This isn't about Apple racing to the bottom and nobody on here has even remotely suggested that they do. It is about Apple blatantly overcharging for products and ripping people off. The 13" MBP is overpriced as it is IMO for what you get, but the rumored 13" rMBP takes that even further.
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13-Inch Retina MacBook Pro Starts at 128 GB Flash Storage, Mac Mini Goes Quad-Core
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This isn't about Apple racing to the bottom and nobody on here has even remotely suggested that they do. It is about Apple blatantly overcharging for products and ripping people off. The 13" MBP is overpriced as it is IMO for what you get, but the rumored 13" rMBP takes that even further.
But this looks expensive when compared just to other Apple notebooks, not even comparing it to other companies.
Does the Air have a non ULV CPU and graphics? No
Does the AIr have a Retina display? No.
The price is went down over time because the other components were held price constant. As the SSD sank the overall device sank. This new product actually goes in the opposite direction. The HDD is turning into a SSD. The screen is moving up in price and complexity. The case/engineering is all radically different.
It is still $100 lower than the MBA Air was at $1700 (through first couple of iterations).
Can bump the Air to 8GB but that's where you are capped. Most likely this new model can go to 16GB. That is highly indicative that dealing with a different density of RAM modules. Hence a difference price.
The 13" model is basically the 15" model with a smaller screen, why would you think it would have a significantly lower price. Of course, with less than an hour left, we will soon know.
You need to read the posts before you respond.
Go back to my post... I was responding to replacing RAM in a Mac Mini, not a MBP.
No chance. Already confirmed to be discrete only.
Plus it has a tiny 128gb ssd.
Too bad. Mac mini is better. Mac book air is way better.
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Yeah, it's a slick little machine, especially now with a quad i7 ... I wonder if it will get a bump on the discrete GPU from the 6630?
I seriously air fist when reading this. So happy that my wait is over for my first mac. Mac Mini here I come 
I think a couple of remarks are in order.
1. The pricing is just a rumor and there is only one price mentioned ($1699), yet there are three different models if the latest word is to be trusted. That $1699 could very well be the 256GB model as well.
2. So far the leaked specs are CPU speeds (no info on core counts, though dual core is the most likely given the frequencies), RAM size and SSD capacities. No word on GPU, resolution, ports and whatsoever. It's too early to call it overpriced since nobody knows what the specs even are. With a dedicated GPU, $1699 for the entry-level 128GB model isn't actually that bad.
1. The pricing is just a rumor and there is only one price mentioned ($1699), yet there are three different models if the latest word is to be trusted. That $1699 could very well be the 256GB model as well.
2. So far the leaked specs are CPU speeds (no info on core counts, though dual core is the most likely given the frequencies), RAM size and SSD capacities. No word on GPU, resolution, ports and whatsoever. It's too early to call it overpriced since nobody knows what the specs even are. With a dedicated GPU, $1699 for the entry-level 128GB model isn't actually that bad.
The market always decides.
Apple isn't "ripping you off" if you buy it. Nor are they "ripping you off" if you don't.
Hmm did the porn take up a lot of space on your other machine? Anyway, the reason ppl are complaining is that 128gb hasnt been considered a lot of space on a hard drive since the early 2000's. It should be much larger even being ssd.
Er, well they don't need to know HOW to do it, just that they CAN.
I'm beginning to feel quite smug with my ancient MBP where I (or a nice chappie in a shop) can replace/upgrade battery, drive and RAM.
It's a pity it voids your warranty.
It doesn't though. Apple even has a tech bulletin "How To" here.
Macbook Pro 13" Retina | Just doesn't add up
So I, like many, was eagerly waiting for the launch of the Mackbook Pro 13" Retina BUT when I heard the preliminary price and specs, I decided to explore other options. All of this is speculation of course but I think Apple has overvalued their Retina line and confused what could have been a very nice product-line.
To provide a foundation for my future points, here is my setup:
MacBook Pro 13" [2011] w/ 16GB of RAM & 256GB SSD. Total price invested: $1550.
A few additional points:
- I think Retina on a 13" notebook is overkill but I have always preferred having the same resolution at the 13" MBA. I also have always felt that the Pro series should include discrete graphics in the base model by default.
- Why buy the base 13" MBP when you can get the high-end MBA for about the same price? The one advantage of the Macbook Pro line was that you could upgrade via aftermarket which is not an option in the Retina series.
