Apple has released a new set of upgrades for its high-end Retina display MacBook Pro laptops, which now come with slightly faster chips and slightly lower price tags.
This year has not seen much in terms of hardware upgrades from Cupertino. Already halfway into 2014, Apple has only released a slight upgrade in its now slightly cheaper MacBook Airs and slower, cheaper iMacs.
The latest upgrades follow a leaked image supposedly coming out of an Apple store in China showing updates for specifications and prices for the 13-inch and 15-inch models of Apple's MacBook Pro lineup.
Instead of the 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 4GB of memory, the entry-level 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is now equipped with 200GHz more in terms of processing power and 8GB of RAM. This model comes in three variants, each coming with 128GB, 256GB and 512GB flash storage. Unlike the upgraded MacBook Air, however, the pricing for the 13-inch Pro remains unchanged, with prices starting at $1,299 for the 128GB model, $1,499 for 256GB and $1,799 for the 512GB model with a 2.8GHz dual-core i7 chip. For an additional $200, buyers can have the default 8GB RAM upgraded to 16GB.
On the higher end, the 15-inch models do not see as considerable speed bump as the entry-level 13-inch models. The price for the entry-level 15-inch Pros remains the same at $1,999 and $2,499, but instead of adding $200, buyers can now get the standard 16GB RAM for both models. The $1,999 model also gets an upgraded chipset, from a 2.0GHz Intel quad-core i7 to a 2.2GHz i7. The higher-end 15-inch Pro, however, has the same 2.5GHz quad-core i7 chipset from Intel but with a $100 price cut from $2,599.
Apple also provides users the option to purchase build-to-order models, which can be fitted with a 3.0GHz Intel dual-core i7 for the 13-inch models and a 2.8GHz quad-core i7 for the 15-inch models. Both 13-inch and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros can be equipped with 1TB of flash storage.
The only MacBook Pro without a Retina display has the same under-the-hood specs, with the same Ivy Bridge chipset from 2012, but Apple has shaved $100 off its $1,199 price tag to $1,099.
Apple last refreshed its Retina MacBook Pro lineup in October, when it added Intel Haswell processors and Iris graphics cards to its 13-inch model. The upgrade also included the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi, faster PCIe storage and Thunderbolt 2 parts.
