Three Discontinued Apple Products Rumored to Make a Comeback
While the full-size HomePod, 12-inch MacBook, and iMac Pro have all been discontinued, rumors suggest all three products could return in the future.
Keep reading for a recap of everything that we have heard so far about potential comebacks for these products and new features and changes to expect.
HomePod
Apple discontinued the full-size HomePod in March 2021, with the company deciding to focus its efforts on the HomePod mini.
Released in February 2018, the original HomePod received rave reviews for its sound quality, but its initial $349 price was significantly more expensive than competing smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home. Even after Apple lowered the HomePod’s price to $299, sales of the speaker remained lackluster, according to estimates.
Since the full-size HomePod was discontinued, the speaker has fetched high prices on eBay and has become something of a collector’s item.
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple is developing a new HomePod with the same S8 chip rumored for the Apple Watch Series 8. Gurman said the new HomePod would be “closer to the original HomePod” than the HomePod mini in terms of size and audio performance, and added that the new HomePod will have an “updated display on top.”
Gurman previously reported that Apple has also considered releasing a device that combines an Apple TV, HomePod, and FaceTime camera, but details remain slim.
12-inch MacBook
Apple discontinued its ultra-portable 12-inch MacBook in July 2019, coinciding with refreshes to the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Launched in March 2015, the 12-inch MacBook featured a thin and light design that weighed just two pounds. Key attributes of the 12-inch MacBook included a fanless design, a single USB-C port for data and charging, a new Force Touch trackpad, and an innovative battery design that allowed for a larger battery to fit inside the notebook.
A big reason why the 12-inch MacBook was discontinued is because many customers found it to be underpowered. The original 12-inch MacBook was equipped with a 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor, and while later models included up to a Core i7 processor, Intel processors were simply a poor match for the notebook’s thin and light design.
With the transition to Apple silicon chips in the Mac, however, the 12-inch MacBook could easily make a comeback. Last month, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported that Apple was considering launching an all-new 12-inch notebook by 2024, but it is unclear if the notebook would be a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro.
iMac Pro
Apple discontinued the iMac Pro in March 2021. At the time, Apple said the 27-inch iMac was the preferred choice for the vast majority of pro iMac users, and added that customers who needed even more performance and expandability could choose the Mac Pro. Apple has since discontinued the 27-inch iMac as well, leaving the colorful 24-inch iMac with the M1 chip as the only all-in-one desktop computer in the Mac lineup.
Released in December 2017, the iMac Pro received no substantial hardware refreshes over its lifetime, which resulted in the 27-inch iMac eventually becoming faster and more affordable than the standard iMac Pro configuration.
Rumors have persisted about the iMac Pro making a comeback with Apple silicon chips. In his newsletter last month, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said he still believes a larger iMac or iMac Pro is in the works and “could arrive as early as next year.” Based on that timeframe, the computer could be powered by M2 Pro and M2 Max chips.
