2017 12 inch MacBook in 2024 review/update

• 12' Macbook Cooling Mod

[@jeromederouette2922]

the 2015 is a piece of trash, the 2017 is AMAZING! if they ever released the exact same (no design change) with an m3 (even m1 who cares) it would just become the best laptop ever! M processor with 2 thunderbolts and nothing could beat that thing!

[@sldy.]

There's a iPad for that

[@OrganicFoxes]

This computer actually had an A series cpu in it when in development, ig we just weren't ready to have Apple Silicon macs at the time. They definitely won't be bringing this laptop back considering they completely changed design languages.

[@OrganicFoxes]

@@sldy.Thats true, you can almost replace your computer with an ipad nowadays for a lot of people.

[@sarveshchauhan5230]

2016 is as good as 2017 model ?

[@paulhanke5827]

@@OrganicFoxesmy 2015 is great. Had no issues with it at all.

[@09Sayandeep]

I have a 2020 i3 13inch Macbook Air. Missed the M chip train by a few months, but almost 3-4 years later now, the machine runs fine. Gives me solid 4-5 hours of battery and runs great for my day to day usage of mails, browsing, frontend dev work and streaming.

[@tamalchakraborty5346]

People who bought the 2020 pre AS machines got ..💀. Never the less , the 2020 intel version of the MacBook Air is a good machine if not compared with the M1.

[@OrganicFoxes]

@@tamalchakraborty5346 Especially since they ditched the butterfly keyboard

[@tamalchakraborty5346]

I love the butterfly keyboard, I am aware of its issues and I have faced the sticky keys twice in a short amount of time, but I love the keyboard. But I get your point, if given a choice, I would always prefer a more reliable keyboard.@@OrganicFoxes

[@leebeeskee]

My partner has the 2015 version and it's nice and all apart from the power of it. It's so slow and gets warm so quickly and throttles. I've just given her my M1 Air to alleviate that.

[@cnpressley4314]

good review. i just recently updated to an m2 air but i had the 2017 version of the 12 inch for years and it is such a good little laptop. i ended up giving it to a friend

[@pressrepeat2000]

How do you like the change? Including the new keyboard, did it take a long time getting used to?

[@stevee1989]

Apple doesn't know the things I would do for a 12 inch Macbook with Apple Sillicon and reduced bezels. God I need a laptop like that

[@Charted]

Nah I think the worst one is actually the 2015 version of this one but for some reason I really love that one mostly of how thin it looks and the really thin keyboard for its time it was groundbreaking

[@OrganicFoxes]

Probably should have mentioned that in the video. The 2015 was definitely the most prone to failures for sure, still mostly the same issues on the 2017 but at least it's overall more reliable. Especially if you do the thermal pad/copper plate mod you can expect a way longer ssd life on any year, and a little performance boost as a bonus.

[@dnyl6250]

I was thinking of getting this computer for school, I don’t need the latest and greatest laptop. You can’t beat 12 in, it’s so portable!!

[@capt.heinrich6945]

if you're taking it to school don't forget to take battery life into account, ignored that once and regretted it a whole lot.

[@MainActor]

I was recently in the market for a portable MacBook, and I would definitely consider buying one of this if they had at least an M1 version of it cause there's no Mac that can beat the portability of this one in my opinion.

[@4theloveofmoe]

hi there, thank you for this review bc i was skeptical on buying a macbook pro 2017 version cause i’m also looking into buying my first macbook! thank you!

[@whfowle]

The lightest smallest Macbook of all time. Writing, emails, WWW searches are what this is all about. Imagine a new one with Apple silicon. I would buy it in a flash. My 2017 Macbook is still with me on all trips.

[@eb_w1977]

I agree with you, do not update it to Sonoma using open core, I installed it on my MacBook Pro 2017 who was perfectly fine on Ventura but I did it anyway. Then I installed windows and I go to the boot menu to switch back to macOS to see it’s completely gone. Now I am reinstalling macOS Ventura.

[@harryfokker]

press option button while starnting and apears the dual boot menu

[@rismawanYT]

Imagine if apple re-release this macbook version but with better processor (M1 or A-series processor). This could be iPad pro killer haha

[@OrganicFoxes]

It would be a pretty big announcement considering they would have to basically make it from scratch to have their current design language. Would love to see it though.

[@dulioomerovic7445]

Like MacBook Air is Today

[@Scott__C]

The only thing I miss when I use the 2017 one I have is TouchID. They really need a 12" MacBook back in the lineup. Would complement the 14" and 16" wonderfully.

