Contemplating “downgrading” from MBP M1 to Macbook 12” 2017 - Wrong or right choice?

[DaneTheGr8]

So a small back story:

Less than 3 week ago I upgraded from a MacBook Pro Mid-2012 non-retina to a MacBook Pro M1 and it’s been amazing - I am happy with the jump into moderner times.

The week leading up to this change over I really at first and have always wanted a MacBook 2017 12” due to its size and portability and how gorgeous it was. It would make traveling and working and taking my laptop everywhere so much easier than carting around the heavy 2.5kg MBP 2012 which was weighing me down so naturally I wanted the smallest and lightest MacBook as the predecessor.

However I have had to take score :

MB 2017 is discontinued , the butterfly keyboard issue , the fact that I am worried that I only have about 4 years of MacOSX updates available to me not to mention that M1 had been raged on and I like keeping my Laptops for the long haul so the M1 would have been the better option.

Figured might as we’ll go for the the best and not hastily after too much wine decided to order a new Space Grey MacBook Pro M1 over the Air M1. I have no complaints about my purchase - the M1 MBP is fantastic and light years ahead than what I was used to. I just feel that it’s still a bit big to what my heart wanted - a smaller ultra book type.

Today I went online to Amazon and found a Gold MacBook 12” 2017 i5 512GB SSD - I fell in love with it’s size and color (the new Gold on the MB Air is unflattering to myself).

I am contemplating returning my Space Grey MacBook Pro M1 8G RAM 256SSD for a Gold 2017 MacBook 12” 8GB RAM 512GB —- what do you guy say think? And feel free to talk me out or give me comparisons for anyone changing from MB 12” 2017 i5 to M1 MBP to what I will be in for.

I love the speed and snappy response especially the boot up and loading websites and apps on M1 not to mention the fantastic battery life on the MBP M1.

All advice welcomed & thanks in advance ??

 

[BB1970]

I really wish Apple made a M1 MacBook 12”. I too think it’s the perfect portable laptop dimensions etc.
That said, it would be a mistake to go backwards at this point. Especially with all focus being on the M1 and battery life.
Get an Air. You’ll future proof it right from the start. Perhaps Apple will one day again make a 12” MacBook, but in the meantime, you won’t be caught off guard should the keys fail on the old 12” by getting the Air.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I think that that is a bad move. However, if it makes you happy and you are willing to pay more for the mb than you probably should, that is all that matters.

 

[KaliYoni]

OP: have you actually tried out the butterfly keyboard? I too liked the size and portability of the 2017 until I put my fingers on one at an Apple Store. The key travel is so shallow it's almost like typing on an iPhone or iPad! If you're a hunt-and-peck typist, that might not be a problem...but the lack of tactile feedback made MBs a non-starter for me.

Another, lavish alternative would be to just go ahead and buy the older machine since you've always wanted one. Then you'll have the best of both worlds (assuming you're able and willing to spend the money).

 

[Apple_Robert]

I had the 12" MBP and the butterfly keyboard was exactly as @KaliYoni described. It didn't feel natural to type on at all. Once I got my iMac, I hardly used the MB. If Apple were to release a M1 MB, I would definitely get one.

I think the MacBook market is overpriced right now, especially used.

 

[Clix Pix]

I have an M1 MBP with 1 TB SSD / 16 GB RAM, etc., and I also have a 2017 12" MacBook with 512 SSD and 16 GB RAM. I am not letting go of that 12" MB, as it is really the perfect travel companion and although I love the new M1 MBP it is not taking over the travel duties. Each machine has its own functions and responsibilities in my household and I am moving forward that way. I'm keeping my 12" MB and will continue to do so unless and until at some point Apple releases a 12" M1 (or whatever designation) machine with the new specs now that Apple is handling their own processors. I would NOT replace an M1 MBP with the 12" MacBook, though. If I did not already have the machines I've got, I'd stick with the M1 at this point and move forward, not backwards in terms of making further purchases.

 

[DaneTheGr8]

OP: have you actually tried out the butterfly keyboard? I too liked the size and portability of the 2017 until I put my fingers on one at an Apple Store. The key travel is so shallow it's almost like typing on an iPhone or iPad! If you're a hunt-and-peck typist, that might not be a problem...but the lack of tactile feedback made MBs a non-starter for me.

Another, lavish alternative would be to just buy the MBP. Then you'll have the best of both worlds (assuming you're able and willing to spend the money).

Besides the issues I’ve read up with then keyboard I actually have to thought of the keyboard experience when it works; so no I really haven’t properly tried it out. I have played around (without typing) on a friends 12” MacBook 2015 and noted how shallow the keys felt from coming from the old school type keyboard and even again after using my MacBook Pro M1 the odd unpressed difference. I don’t type a lot but do a a fair bit of it for work and emails etc.

