12-MacBook Refresh Is Coming This Week, Signs Say

Apple likes to keep a tight lip on when they plan to release updates models of their popular laptops. Unless it's a major change, they will quietly update the line with little fanfare leading up to the announcement. However, thanks to one retailer, we have a pretty good idea of when the next MacBook refresh will be happening.

If you head over to the Best Buy website, you'll find that none of the 12-inch MacBook models are in stock. In fact, the models are listed as "no longer available." The only time Best Buy is likely to show products like MacBooks as being unavailable is right before Apple starts shipping out new models. In fact, at the time of writing if you try to click on the category for 12" MacBooks, you'll be taken to an error page.

Now you might think that one retailer listing the 12-inch MacBook as unavailable isn't enough to point to an imminent refresh. However, a recent discovery within the OS X System Image Utility adds some credibility to the theory. In the latest version of the utility, you can select '12" MacBook (early 2016)' as an option for your system image.

Apple uses "early", "mid", and "late" identifiers to specify when a model was released. These are broken up into four month blocks. An "early" identifier means that the model was released between January and April. This means that we can expect a refresh sometime within the next two weeks. When you combine that with Best Buy's actions, it's more than likely that the company will roll out an updated MacBook sometime later this week.

VIA: MacRumors