[@OrganicFoxes]

Yeah same, my 2018 air and pro had the touch id. I am fine with it though, i do prefer the 2017 keyboard a lot better. Also a lot more portable. Worth the trade off of having to type in a password.

[@pressrepeat2000]

@@OrganicFoxesThey’ve discontinued the whole supply chain for this model though, so it won’t come back unless they decide to go this way with a new model again. They easily could have added a larger screen (as bezels were big) and an M1 to it. The keyboard is so amazing on the 12”. I don’t like the new sticky keyboard. This one was so clicky and I never had any problems with it. Applications open quite slowly at times but once they are open everyone works very fast.

[@danielcampillay5641]

You know, I have the same machine with Ventura. duuno if its okay that last a bit to load apps and process tasks, such as word for example. sometimes it gets frezzed a coulple seconds. maybe macOS?

[@PeanutsandPopcorn]

I'm thinking about picking one of these up for traveling. Seems like a no brainer.

[@metin2enyenihileler495]

i have same model. i love it. so thin and retina looks so good.

[@N3tigen]

I don't understand 12" inch 2017 MacBook and 2019 ipod touch 7th gen Both are way more costly in refurbished market than they should . Both are cool in hand Experience is not good But Both are dope to use

[@porticowest]

Along with my new M3 15" Mac Air I have this 12" 2017 1.3GHz Intel i5 / 8 GB running Ventura for traveling and it's great. I thought about a new iPad Air w/ an M chip for travel but then you have to carry a keyboard to do any real writing and a stand. This 2017 unit covers all the bases. It's a great travel companion for everything at 2lbs. This small footprint w/ keyboard and being a full computer is an excellent choice even in 2024 compared to using an iPad for travel.

[@OrganicFoxes]

I like the snappiness and speed of an ipad but I'll sacrifice that for that same portability in a full macOS laptop.

[@beckamsalvatore1422]

Arguably that thermal mod could potentially also ruin the battery since it’s glued to the bottom of the case and the battery needs to stay 50 degrees (Celsius) or lower

[@OrganicFoxes]

I mean, I monitor the temps. CPU rarely goes over 50C with normal use let alone the palm rest temp sensor.

[@brbhave2p00p4]

My 2019 8gb ram i5 Air (purchased in 2020 before M1 since I didn’t know anything about the M1) is still rocking its original battery with 1300 cycles, I light game on this and I got my keyboard replaced. It’s failing again… My machine will get 2 more years of software support and 1 year after it stops getting it would still be a decent laptop for me so make it 3 years from now on. Better get that battery replaced

[@tgreen12345]

I still have my 2017 12’ MacBook - core i7 16GB Ram - it’s the best laptop I’ve ever owned. Good video.😊

[@gmailaccount4185]

how's the os you using on it?

[@borntoravez]

how's the laptop so far? did you get an upgrade? it will be nice to make a video about it!!

[@OrganicFoxes]

Still using it, had it for about a year. Only laptop I have been using throughout collage.

[@makaveli559m]

I got a 2017 model :) I plan to resell a good condition 2015 model soon.

[@poupiw]

I'm so sad, I got one from my mother that had a small issue with the screen, i brought it for repear to try and change the screen cable. They failed to fix it, and now it doesn't even turn on anymore

[@iceinducer9528]

I love this MacBook 12 2017 model since its about the same size and almost as portable as my iPad Pro 11 inch.. with magic keyboard on… sometimes its even feel lighter than my iPad Lol

[@OrganicFoxes]

I was actually debating an ipad for school, glad i got this.

[@jidofole]

Keyboard issues are invariably a test of fastidiousness

[@gumball7777]

watching this video on mb 12' 2017 :) its size is perfect. recently changed the battery - since no adequate alternative in the current apple lineup

[@cuongvuofficial1839]

how long does it last when be changed battery bro?

[@gumball7777]

@@cuongvuofficial1839 I didn’t really measure it. but based on my feelings, it’s really good almost as it was when it was new. main point is that now? I’m not worrying about the battery running dry. I just do my work.

[@Gearsandco]

I'm Using a 2017 12 inch MacBook right now, it use to be a top of the line core i7 512gb ssd and 16gb ram, unfortunately the motherboard decided to give up, I purchased a lower tier boat 2017 with the m3 chip but I made sure it was the 16gb ram model, now I did the thermal mod to it and at 100% Cinebench r23 with 4k video playing with another 10 safari tabs open, it wouldn't get hotter than 56 degree C, I mean this thing is now too good, and to be completely honest it's running much faster Thant my old top of the line cpu since it's able to boost it's clock speed as far as it can now. great video btw. I will keep using mine as long as it last. and of course I'm planing to get a m3 maxed out MacBook Air for daily editing and stuff in fact I do have a good gaming PC I built 2 years ago and I could use that for heavy tasks.

