Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Retina-Resolution Displays to Add Up to $100 to Apple's MacBook Pro Costs
With Apple's MacBook Pro line now widely rumored to be gaining ultra high-resolution "Retina" or "HiDPI" displays at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference, CNET reports that such panels are already available in the supply chain and that they carry price premiums of up to $100 over their non-Retina counterparts. But what remains to be seen is whether that price difference will be passed along to consumers or if Apple will find ways to cut costs in other areas in order to maintain its existing price points.
Unaddressed is the 17-inch MacBook Pro, which would require a display of 3840x2400 and undoubtedly carry an even higher price premium over the current display. It is unclear, however, whether the 17-inch MacBook Pro will be receiving the same upgrades as the rest of the family at WWDC, as most rumors so far have pointed to only 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models being in production. In addition, Apple has been rumored to be following the pattern of its transition to the unibody MacBook Pro design in moving the 17-inch model to the new form factor several months after its smaller siblings.
Shim notes that with these Retina resolution displays available in the supply chain, Apple is the most likely customer for the screens, although he has been unable to confirm what company or companies are purchasing them for use in their computers.
Also unclear is how Apple will handle the cost increase associated with the Retina displays. While some cost savings will be achievable by the removal of the optical drive, Apple will almost certainly see increased costs for storage as the MacBook Pro reportedly moves from traditional hard drives to solid-state drives. While such drives are used in the lower-priced MacBook Air models, higher-end users expected to be drawn to the MacBook Pro will likely demand higher-capacity drives at significantly greater costs. Consequently, it will be interesting to see how Apple ends up pricing the redesigned MacBook Pro given all the changes involved.
DisplaySearch Senior Analyst Richard Shim says that super high-resolution 13.3-inch and 15.4-inch panels that Apple would be a prime candidate to use are already available from suppliers.According to Shim, a Retina 15.4-inch display at 2880x1800 resolution for a density of 220 pixels per inch (ppi) currently costs approximately $160, a $92 increase over Apple's estimated cost of $68 for the current display in the 15-inch MacBook Pro. In the smaller 13-inch MacBook Pro, a Retina display at 2560x1600 costs $134, a $65 premium over the display used in the current model.
"We're seeing it at 15.4 (inches)," Shim said in an interview yesterday. "You can get it."
Unaddressed is the 17-inch MacBook Pro, which would require a display of 3840x2400 and undoubtedly carry an even higher price premium over the current display. It is unclear, however, whether the 17-inch MacBook Pro will be receiving the same upgrades as the rest of the family at WWDC, as most rumors so far have pointed to only 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models being in production. In addition, Apple has been rumored to be following the pattern of its transition to the unibody MacBook Pro design in moving the 17-inch model to the new form factor several months after its smaller siblings.
Shim notes that with these Retina resolution displays available in the supply chain, Apple is the most likely customer for the screens, although he has been unable to confirm what company or companies are purchasing them for use in their computers.
Also unclear is how Apple will handle the cost increase associated with the Retina displays. While some cost savings will be achievable by the removal of the optical drive, Apple will almost certainly see increased costs for storage as the MacBook Pro reportedly moves from traditional hard drives to solid-state drives. While such drives are used in the lower-priced MacBook Air models, higher-end users expected to be drawn to the MacBook Pro will likely demand higher-capacity drives at significantly greater costs. Consequently, it will be interesting to see how Apple ends up pricing the redesigned MacBook Pro given all the changes involved.
[ 399 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
96 months ago
Retina +100
No DVD -100
And we are good to go
I edit to clarify mi post. When Apple removed the DVD from the Mac Mini, they dropped the price 100 bucks, so why not this time too?
No DVD -100
And we are good to go
I edit to clarify mi post. When Apple removed the DVD from the Mac Mini, they dropped the price 100 bucks, so why not this time too?
96 months ago
Apple could easily afford to bite the bullet on this and only have a 10% margin instead of a 30% margin while they wait for prices to drop.
I seriously doubt they will, though. They'll probably let the margin drop 5% or so in the interest of keeping their prices roughly where they are.
Isn't that DVD drive worth under $20?
I seriously doubt they will, though. They'll probably let the margin drop 5% or so in the interest of keeping their prices roughly where they are.
Retina +100
No DVD -100
And we are good to go
Isn't that DVD drive worth under $20?
96 months ago
We're talking about the company that charges $200 for 4GB extra RAM here ;) I doubt they'll absorb the costs.
96 months ago
I saw and played with the new iPad and the retina display was not a mayor factor at all.
I have an original iPad and a new iPad and I respectfully disagree.
96 months ago
I hope there is a matte option with this new display.
THIS.
Those glossy MIRROR screens are AWFUL.
96 months ago
Apple could take the hit and absorb the costs and make all monitors retina for the same price and people would scream for joy and buy them up.
However, they could charge $100 premium and people will scream for joy and buy them up.
Therefore, they will not absorb the costs.
WAIT, what is the price increase for the iPad retina display?
However, they could charge $100 premium and people will scream for joy and buy them up.
Therefore, they will not absorb the costs.
WAIT, what is the price increase for the iPad retina display?
[ Read All Comments ]
Amazon this week is discounting numerous Apple notebooks and tablets, offering new all-time-low prices in each instance. You can save as much as $400 in these sales, which relate to the 2019...
NBCUniversal today revealed that the name of its upcoming streaming television service is "Peacock," a reference to the company's logo. The service is still set to launch in April 2020,...
Amazon today introduced a new tier of Amazon Music, called Amazon Music HD, which offers lossless versions of audio files for streaming or downloading. This tier will cost $14.99/month, or...
Signify today announced a new device for its Philip Hue line of lights, debuting the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, designed to allow Hue users to sync their lights to their home entertainment systems.
...
Apple on Tuesday argued that the European Union's order for it to pay 13 billion euros ($14.3 billion) in back taxes to Ireland "defies reality and common sense," as it kicked off its...
Apple is set to invest $1 billion in India as it gets ready to export its "Made in India" iPhones, according to a new report out today.
Times of India says Foxconn is the main...
The non-profit Wi-Fi Alliance today announced the release of the Wi-Fi 6 certification program, noting that devices with the Wi-Fi 6 Certified logo will meet the "highest standards for security...
MacRumors has partnered with Anker again this week to offer our readers a chance to save on nine accessories, including USB-C chargers, wireless chargers, Lightning cables, and portable battery...
