Apple today introduced modest upgrades to the Retina MacBook Pro, while simultaneously lowering prices at its online store. The cheapest 13-inch model is now $200 less at $1,499; paying $1,699 gets buyers a new 2.6GHz dual-core Core i5 CPU, plus a 256GB SSD. 15-inch systems now start with a new 2.4GHz quad-core Core i7; the top-end model has been upgraded to a 2.7GHz quad-core chip, and 16GB of RAM. In a related shift, meanwhile, a 13-inch MacBook Air with a 256GB SSD has been reduced to $1,399.
These CPUs are still third generation Intel iCores, not the 22nm Haswell chips which were confirmed as the 4th generation Intel iCore Processors at Intel’s press conference at CES 2013. According to the head of Intel’s PC client group, Kirk Skaugen, the fourth-gen Core family of processors are the first to be designed specifically for the Ultrabook initiative (Think MacBook Air). The new silicon is said to bring the most significant battery life improvement in Intel history, with laptops using the CPUs boasting 9 to 13 hours of continuous on-the-go use.
The adjustments are presumably meant to keep pace with minor Intel processors updates, and keep costs competitive with typically less expensive Windows laptops.
