Report reaffirms 13" Retina MacBook Pro still on track for 2012 launch

Research firm NPD DisplaySearch says Apple is likely to release a Retina display-packing 13-inch MacBook Pro before the year is out, with production currently on schedule for sometime in the fourth quarter.

Analyst Richard Shim told CNET that Apple will be launching its second Retina display MacBook Pro offering later this year, reiterating earlier reports suggesting the laptop would be released in fall 2012.

Shim confirmed that the portable would boast a screen resolution of 2,560-by-1,600 pixels, expectedly lower than the 15-inch model's 2,880-by-1,800-pixel screen. The unit is also thought to be priced somewhere between the current top-of-the-line 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display and a high-tier 13-inch non-Retina model, though final cost is up in the air as the product is a new entry to Apple's laptop stable.

While only speculation, Shim believes Apple is planning on debuting the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display after the iPad mini announcement, which is rumored to be coming up later in October.

It was reported in August that 13-inch Retina displays bound for an as-yet-unannounced MacBook were being produced, with initial output volumes supposedly higher than the 15-inch model. If true, Apple is preparing for an onslaught of orders as the current MacBook Pro with Retina display saw stock shortages when it was first announced in June.

A number of reported "leaks" regarding the 13-inch laptop have been circulating since the first Retina display MacBook Pro was released, including supposed online benchmark scores logged in June and August.