Ever since Apple announced the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding the fact that Apple is planning a 13-inch model with the same primary feature to add to its portfolio of Retina Display products. Following the rumours and speculations, a recent report by CNET has stated that production for an upcoming notebook from Apple is already underway.
CNET has contacted NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim and he states that production of a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with a pixel density of 2,560 x 1,600 has already begun. The report quotes Shim as saying, “The supply chain indications are that it's for a MacBook Pro 13.3 -- not a MacBook Air. Displays are being made by Samsung, LGD, and Sharp. The production volume is expected to be substantially higher out of the gate compared to the current 15.4-inch Retina MacBook Pro. With 15.4 it's production of a few hundred thousand units versus one to two million for the 13.3. That 13.3-inch production began in the third quarter. The volume depends on production yield rates. It depends on how the yield rates turn out. If the yield rates are really good and they're at 70, 80, 90 percent, then they'll probably be in the million and a half range.”
CNET has contacted NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim and he states that production of a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with a pixel density of 2,560 x 1,600 has already begun. The report quotes Shim as saying, “The supply chain indications are that it's for a MacBook Pro 13.3 -- not a MacBook Air. Displays are being made by Samsung, LGD, and Sharp. The production volume is expected to be substantially higher out of the gate compared to the current 15.4-inch Retina MacBook Pro. With 15.4 it's production of a few hundred thousand units versus one to two million for the 13.3. That 13.3-inch production began in the third quarter. The volume depends on production yield rates. It depends on how the yield rates turn out. If the yield rates are really good and they're at 70, 80, 90 percent, then they'll probably be in the million and a half range.”
Production of a smaller Retina MacBook underway
Shim goes on to explain that the major difference between the panels made by Samsung and LGD are the fact that with the case of the iPad, Samsung was able to reach the high resolutions requested by Apple with fewer issues. He goes on to state that they were also the first vendor to get to that volume with the said panel.
In an earlier report, Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI shared with AppleInsider that he expects Apple to ramp up production of a 13-inch next-generation MacBook Pro with Retina Display in September. That would allow the product to hit stores in early October; in time for the holiday shopping season. The track record of the analyst has been good thus far with Kuo predicting that Apple would discontinue its 17-inch MacBook Pro line up. Prior to the launch of the Retina Display MacBook Pro, Kuo also said that Apple would launch a 15-inch version of the same alongside an upgrade to the existing MacBook Pro notebooks. He went on to state that Apple has the "highest hopes" for the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display.
Kuo said Apple was likely unable to unveil the new product at WWDC this week because of a low yield rate and greater assembly difficulty. Like the next-generation Retina Display MacBook Pro, the 13-inch variety is expected to lack an optical disc drive and rely solely on solid-state flash memory storage. Kuo expects the screen to have a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels, and he said the 13-inch model will be slightly thinner than the 15-inch model – at 18 millimeters.
As for the other specifications expected to feature on the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, the brand will use Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics and an Intel Ivy Bridge processor with a clock speed greater than 2GHz.
If you can’t wait for the 13-inch model, the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro is available in India at a starting price of Rs.1,52,900.