[@InstantLuc]

I've got this same laptop, 14" M1 Pro and an old 2015 Retina. The 12 inch MacBook is my favourite and the one I travel with on short trips

[@cuongvuofficial1839]

Where did you get that wallpaper? it's seam like my country :))

[@OrganicFoxes]

all my wallpapers I found by looking up "Palm Springs wallpapers" the first one is definitely not palm springs lol but it's still a vibe and showed up when i looked for palm springs aesthetic wallpapers

[@pressrepeat2000]

The most portable and functional MacBook Apple has ever made. It was an engineering marvel. They easily could have fit a 13” screen and an M1 in there, it’s so sad they didn’t. The keyboard is actually amazing. It’s loud but it’s so nice to type on, it’s so clicky and awesome. I find the new MacBook keys so sticky and hard to write on.

[@KryptonicHD]

I recently picked one up for $100 with a chip to the bottom black part of the screen (doesn't affect the screen). It's a super solid laptop! I think the only thing that sucks is that the keyboard WILL get grimy and full of dust for 0 reason! Buttery fly switches feel like typing on a brick :( I use little brushes to clean under the key and it gets it working again easily! Love the battery life, screen quality, and speakers! Just remember 1 USB C port hahahah!

[@KryptonicHD]

Oh and passive cooling is weird! I wish I had fans I could manually ramp up! It feels weird to let the laptop do ALL the thinking, but so far so good!

[@OrganicFoxes]

yeah the butterfly keyboard can be pretty hit or miss depending on the last owner and the conditions you use it in. I had 2 butterfly keyboard macbooks before this one and both of them were horrible. This one seems to be great, i actually enjoy typing on it, even if it's a little loud.

[@martyfrancis5103]

I am now contemplating whether I should keep my Macbook 2017 core m3 8GB RAM with 256 GB SSD or my Macbook Air 11.6 2012 i7 8GB RAM with 512 GB SSD. Both are equally good performance wise and fit the main criteria of that small form factor plus point. Any thoughts from anyone on this?

[@OrganicFoxes]

I have had 3 11 inch Macbooks, I also had a 2018 air which was a big upgrade but it was just to big. I eventually got this 12 inch in early 2023 which has been AMAZING, I have the small form factor similar to the 11 inch if not better. But I also get the modern design and features like my 2018 air had.

[@BrianJones-wk8cx]

The form factor and the screen really make this device hard to let go of. I have a 2016 model and for simple day-to-day tasks, it’s still my favorite laptop. If they ever released an Apple Silicon Mac in this form factor, I’d buy it on the spot.

[@Scott__C]

Absolutely, me too!

[@IM-007]

Same here

[@barbaradumont8672]

Love your review thank you 🤍 Will it handle photo editing or no? Nothing crazy just kinda basic…

[@OrganicFoxes]

Should be fine for basic editing, your changes won't come instantly like a powerful laptop, but it will work. Great screen for it too.

[@sigimarar]

Considering the fact that the Macbook 12 2017 on the secondary market is even cheaper than the iPad 10🗣 this is the best option for easy tasks and bedside use for me its bout 200-400$ 👀💀

[@mikhailkonstantinov3168]

what program do you use for monitoring ram and gpu usage?

[@OrganicFoxes]

I am using an app from the appstore called ActivityBar, make sure to add the app to your startup applications so it seemless when you reboot your laptop.

[@mikhailkonstantinov3168]

@@OrganicFoxes thank you so much! great video btw :)

[@Capturedbyarey]

You think it’ll run premier pro? I literally only need it for editing

[@OrganicFoxes]

no i don't think it can run premier pro, it can barley run resolve

[@visalserei]

Best second laptor

[@mdarianalhasan9785]

Is it suitable for beginner coders? What about doing Java,python in this machine?

[@OrganicFoxes]

I'm not sure to be honest.

[@UnknownPalsy]

Where’s the case from can u give me link

[@OrganicFoxes]

I just found it on amazon, should find it if you look up cases on amazon. Really common type of case.

[@vitorluiz9199]

This model m3 + 8gb or a MacBook Air 2017 a1466 ? I5 8gb ram ? Just for study and usual tasks like word , excel and etc ?

