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(on Wikipedia)
https://support.apple.com/kb/sp649?locale=en_US

A entry-level mid-2012 Apple laptop.

Great keyboard, easy to repair, good ports; an all-around winner since it has been upgraded and can be upgraded further, including the OS.

---

• For OpenCore:

  • This (A1278) is MacBookPro9,2 for board-id Mac-6F01561E16C75D06
  • board-id is learned with ioreg -l | grep -i board-id
  • https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/MODELS.html
  • https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Install-Guide/extras/smbios-support.html#macbook-pro
• https://www.engadget.com/2012-07-30-macbook-pro-review-13-inch-mid-2012.html

Left (ports)

Right (optical drive)

front-right

• Macbook Pro 2012 - 01 - picture - transparent bg
• Macbook Pro 2012 - 02 - keyboard - transparent bg
• Macbook Pro 2012 - 04 - left side - transparent bg

• Macbook Pro 2012 - 05 - right side - transparent bg

Hardware ∞

• MacBook Pro A1278 - 13", Mid-2012

  • TODO - confirm that model number
• Second generation (Unibody)
• Size: 0.95", 12.78", 8.94" (height, width, depth) when closed (2.41 cm, 32.5 cm, 22.7 cm).

• Weight: 4.5 lbs (2.06 kg) [ 1 ]

Inside ∞

• CPU: i5-3210M 2.50 GHz 2-core 4-thread 64-bit.

  • 3rd generation: 22 nm Ivy Bridge - (3rd generation)
  • Turbo Boost @ 3.10 MHz
  • Intel Turbo Boost 2 @ 3.10 MHz (on Intel.com [ 2 ] , FAQ)
  • Hyper-threading (on Intel.com)
    -- Allows the system to recognize four total "cores" or "threads" (two real and two virtual).
  • 3MB L3 cache

• GPU: Intel HD 4000

  • Ivy Bridge - Gen 7
  • Shared memory.
  • On-panel is 1280x800 native resolution, and alternatively:
    -- 1152x720, 1024x640, 800x500 at 16:10 aspect ratio
    -- 1024x768, 800x600, 640x480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio
    -- 1024x768, 800x600, 640x480 pixels at 4:3 aspect ratio stretched
    -- 720x480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio
    -- 720x480 pixels at 3:2 aspect ratio stretched
  • External up to 1920x1080 (1080p, 16:9) @ TODO Hz with a Mini DisplayPort adapter.
    -- TODO, determine the refresh rate with System Preferences > Displays
  • External up to 2560x1600 (WQXGA (Widescreen Quad eXtended Graphics Array), 16:10) @ 60 Hz with a Mini DisplayPort to Dual-link DVI adapter.
• Bluetooth - 4.0

• Wi-Fi - 802.11a/b/g/n

  • TODO/confirm - This model unofficially supports 450 Mbit/sec 802.11n Wi-Fi using MIMO.

• Battery - 63.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer

  • Up to 7 hours wireless web surfing at 50% brightness.

• RAM: 16 GB (as 2x 8 GB)

  • TODO - speed, likely 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM SO-DIMMs (204-pin).
  • TODO - are they matched?

• HDD: 1 TB

  • Supports a single SATA III (6 Gb/s) 2.5" HDD or SSD that is up to 9.5 mm thick.
  • TODO: likely 5400-rpm

Screen ∞

• Screen: 13.3" (diagonal), LED-backlit glossy widescreen

  • TFT, active matrix.
  • See GPU for capabilities.

• Re. external displays:

  • See GPU/External
  • See Thunderbolt (which is DP-1.1a)

• Webcam - 720p

Speakers ∞

Stereo speakers with subwoofer

These are hidden by the lid hinge.

The subwoofer is closer to the optical drive.

Top (keyboard side) ∞

• Keyboard: 78-key (US)

  • Backlit, ambient light sensor

• Touchpad - "Trackpad"

  • Glass
  • Multi-gesture/multi-touch, with inertial scrolling, pinch, rotate, swipe, three-finger swipe, four-finger swipe, tap, double-tap, and drag.
    -- FIXME - I've been having issues..

• Microphone - Omnidirectional

  • At the top-left.

Left (ports) ∞

Identify the ports on your Mac
about various cables/plugs

From left-to-right, which is: back (monitor) to front (user):

1. MagSafe power port

   • See Charger
2. Ethernet - Gigabit
3. 1x Firewire 800 (800 Mbps)

4. 1x Thunderbolt 1 (10 Gbps)

   • Interoperable with DP-1.1a. Backwards-compatible with Mini DisplayPort-equipped displays as well as adapters that are compatible with Mini DisplayPort (DVI, VGA, HDMI) for up to 1920×1200 @ 60 Hz.
   • Dual-link DVI output using a Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter for up to 2560×1600 @ 60 Hz. [ 3 ]
   • For external displays, seee GPU/External
   • No this cannot be adapted to USB.

5. 2x USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)

   • These are quite capable ports, and act as you would expect.
     -- For example, I have a device which is a combo SD, microSD, CF reader and all three work simultaneously as is the case on Windows. Some devices do not offer simultaneous access on either Windows or Mac; that is a limitation of those particular devices.
   • Can boot from various USB devices like USB sticks or a stick in a hub.
     -- See also macOS reinstallation, Installing a newer macOS on unsupported hardware, Booting a Linux ISO with Ventoy on a Macbook Pro A1278

6. SDXC - "SD Card"

   • Cannot be used as a boot drive. You must use a plain USB stick in one of the two USB ports.

