New 12-inch MacBook Coming? Best Buy Sale Enters Third Week

Does Best Buy know something we don't? The retailer continues to offer hefty discounts on the 12-inch MacBook as the March 21 Apple event nears.

The discounting began back on February 26 and is now entering its third week: $300 off most models. For instance, the entry-level model is on sale for $999.99 (regularly $1,299). That comes with a Retina display (2304-by-1440 resolution), 256GB flash drive, 8GB of memory, and a 1.1GHz Intel Core M "Broadwell" 5th Generation Core processor. A higher-end model with a 1.2GHz processor and 512GB of storage is discounted to $1,299.99 from a regular price of $1,599.99. All models come with a single USB-C port with expansion via Apple's adapters such as the Multiport Adapter, sold separately.

So, why the extended discounting at Best Buy? I asked Dustin Downs, an analyst at San Diego-based Gap Intelligence, which specializes in retail activity at electronics retailers like Best Buy. "The $1299 shelf price may be a little high for what the model offers," he said, referring to the regular price of the entry-level 12-inch MacBook. "It seems hard to justify spending anywhere near $1299 for a notebook of this processor caliber just for its 'sleekness' when there are similar 13.3-inch offerings from Apple with i5 processors for $999 and lower," he said referring to the lower-performance Core M processor used in the 12-inch MacBook.

Downs doesn't know if it's just slow sales or clearing inventory for a new model. But the timing could point to a model refresh on March 21 or sometime in the weeks or months after that.  Apple recently sent out invites to a March 21 event at its campus in Cupertino, Calif., when it is expected to launch new products.

It is standard practice for Apple to refresh models with newer processors. Currently, the 12-inch MacBook uses a 5th Generation Core M Broadwell processor. That chip began shipping in PCs in late 2014. The 6th Generation Intel Core "Skylake" silicon is now shipping in laptops from a host of PC makers.

The 12-inch MacBook, released in April of last year, is the most radical redesign since the MacBook Air, introduced in 2008. It weighs only 2 pounds and is about 0.5 inches thick at its thickest point.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment. Best Buy said that it runs deals and promotions all the time and wouldn't comment on the 12-inch MacBook specifically.