Apple's ultra-thin 2015 12-inch MacBook, a fanless laptop with an Intel Core M chip, a Retina display and a single USB-C port. Its design is still admired, but the first-generation butterfly keyboard, weak performance and lone port make it a classic regret.
This entry is written from the 5 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
The pattern in the sources is regret. Only 30% of owners say they would buy it again, and satisfaction falls from 8.0 to 3.5 out of 10 by the two-year mark.
Owners still enjoyed how light it was, but dongle dependence and modest Core M performance became daily realities. Keyboard faults from dust and crumbs became the defining problem, with some owners needing repeated repairs.
Keyboards needed repeated repairs, and Apple's service program has expired. Officially stuck on macOS Big Sur. Real-world battery averaged under five hours for a long-time user.
It is a real product that works, but its launch reception (75 out of 100 for hype) ran well ahead of how owners feel about it later. Keyboards needed repeated repairs, and Apple's service program has expired. That gap is what the regret score measures.
Worth it for: Buyers ready to go wireless; Light web and writing use; Design collectors. Think twice if: Anyone needing multiple ports; Heavy multitaskers; Buyers wanting current macos.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 8.0 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 7.5 / 10 |
| One month | 7.0 / 10 |
| Six months | 6.0 / 10 |
| One year | 5.0 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 3.5 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Confirms the $1,299 base price and an 8h43m battery test, praising lightness, display and speakers but faulting the single port, price and stiff shallow keys.
A decade on, the author still loves the form factor but calls the butterfly keyboard its fatal flaw and recalls under five hours of battery per charge.
Profiles the specs and $1,299 launch price, notes official support ends at Big Sur, and calls it hard to recommend for its weak CPU and flawed keyboard.
Confirms the 2015 12-inch MacBook was covered for sticky, repeating or missing keys; one owner had the keyboard repaired three or four times.
Replies say it is capped at Big Sur but runs lighter apps, warn the butterfly keyboard is fragile and the repair program has expired, and praise the trackpad.