I’m fact this original post was typed on my iPad and I found that harder or slower than normal with the non response of keys.

 

[DaneTheGr8]

Thank you for the feedback and insight so far guys. Appreciate it!

 

[glenthompson]

The MacBook isn’t that much smaller than the MBP, 1” x 0.5” in size. 0.1” in thickness. It is almost a pound heavier. If I want something that’s smaller with a hard to type keyboard I’ll just use my iPad.

 

[MBAir2010]

The macbook M1 is several weeks in you possesion?
i would give that more time, or buy a fancy gold macbook M1 cover

 

[shapesinaframe]

I’m a big fan of the 12” RMB - much prefer it to the 13” MBP I got to replace it.

The only gripe I had with the 12” was thermal throttling would impact iCloud Photos library updates a lot.

Any other app would run fine but for some reason any iCloud related background tasks would get throttled a lot once the ambient temperature got too high.

I’m either in Australia or Thailand, so it was getting to be a bit of a pain. No longer have that issue with the MBP but it’s not nearly as nice to use as the 12” was.

I’d get the M1 Air if I was buying new again now.

 

[chrfr]

I am contemplating returning my Space Grey MacBook Pro M1 8G RAM 256SSD for a Gold 2017 MacBook 12” 8GB RAM 512GB —- what do you guy say think? And feel free to talk me out or give me comparisons for anyone changing from MB 12” 2017 i5 to M1 MBP to what I will be in for.

I would not buy any Intel Mac right now unless it was a dire necessity. I would not buy any Mac laptop, such as the 12" MacBook, with the old butterfly keyboard whatsoever. Repairs are not rare and will be expensive once the repair program no longer covers the 2017 models. You ought to give the M1 Air a try over the Pro as there's little difference in performance and the Air is a little bit lighter and several hundred dollars less expensive.

 

[throAU]

The performance drop you will see from such a move would be catastrophic. You'd also lose 4+ years worth of future support time-frame, have no warranty, etc.

Just buy an M1 air, it will be close in terms of size, no fan noise, warranty and much faster.

 

[svanstrom]

It's what you want, so why wouldn't you get it? (Assuming that we shouldn't factor in strained finances.)

It's not a bad computer, it fits what you want; and you would probably get at least two years out of it before you perhaps start to feel too limited by M-series-only software.

There's no way in hell that I would make that move; but luckily I'm not the one that would have to use it. (And just for context: I'm happy with a MBP16.)

 

[halledise]

So a small back story:

Less than 3 week ago I upgraded from a MacBook Pro Mid-2012 non-retina to a MacBook Pro M1 and it’s been amazing - I am happy with the jump into moderner times.

The week leading up to this change over I really at first and have always wanted a MacBook 2017 12” due to its size and portability and how gorgeous it was. It would make traveling and working and taking my laptop everywhere so much easier than carting around the heavy 2.5kg MBP 2012 which was weighing me down so naturally I wanted the smallest and lightest MacBook as the predecessor.

However I have had to take score :

MB 2017 is discontinued , the butterfly keyboard issue , the fact that I am worried that I only have about 4 years of MacOSX updates available to me not to mention that M1 had been raged on and I like keeping my Laptops for the long haul so the M1 would have been the better option.

Figured might as we’ll go for the the best and not hastily after too much wine decided to order a new Space Grey MacBook Pro M1 over the Air M1. I have no complaints about my purchase - the M1 MBP is fantastic and light years ahead than what I was used to. I just feel that it’s still a bit big to what my heart wanted - a smaller ultra book type.

Today I went online to Amazon and found a Gold MacBook 12” 2017 i5 512GB SSD - I fell in love with it’s size and color (the new Gold on the MB Air is unflattering to myself).

I am contemplating returning my Space Grey MacBook Pro M1 8G RAM 256SSD for a Gold 2017 MacBook 12” 8GB RAM 512GB —- what do you guy say think? And feel free to talk me out or give me comparisons for anyone changing from MB 12” 2017 i5 to M1 MBP to what I will be in for.

I love the speed and snappy response especially the boot up and loading websites and apps on M1 not to mention the fantastic battery life on the MBP M1.