7. Combined headphone/microphone 2.5" jack.

   • Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone
   • Support for audio line out (digital/analog)
8. Battery indicator trigger button

9. Battery indicator lights

   • Eight tiny holes on the left-hand side, nearest the user.
   • Plugging and removing the power cable will trigger it briefly.

Right (optical) ∞

1. Kensington Security Slot

2. Optical: 8x Dual-Layer DVD-RW SuperDrive

   • CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD±R, DVD±RW
   • Reportedly a maximum read speed of 8x DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-ROM; 6x DVD-ROM (double layer DVD-9), DVD-R DL (double layer), DVD+R DL (double layer), DVD-RW, and DVD+RW; 24x CD.
   • Reportedly a maximum write speed of 8x DVD-R, DVD+R; 4x DVD-R DL (double layer), DVD+R DL (double layer), DVD-RW, DVD+RW; 24x CD-R; 10x CD-RW.
   • Note that the optical drive is just a regular slim drive, and so a hard drive can be put there with an adapter. See Replace the optical drive with a SATA drive (HDD or SSD)

Front, facing the user ∞

1. Magnetic latch

   • This actually makes it annoying to open.

2. Sleep indicator light

   • Illuminated in the picture.
   • It strobes when the laptop is closed/asleep.

3. Infrared sensor

   • I don't have the means to get it working.

Accessories ∞

• 100V-240V AC (50Hz to 60Hz), 60W MagSafe power adapter with cable management system.
• I don't have information about it's infrared receiver.

• SmartGUS will work with it.

Software ∞

• macOS 10.15 (Catalina) shipped with it.
• macOS 13 (Ventura) can be installed using OpenCore Legacy Patcher.

• Can reportedly use Windows 7 (32-Bit) through to Windows 10 (64-Bit) using Boot Camp: https://support.apple.com/guide/bootcamp-assistant/welcome/mac [ 4 ]

Tips and tricks ∞

• https://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro_13%22_Unibody_Mid_2012

• MacBook Unibody Model A1278 Teardown

  • As of 2022-11-17 many (all?) of these refer to some other model with a different bottom cover.
  • Teardown

insert key ∞

• 2022-12-24 on macOS 13 (Ventura) it is fn-enter.

If fn-enter does not work for you, then remap a key combination to it:

• http://blog.vhyza.eu/blog/2011/08/22/macbook-pro-and-insert-key/

I have not researched assigning an alternate hotkey when using Windows or Linux, although I'm certain it's possible.

Tools to use to open it ∞

• Spudger

Bits:

• Pentalobe P6
• Phillips #00

• Tri-point Y0

Replace the HDD with an SSD ∞

Replace an Apple Macbook Pro A1278 - 13" Laptop HDD with an SSD

Replace the optical drive with a SATA drive (HDD or SSD) ∞

(HDD or SSD)

The optical drive is just a regular slim drive, and so a hard drive can be put there with an adapter.

• Search your preferred stores for phrases like "hard drive caddy adapter", "superdrive adapter" or the like.

  • e.g. Data Doubler

How to:

• Unibody MacBook Pro drive replacement

• See Tools to use to open it

Upgrade with an NvME ∞

• A1278 NevBolt-1 NVMe Kit

  • [GUIDE] Solder NVMe SSD to A1278 MacBook Pro (MBP 13-inch 2012 + NevBolt-1)
    -- by iBoff RCC
  • [GUIDE] Assemble NVMe SSD to A1278 MacBook Pro (MBP 13-inch 2012 + NevBolt-1)
    -- by iBoff RCC

Booting a Linux ISO with Ventoy on a Macbook Pro A1278 ∞

See Booting a Linux ISO with Ventoy on a Macbook Pro A1278

2022-11-22 ∞

• It's very heavy.
• The aluminium body means it can get quite cold. This is why I stopped using a metal mousepad.

• The keyboard layout is fantastic.

  • Except that Macs are strange and I have problems code-switching between what I'm used to and the screwy way Macs do things.
  • The keys are actually quite far apart, making it difficult to type because I'm so used to my Dell Inspiron 11 3180 and 3185.

• Screen

  • The viewing angle is complete trash, which is especially bad for a laptop.
  • The shiny screen is nice, but it's very poor with dark colors.

• USB

  • The USB ports are so close together that two USB sticks cannot be used side-by-side. I'll need little extension cables.
  • It can't boot from a USB stick in a hub or an SD card. 2022-12-26 update: Maybe one port is not bootable and the other is? I re-tested and it works fine..

• It's hilarious to see an obsolete Thunderbolt port, but because it's also a mini-DisplayPort I can use an adapter with it.

TODO ∞

• read https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/macbook-pro-unibody-faq/

• Windows > https://everymac.com/mac-answers/windows-on-mac-faq/

  • Apple's Boot Camp 4 supports the 32-bit of Windows 7, Boot Camp 5 supports the 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8, and Boot Camp 6 supports the 64-bit version of Windows 10. Earlier versions of Windows are not supported.

Last updated 2023-06-29 at 13:40:43

Footnotes