MacBook 2017 release date, news and features

Apple has finally revised its 12-inch MacBook for 2017. Revealed at this year's WWDC 2017 keynote, the new MacBook brings itself more in line with the hardware found inside the MacBook Pro 2017 models

This includes, of course, the latest Intel Kaby Lake processors and 50% faster SSDs inside.

Getting right into it, here's everything you need to know regarding the newly-debuted 12-inch MacBook for 2017.

Cut to the chase

What is it? The new 12-inch MacBook refresh
When is it out? New models are shipping now
What will it cost? Starting at $1,299, just like before

MacBook 2017 release date

A report out of Bloomberg last month quoted sources “familiar with the matter” stating that Apple plans to debut three different MacBooks during its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote held on June 5, 2017.

Now, we know for certain that the new MacBook models have begun shipping on June 5, no pre-order needed. After you've ordered online, you can choose to receive your new device in as fast as two days, as of this writing.

MacBook 2017 price

Absolutely nothing has changed about the MacBook price for 2017, despite the internal hardware upgrades. (Frankly, as it should be.)

So, the 12-inch MacBook will start at the same price as before: $1,299/£1,249/AU$1,899 to start. However, Apple's secretly made an interesting move in regards to MacBook pricing.

For 300 more in any currency, Apple is now selling a 12-inch MacBook with an Intel Core i5 processor and 512GB of SSD storage. Then, if you need even more power, you can upgrade to an i7 processor for $150 (£135, AU$240) on top of that.

MacBook 2017 specs

Not much concrete information regarding the 12-inch MacBook's internals was revealed on-stage at WWDC. However, we now know much more about what's new inside the laptop.

Naturally, the new 12-inch MacBook for 2017 rocks Intel's latest Kaby Lake, 7th generation processors as well as solid-state drives that are 50% faster. However, Apple has also introduced Intel's more powerful Core i5 processor with a 1.3GHz clock speed to the platform – there's the option to upgrade to an Intel Core i7 chip, too.

Mind, however, that these are likely Core i-Y series chips, essentially a re-branding of the Core M line with much of the same power profile. Also, Apple still hasn't bothered to upgrade the MacBook's poor, 480p webcam. (Seemingly nothing regarding battery life has changed.)

If the past two years have been any indication, the 12-inch MacBook has struggled with power and memory. Luckily, Apple has resolved much of the latter as well. That’s right, you can now opt for 16GB of DDR3 memory for $200 (£180, AU$320) over the price of the 8GB config.

The keyboard has also seen some improvement. Whereas the last two MacBooks have used extremely low-profile, first-generation butterfly keys, the 2017 MacBook makes the move to Apple’s second-gen butterfly mechanism used by the latest MacBook Pros.

But, if you don't want to spend a fortune on a MacBook laptop, Apple's also given the MacBook Air a slight boost with a current-generation Intel core i5 processor clocked at 1.8GHz – that's a 200MHz increase from the previous model.