Apple announced it is slashing prices on 13-inch models of its Retina Macbook Pro and Macbook Air. The Macbook Pro line also gets processor and RAM bumps.
"The tweaked 13-inch MBP with Retina now starts at $1,499, a $200 saving from the old price, while the newest 15-inch MBP with Retina gets a spec boost, and the 13-inch MacBook Air has also seen a price cut, down to $1,399 from $1,499 for the 256GB flash version," writes SlashGear.
"The $1,699 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display kicks off with a 2.6GHz processor paired with 256GB of flash storage, for instance. There are more changes for the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, with the entry-level model now getting a 2.4GHz quadcore processor instead of the 2.3GHz chip previously used. Its more expensive sibling now gets a 2.7GHz quadcore processor and 16GB of memory, up from the 2.6GHz and 8GB of RAM previously specified."
All of the changes are currently available at the online Apple Store, as well as retailers and resellers.
The changes come after a mediocre holiday season for Apple, and the company is looking to reinvigorate sales.
"Shares closed Tuesday at $467.90 and were down slightly premarket. The stock has dropped 14% over the past three months," writes The Wall Street Journal.
Much has been said about Apple's rivalry in the mobile phone market. Apple and South Korean competitor Samsung have been locked in global legal battles, but Samsung has emerged as a potent alternative to the iPhone and iPad.
But until now, Apple has been supreme in the laptop market. The price drop could be a move to position the Macbook Air as a better competitor to Microsoft's Surface Pro, which went on sale last week.
The price change and upgrades could also just be a regular part of Apple's product cycle, in preparation for new models of the Pro and Air likely due this year.
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