All advice welcomed & thanks in advance ??

bought a new MBPro with silicon chip but ended up returning it, being somewhat unimpressed with the 'speed' gains.
i kept my 2017 MacBook (dual-core intel i5) and thank goodness i did - and had the keyboard replaced for free under Apple's repair scheme.
i upgraded to big sur and whilst initially snappy it soon became bogged down in timmy's 'security and privacy' cr*p.
i reinstalled high sierra and am now running catalina.
fast and responsive as anything and i simply added in a basic ad/malware blocking extension to safari.
so i'll stay with the Retina MB until the new form (lighter) MBPro is released later in 2021.
fully agree with you as to the weight and sheer portability of this baby.

 

[dazey]

I did the downgrade and love the macbook, to me its the best laptop mac have made but its really not without issues. For me its all about the weight and I was willing to take sacrifices.
-I went from a top of the range air (not the new one) to the base 2017 macbook and the macbook is certainly slower. Things like running a virtual machine are so painful that I don't (but I moved to remote desktoping to PCs anyway for that). Its a second machine for me so the speed is not an issue.
-I am a keyboard person (have an ALPS main keyboard and a portable gateron brown) and I can live with the macbook compromised keyboard. Its too noisy for what it is, every now and then keys start to stick and you have to blow them out but its completly useable. If I am doing a lot of typing I would use an external keyboard, but I did that with the Air too.
-The one USB port is a pain. Until I got the gateron brown keybord, I had to choose between power or an external keyboard. I stil have to choose between video outputs and power.
-The screen is good (but I added a matt screen protector as it was way too shiny)
-USB-C charging is great and you can get tiny chargers like the Anker Atom PD1 (which will properly charge a macbook but not a macbook pro)
-I love the no fan.

The macbook is the perfect machine for the M1, so I really hope they bring it back. If I have to change before that I will get a similar form factor PC instead.

I don't pretend that its the best machine for everyone, but for those of us to whom size or weight is key its great.

 

[Photios]

The performance drop you will see from such a move would be catastrophic. You'd also lose 4+ years worth of future support time-frame, have no warranty, etc.

Just buy an M1 air, it will be close in terms of size, no fan noise, warranty and much faster.

I have just recently purchased an M1 Air to replace my 12" 2017 (1.4/16/512). I'm very happy with the upgrade. Yes, I miss the smaller form factor of the 12", but... the performance gain is quite noticeable, the screen is bigger and more dynamic on the M1, I now have two ports, both thunderbolt, btw, and no longer limited by the single USB-C port on the 12" Macbook, and to top it off... the M1 runs so cool to touch! If this is your main machine, get the M1 Air, which I think is a great compromise between the 12" Macbook and the 13" MacBook Pro, with barely a sacrifice in size.

 

[MBAir2010]

I realized today that i used my macbook air for over 6 hours at 6 different times using 6 different programs. no matter what size, shape, color year these notebooks pack a punch ang are not evil!

 

[Dhonk]

I purchased a used MacBook 2017 as an iPad alternative when on the couch, in bed, or traveling. I absolutely love the form factor and weight. The keyboard is no problem at all...I like it. With WFH I updated my personal main Mac to a 2019 16” MBP, and I can’t stand the keyboard. I will soon be selling the 16”, only question is whether I see if I can get by with the 2017 MB exclusively, or get a 13” pro/air. I guess I could also just get a Mac mini as well.

 

[chrfr]

I purchased a used MacBook 2017 as an iPad alternative when on the couch, in bed, or traveling. I absolutely love the form factor and weight. The keyboard is no problem at all...I like it. With WFH I updated my personal main Mac to a 2019 16” MBP, and I can’t stand the keyboard. I will soon be selling the 16”, only question is whether I see if I can get by with the 2017 MB exclusively, or get a 13” pro/air. I guess I could also just get a Mac mini as well.

If you dislike the keyboard on the 16", you're not going to like the keyboard on the 13" Pro or Air. Key feel is the same.

 

[Dhonk]

If you dislike the keyboard on the 16", you're not going to like the keyboard on the 13" Pro or Air. Key feel is the same.

I understand that. But I think what I dislike about the keyboard on the 16" is that it has massive speakers on the sides. The keyboard is virtually the same size as the 13". On the 16", I wish that had given a little more comfortable spacing, spread out more. I constantly go to hit the A and Q keys thinking they should be farther towards the edge of the device, and wind up hitting the Caps Lock and Tab keys, respectively, instead.

 

[chrfr]

I understand that. But I think what I dislike about the keyboard on the 16" is that it has massive speakers on the sides. The keyboard is virtually the same size as the 13". On the 16", I wish that had given a little more comfortable spacing, spread out more. I constantly go to hit the A and Q keys thinking they should be farther towards the edge of the device, and wind up hitting the Caps Lock and Tab keys, respectively, instead.

Changing the keyboard size for one computer would be a productivity nightmare. The key spacing is, and should be, the same across all Macs.