rMBP Price Drop

Over the last 24 hours I've learned so much about the rMBP and the Macbook Pro line in general. I've read lots of articles and posts from knowledgeable members of this forum and others.

After doing so, this is the conclusion I have arrived at. NOBODY KNOWS whether the price will drop or not. Just like nobody knows exactly what hardware or aesthetic changes Apple will make to the Macbook Pro lineup. I've read compelling arguments from both sides, saying that the price will drop and saying that the price will remain the same.

The only thing I am sure about, is that some type of change or changes to the Apple lineup is/are happening soon and it sounds like it's going to be pretty significant. But to pinpoint exactly what that will be is impossible.

I can see Apple dropping the price and I can also see them staying at the same price while improving the product by changing the aesthetics and/or hardware. If we're lucky they will improve the product and drop the price and if we're doomed, the new notebook will suck and we will all be on Craigslist looking for the old versions.

Personally I think that Apple is more likely improve the product and maybe drop the price a little and not a huge price drop like some people are talking about. To me the price doesn't matter much, I just want to make sure it's the latest since I plan on keeping it for a good while and I don't have a immediate need for it so I can wait a few months. Needless to say if you have a dire need for the notebook and waiting affects your business or money making potential then you should have bought it yesterday. If you're expecting a $400-$500 drop or more then you are probably better of trying to find a deal on Craigslist or buying a refurbished one. And if you're expecting a a 17 inch Macbook Air with a 8.0 Ghz Processor and 64 GB of RAM then you're probably on drugs (Joke), but the point is to limit your expectations. Otherwise you'll probably be disappointed that you waited.

Mr. Retrofire said:

No. The 2nd wave of Ivy Bridge processors is not cheap, and the retina displays are also not cheap. Do not forget the price for the new 802.11ac hardware components. I do not see that metals (copper, gold, aluminum) are much cheaper on the market.

So why should the 2nd wave of retina MBPs costs less than the 1st wave? Wishful thinking!?

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well.. all together. its common sense that apple uses less aluminum to make the rMBP verses the classic. and there's the fact that their axing the classic altogether.

Another way too look at it is that the price has already been dropped. By putting the refurb rMBPs up for sale, Apple is increasing their target market -- not only do they still have the opportunity to sell the machine to people willing to pay full MSRP in exchange for an absolutely new machine, they also have the ability to sell to people who are willing to buy at a 10-15% discount a machine without the retail packaging.

Further, my suspicion is that this practice runs through other parts of their retail channel. I bought my rMBP last month for a couple hundred dollars off retail, plus a couple hundred dollars off Applecare. Something tells me that the seller wasn't offering those discounts unilaterally, and that those were supported by rebates or other incentives from Apple. Apple gets to maintain uniform sticker pricing at their stores and among most retailers generally, and offer discounted pricing to people willing to shop around.

Mr. Retrofire said:

No. The 2nd wave of Ivy Bridge processors is not cheap, and the retina displays are also not cheap. Do not forget the price for the new 802.11ac hardware components. I do not see that metals (copper, gold, aluminum) are much cheaper on the market.

So why should the 2nd wave of retina MBPs costs less than the 1st wave? Wishful thinking!?

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I thought the next waves processor is going to be called Haswell

Muscle Master said:

its common sense that apple uses less aluminum to make the rMBP

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But not in the next wave of retina MBPs. The amount of metal is the same. So no price reduction.

Mr. Retrofire said:

But not in the next wave of retina MBPs. The amount of metal is the same. So no price reduction.

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I would be surprised if the cost of raw materials represented more than 5% of the retail price of the laptop. There are plenty of ways to effect a meaningful cost reduction even in an environment of increased commodity prices.

adjeff8 said:

I thought the next waves processor is going to be called Haswell

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Probably in Q3/2013 or Q1/2014, because:


OS X needs modifications for Haswell (new GPU drivers, new power management kernel extensions, and so on). Summer 2013 is very optimistic.

Muscle Master said:

well.. all together. its common sense that apple uses less aluminum to make the rMBP verses the classic. and there's the fact that their axing the classic altogether.

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Less material cost doesn't mean overall cost will go down. Newer component costs and also harder assembly (less room to wiggle, glued-on battery, tighter components) also factor in there, and will likely offset the reduction of raw material.

Not to mention aluminum is dirt cheap, and it's in some insane abundance compared to other metals:
http://www.infomine.com/investment/metal-prices/aluminum/

They're likely saving about $1 at most... for 1lb less aluminum.

I'm itching to join the rmbp party, but am holding out for 2013 versions for precisely the price drops and hopefully better value. I really hope to see 256gb standard for the 13" rmbp.

Wishful thinking, likely.

Mr. Retrofire said:

Probably in Q3/2013 or Q1/2014, because:

Image
Source: Intel/VR-Zone​

OS X needs modifications for Haswell (new GPU drivers, new power management kernel extensions, and so on). Summer 2013 is very optimistic.

Click to expand...

The Haswell design is already done, though. I'd think that a big customer like Apple would have early access to a working chip in order to have drivers ready at launch.