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Retina-Resolution Displays to Add Up to $100 to Apple's MacBook Pro Costs
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I guess them not including ethernet and FW is one way to save money. Too bad they will still add $200 to the price-tag because well they're a high margin company and if it cost them $100, why not charge $200!!!
RETINA!
RETINA!
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
to those that think apple wont charge more, remember this
they charge $200 for 8GB of ram that probably cost them $35
they charge $200 for 8GB of ram that probably cost them $35
I use my Glossy MBP for most of my photo work, and haven't had any problems with it personally.
That said, if you remember, most of the professional or good quality CRT screens had coatings on them to reduce glare and Refraction, that, or they had a post production process to reduce the glossiness of the glass in other ways.
More on topic.
I honestly doubt that Apple would be subsidizing the cost of these new displays by much. If anything, they would find cost cutting measures within the product to help reduce production expenses that would hopefully make up for the more expensive screens.
"Retina", according to Apple, just means that the eye is unable to see individual pixels at a normal viewing distance. Every MacBook, iMac, and Apple display is already "retina".
Think how much the cost of components have come down over the life cycle of the current line-up.
Also, knowing what they sell for in general, and knowing what kind of price Apple can negotiate are two different things.
I do think Apple will eat the cost - I don't think they want to go down the road of increasing the base price when they can make it up in add-ons anyway.
Also, knowing what they sell for in general, and knowing what kind of price Apple can negotiate are two different things.
I do think Apple will eat the cost - I don't think they want to go down the road of increasing the base price when they can make it up in add-ons anyway.
My mac mini does not have any visible pixels-- retina display FTW!
I wonder if the retina display will be standard across the whole line, or only on the higher-tier models, or as a BTO option?
They could also easily afford to hire someone with such a horrible sense of business.
Ha ha. Yeah. I don't remember anyone complaining that glass CRTs were hard to read and we used those things for 20 years.
But suddenly glass is impossible to use on a computer screen? I don't get it either.
2880x1800? I had to buy reading glasses when I got my last MBP 17" because everything was so small on it's 1920 x 1200 display. Isn't it time to update the OS to factor this in, much like the iPad OS does?
I know you can set the font size on most apps and adjust icon size, etc, but the OS in general seems designed for lower resolution displays. Maybe I'm just too old and should be taken out back and shot.
And despite my rant, I will likely buy a 15" on day one.
I know you can set the font size on most apps and adjust icon size, etc, but the OS in general seems designed for lower resolution displays. Maybe I'm just too old and should be taken out back and shot.
And despite my rant, I will likely buy a 15" on day one.
This.
I don't want retina, i want 1680x1050 for the 13'', 1920x1200 for the 15'' and 2560x1600 for the 17'' models. That would be a real improvement, high DPI is just not as important as screen realestate.
About the pricing, remember how expensive the original MacBook Air cost? And how much it has come down since then. We should see something similar happen with MBPs.
New generation of MBAs started with a lower, less inflated, price point. Hope to see it here too, although I'm willing to pay a lot for a Retina display in a laptop lol.
New generation of MBAs started with a lower, less inflated, price point. Hope to see it here too, although I'm willing to pay a lot for a Retina display in a laptop lol.
Prices are going to increase. They are going to introduce a new design with a completely different chassis and different components, as opposed to the unibody design they are using since 2008. Maybe they are going to make audacious moves like going SSD-only as well, while retaining decent storage. Expect the prices to grow $50-100 and drop with the next speedbump.
So here's my math:
Retina +$100
256 GB SSD +200 (500 GB 2.5 drives are about $100, 256 GB SSD are about $300)
ODD -$30
Ethernet -$0
-----------------------
Added cost for anything like an equivalent: $270
Youch!
I'm guessing Apple will need to see cost savings in other places or take smaller margins. Taking the 15" $1799 base and going to $2199 or 2099 is probably going to hurt them quite a lot in total sales. Then upgraded models are going to run up close to $3000. I don't think even apple can charge that much for a laptop. My theory is that they will hit a nonlinearity in market elasticity around that $2000 15" base range.
Retina +$100
256 GB SSD +200 (500 GB 2.5 drives are about $100, 256 GB SSD are about $300)
ODD -$30
Ethernet -$0
-----------------------
Added cost for anything like an equivalent: $270
Youch!
I'm guessing Apple will need to see cost savings in other places or take smaller margins. Taking the 15" $1799 base and going to $2199 or 2099 is probably going to hurt them quite a lot in total sales. Then upgraded models are going to run up close to $3000. I don't think even apple can charge that much for a laptop. My theory is that they will hit a nonlinearity in market elasticity around that $2000 15" base range.
Even though the DVD drive and some ports are coming off, USB3+2nd thunderbolt+SSD+retina will undoubtedly cut apple's profit margin tremendously if sticking to the current price points. This is Apple's chance to offer a bang for your buck, something they are not known for doing, but a move that would keep them ahead of the competition for 2+ years. It is interesting to watch which direction they end up going. Also wouldn't be surprised if entry level 15" is discontinued as a result.