[@OrganicFoxes]

I have experience with both laptops. It kind of depends on your preferences, they both have trade offs. The Air will feel more snappy within the software, but the screen, trackpad, speakers and overall feel of the laptop is no where near the 12 inch. Some people hate the keyboard on the 12 inch but it feels very tactile to me and I actually prefer it. Keyboard is very personal preference, some can't stand it but some love it. Can't really go wrong with the Air keyboard tho in the 2017. For me, i prefer the 12 inch, feels way more premium and modern. Performance is not as good but it works just fine for basic things, I use it everyday for school just fine.

[@vitorluiz9199]

@@OrganicFoxes thanks !!, I found a deal, a used MacBook 12 m3 8gb for $100 , everything works except the webcam and needs to change battery, but I can use my iphone as webcam in Ventura it’s great or not ? And another deal same model , everything works except the mic for $ 125 , which one would you get ?

[@OrganicFoxes]

@@vitorluiz9199 You can actually use your phone, I use that all the time. Even works in discord calls.

[@vitorluiz9199]

@@OrganicFoxes thanks! I think $100 is a good deal right? If I change the battery for a new one and do the thermal mod, will it go faster? What is your experience with it running the Ventura OS?

[@OrganicFoxes]

@@vitorluiz9199 The newer the OS, the slower it will be. Venture even tho it's the last official version for it, still runs just fine. Works fine for basic tasks, I even have windows 10 installed on another partition and play some lighter steam games. Definitely get the 100 one without the webcam. The thermal mod did not make it to much faster for light tasks, but for longer workloads and longevity of the laptop, way better with it. My 2018 air was honestly unusable without the thermal mod which i found funny. Could be a big difference for you, some people have different results.

[@anUntouchable]

Are they planning to re-realease the 12 inch anytime soon?

[@OrganicFoxes]

In my opinion I don't think they ever will.

[@ChudDin]

nice video i have a 2020 macbook air m1 and barely touch it ive got a gaming pc i build myself ive been this for years and thought a nice thin and light laptop would be useful to have but i literally dont need it and if i wasnt so lazy id sell it lol

[@Pness99]

I was wondering, can it run Fl Studio ?

[@OrganicFoxes]

Never used it but it looks like it should work fine.

[@Digital-tech986]

iPad does have headphones jack

[@DembegBoodes]

Old models

[@DembegBoodes]

Is it a good laptop for someone who used windows their whole life

[@OrganicFoxes]

Really depends on you. Some that have switched to macos can't stand it and many have come to enjoy it. I used windows my whole life but got a mac in 2020 and I have had a great experience.

[@nunomonfer]

Can you run the Arc Browser on it? Thanks

[@OrganicFoxes]

i'm not sure what that is

[@nunomonfer]

@@OrganicFoxes its a browser like google Chrome, Just look it up

[@nunomonfer]

Its like Google Chrome, can you check if it works?

[@franzdrack9529]

yes, easily, just make sure it is a 2017 version of the 12" macbook. otherwise loading times are a bit longer.

[@123melody]

I think mac12 is the best for me. I’m still waiting for Apple to release this again.

[@lonewolfgang_]

man this is bitch heating up like crazy i can't even easily attend my 2:30 hour class without plugging the charger. started using mine in 2020 so the battery is ass now idk if i should buy a really good window or replace battery tbh i dont do any video editing what soever but i do multitask. as im typing this rn its really lagging and sluggish

[@OrganicFoxes]

Mine was fine even before the thermal pad mod I did. I notice some people experience more problems then others. Like my 2018 air was so bad for some reason, even compared to other 2018 airs. I def won the macbook lottery with this 12 inch, way better then i expected, even coming from a 2018 max spec pro. Personally I would just ditch the 12 inch, if you are on a budget, those older 11 inch ones you can not go wrong with, will have to replace the battery tho for sure, it's cheap tho.

[@OverGrownApe_001]

Just get a macbook air m1,they are so bloody good

[@OrganicFoxes]

I got the M1 air when it first came out years ago but it was not really much different then my 2018 Air which worked fine for me even with less battery and performance. Then ended up switching to this laptop which was pretty similar just smaller.

[@jetvos3842]

play the games test please!!

[@leontechtalks]

Are you a furry? I am so i seen your sticker and pfp haha

[@OrganicFoxes]

unfortunately

[@leontechtalks]

@@OrganicFoxes Lol dw its alr!!

[@kk92323]

What color is this? Gold or Rose Gold? 🩷

[@OrganicFoxes]

apparently it's rose gold even tho it could be more pink imo, the older models were actually more pink. My 2018 air that ik for a fact was rose gold, was the exact same colour when compared.