- Hopefully Apple will lower the prices next year, drop the normal Macbook Pro series, make the Retina line upgradeable in the aftermarket, and simply have 4 laptops to choose from + options: 11" - 13" MPA or the 13" - 15" MBP.
- The 13" MBP Retina definitely needs to have discrete graphics included at the base level.
Just my thoughts
So I, like many, was eagerly waiting for the launch of the Mackbook Pro 13" Retina BUT when I heard the preliminary price and specs, I decided to explore other options. All of this is speculation of course but I think Apple has overvalued their Retina line and confused what could have been a very nice product-line.
To provide a foundation for my future points, here is my setup:
MacBook Pro 13" [2011] w/ 16GB of RAM & 256GB SSD. Total price invested: $1550.
A few additional points:
- I think Retina on a 13" notebook is overkill but I have always preferred having the same resolution at the 13" MBA. I also have always felt that the Pro series should include discrete graphics in the base model by default.
- Why buy the base 13" MBP when you can get the high-end MBA for about the same price? The one advantage of the Macbook Pro line was that you could upgrade via aftermarket which is not an option in the Retina series.
- Hopefully Apple will lower the prices next year, drop the normal Macbook Pro series, make the Retina line upgradeable in the aftermarket, and simply have 4 laptops to choose from + options: 11" - 13" MPA or the 13" - 15" MBP.
- The 13" MBP Retina definitely needs to have discrete graphics included at the base level.
Just my thoughts
Most people just get a new computer. They don't do upgrades themselves, and most don't even take it in to a shop to have upgrades done. It doesn't suit their needs anymore, so they just buy a new one.
I know people here love their upgradeable machines. I like mine and haven't yet switched to one that can't be upgraded. But the huge majority of people will never do an upgrade nor have one done on their computer. That's why switching over to computers that can't be upgraded makes sense for Apple; most people never take advantage of the opportunity anyways, and Apple makes more money. The crowd here at MacRumors is a very small portion of Mac owners, and we by no means represent the average consumer.
128GB SSD :: cost around $100
4GB more memory :: cost around $20
Retina display :: coat around more $60 than normal
Battery and back light adding cost :: around $40
Hmm, additional $220
$500 premium is little bit high,
Personally thinking, $300-400, it is make sense
4GB more memory :: cost around $20
Retina display :: coat around more $60 than normal
Battery and back light adding cost :: around $40
Hmm, additional $220
$500 premium is little bit high,
Personally thinking, $300-400, it is make sense
notes:
1) this is a rumor site. wait and see what apple says.
2) apple isnt trolling this forum...they do dont hear "you" statements here.
The non-ULV processor can't cost that much more since they use it in the $1199 13" MBP. In fact if I had to guess I would say that the ULV CPU costs as much or even more because the ULV CPUs have higher cost/performance.
Nope, it doesn't. It also costs $400 less than the rumored 13" MBP pricing.
Why would Apple use high density RAM chips on the 8GB model when it's all soldered to the logic board?
I would guess that both models would have the same number of chips. The 8GB version will just use lower density chips.
It's also much thinner and lighter. And you can't upgrade the ram in a retina macbook pro either. The ram is soldered on to the motherboard.
At $400 less, the macbook air is a 10X greater value. I'm sorry, but retina ain't worth $400 extra, while also losing out on the thinness of the air.
There is not dedicated vram. It will use the intel hd 4000 just like the regular 13 inch mbp uses. That means shared memory. 128gb ssds cost less than a hundred dollars (about the same as an hdd and thats a top of the line quality samsung 830, apple uses garbage in their machines compared to that) now so that doesn't add up either. Ram is so cheap its not even funny and the difference in cost between the regular display and the retina is certainly not 300-400 dollars. I'd venture that it costs apple maybe 10 to 20 dollars more per display. Also keep in mind that they took a ton of things out. Theres no more network card (LAN), firewire, and optical drive. They probably make up a lot of the cost differences by eliminating those.
What the heck am I supposed to do with 128 GB of storage on my main computer...?
It's just not reasonable at all. I need to 256 at an absolute minimum. I'm sure it's going to be a really nice computer but these storage options are just insane.
It's just not reasonable at all. I need to 256 at an absolute minimum. I'm sure it's going to be a really nice computer but these storage options are just insane.
You should also compare it to the 13" MBA. So for a $500 premium, you get:
- Retina display
- 8 GB RAM instead of 4
- Slightly faster dual-core CPU?
- Extra thickness & weight!