Katie Marsal
Apple said Wednesday that it's making the MacBook Pro with Retina display faster and more affordable with updated processors and lower starting prices, starting at $1,499 rather than $1,699.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display now starts at $1,499 for a model equipped with 128GB of flash, while $1,699 will buy a new 2.6 GHz processor and 256GB of flash. The 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display now also features a faster 2.4 GHz quad-core processor, while the top-of-the-line 15-inch notebook comes with a new 2.7 GHz quad-core processor and 16GB of memory.
Apple also announced today that the 13-inch MacBook Air with 256GB of flash has a lower price of $1,399.
AppleInsider will be working to update its Price Guides as retailers and resellers adjust pricing throughout the day on the back of Apple's announcement. Once resellers update their pricing, AppleInsider will notify readers.
For those in the market for a new MacBook, MacMall offers AppleInsider readers the absolutely lowest prices around on most MacBooks when you click through the links in our Price Guides and apply promo code APPINSDRMWB37994 on the retailer's product pages. At the same time, B&H Photo offers AppleInsider readers unbeatable prices on Macs that are bundled with 3 years of AppleCare extended warranty plans.
Update: B&H Photo has dropped its pricing as reflected below and in our Mac Price Guide. A list of B&H Price Drops on BTO MacBook Pro with Retina display configurations is available here.
Update 2: Both Amazon and MacMall have adjusted their prices as well.
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149 Comments
Hmm...must not have been selling as well as they hoped?
This is good news. But how pissed would you be if you'd just bought one.
[quote name="Mobius" url="/t/155953/apple-updates-processors-and-drops-prices-of-macbook-pro-with-retina-display#post_2276934"]This is good news. But how pissed would you be if you'd just bought one. [/quote] You have 2 weeks to return yours and Apple has no restocking fee.
Hmm...must not have been selling as well as they hoped?
This is not a new trend. MacBook Air started off more expensive than it is today, when SSD drives were not as cheap.
Having said that, I do believe the marvels of Retina Display on a laptop are totally under-appreciated. I wish it was available on more Windows laptops, as I need to work on both Windows and Mac OS.
I'd like to see if the SSDs are different. If they are using the smaller node NAND that could account for a good part of the cost reduction. We knew something was going to happen this year but I assumed they would most likely double the capacity at the same price point as 64GB for a MBA isn't very much. I guess $999 is not something they want to deviate from and the 64GB MBA is selling well enough to make that a good starting point. [quote name="stelligent" url="/t/155953/apple-updates-processors-and-drops-prices-of-macbook-pro-with-retina-display#post_2276939"] This is not a new trend. MacBook Air started off more expensive than it is today, when SSD drives were not as cheap. [/quote] And that SFF CULV processor was made to suit only Apple's need for an experimental new notebook class. It was also the first Mac with a milled aluminum chassis and a display laminated to the glass. I think it may have also been the first to use the more sophisticated 1000 cycle battery tech.