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The Mid-2012 13-inch MacBook Pro is the last unibody model with a built-in CD/DVD SuperDrive, Ethernet, FireWire 800 and a Kensington lock slot, so it works without dongles. The build-to-order 2.9GHz dual-core i7 with Turbo Boost to 3.6GHz was the fastest 13-inch chip of its generation, and the RAM and drive are user-replaceable, unlike later Retina models. It suits tinkerers, people with legacy discs and FireWire gear, and anyone who wants a cheap, repairable Mac. Against newer MacBooks it is heavy, has a low-resolution 1280x800 screen and is far slower, and it no longer receives macOS updates.
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Lowest price we've seen: $170.00 on Nov 7 at Mercari; highest $299.00 on Nov 8. Tracked across 3 stores since Nov 7.
Ratings are mixed. Fans call it the best 13-inch MacBook Pro Apple made because of its ports and repairability, while others find it slow, heavy and past its useful life in 2024.
This is the Mid-2012 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro (model MD102LL/A, MacBookPro9,2, A1278) with a 2.9GHz Intel Core i7 processor. Turbo Boost raises the processor speed up to 3.6GHz. It is the last MacBook Pro with all of its ports built in, so no dongles are needed, and it has a built-in CD/DVD SuperDrive.
The ports include two USB 3.0 ports for fast data transfers and backups, FireWire, Thunderbolt and an SD card reader. The keyboard is backlit. Power comes through a MagSafe connector.
This model is built to order and can be configured with 4GB to 16GB of RAM. Storage options run from a 500GB HDD to a 2TB SSHD. A solid state drive (SSD) uses flash storage for fast loading, a hard drive (HDD) uses a rotating disc and offers more space for the money, and a solid state hybrid drive (SSHD) combines flash and hard disc storage.
