MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)
A fanless 2-pound laptop with a single USB-C port.
Overview
Introduced in March 2015, this MacBook weighed about two pounds and tapered to 0.13 inch at its edges. It had a 12-inch Retina display, a Force Touch trackpad and a new keyboard with a flatter butterfly mechanism, all packed in a fanless body powered by an Intel Core M chip.
There was a single USB-C port for charging, data and video, plus a headphone jack. Colors were Silver, Space Gray and Gold, matching the iPhone range of the time.
Updates in 2016 and 2017 added newer Core m3, i5 and i7 chips, a Rose Gold color and longer battery life. Its slim body inspired a lot of conversation about dongles, but the idea eventually set the course for the MacBook Air.
Why it mattered
Showed the vision Apple had of a nearly portless ultraportable and introduced the butterfly keyboard and USB-C on a Mac.
At a glance
- Announced
- March 9, 2015
- Released
- April 10, 2015
- Discontinued
- July 9, 2019
- Launch price
- $1,299
- Chip / processor
- Intel Core M, 1.1 or 1.2 GHz
- Display
- 12"
- Storage
- 256 GB, 512 GB
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- About 0.92 kg
- Fanless Core M processor
- Single USB-C port
- Gold, Space Gray and Silver
- Force Touch trackpad
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Display
- Size
- 12-inch
- Type
- Retina IPS LED-backlit
- Resolution
- 2304 x 1440
Chip
- Chip
- Intel Core M, 1.1 or 1.2 GHz
- CPU cores
- 2
Memory
- RAM
- 8 GB
- Storage options
- 256 GB or 512 GB flash
Battery
- Battery life
- Up to 9 hours web browsing
Ports
- Ports
- USB-C, headphone jack
Connectivity
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11ac
Camera
- Camera
- 480p FaceTime
Design
- Dimensions
- 0.35 to 1.31 cm thick
- Weight
- 0.92 kg (2.03 lb)
Software
- Launch OS
- OS X 10.10.3
How it compares
More in the MacBook family
MacBook (13-inch, 2006)
The iBook successor, in white and a bold new black.
MacBook (Aluminum, Late 2008)
A one-piece aluminum MacBook with a glass multi-touch trackpad.
MacBook (13-inch, Late 2009)
A white polycarbonate unibody that kept the price under a thousand dollars.
MacBook Neo
A colorful 13-inch Mac laptop powered by an iPhone-class chip.