6th 2006 9:39PM]

A 10"-ish Apple Macbook (pro).

I'm thinking about what I should get, a 17" MBP because I won't be carrying it around a lot, so the screen size doesn't matter, but its much more expensive ($700) than this is supposed to be. I'll mostly have it hooked up to a monitor, so thats another factor.

[Jacob Magnusson @ Dec 8th 2006 3:13PM]

Less than 2 lbs and I'll get one for sure. Or no, wait, does it have a NAND SSD?

[unsigned @ Dec 9th 2006 5:18PM]

My 1st real mac was a 1st gen 12" PB. I upgraded the aging laptop to one of the new MacBooks, simply because it was the smallest I could get. Unfortunatly, I hate its size, I should have gone with the MBP, its just not much bigger. That said, I loved my 12" PB and if this is true, the MB is gone. I will buy one on day one. Hopefully is not small enough that it gets put through the wash cycle like my new shuffle. :(

:D

[danboodro @ Dec 7th 2007 1:05AM]

My concept of the new mac.

http://i7.tinypic.com/6tubxvc.png