Apple today pushed out a refresh of its MacBook Pro with Retina display lineup, giving both the 13- and 15-inch models a little more horsepower under the hood. Additionally, Apple has dropped the price of the top-of-the-line 15-in version of its high-resolution notebook, perhaps making that high-end upgrade a little easier to justify.
Today's upgrades are all under the hood, but they should provide some nice speed bumps all around. The new 13-in offerings are each seeing a minor speed bump, now carrying Intel Core i5 processors clocked at up to 2.6 GHz in the lower-end models and 2.8 GHz in the higher-tier options (with Turbo Boosts of up to 3.1 GHz and 3.3 GHz, respectively). Buyers who want to speed up their systems a little more can opt for an Intel Core i7 processor with up to 3.0 GHz of power (3.5 GHz for Turbo boost).
While the previous 13-in entry-level models had started with 4GB of RAM, the new lineup carries a minimum of 8GB. The 13-in model's barrier of entry hasn't changed, as it still starts at US$1,299.
The 15-in Retina MacBook still starts at $1,999, but its higher-end sibling did dip down to $2,499 (from $2,599). The 15-in lineup now starts with a 2.2 GHz (Turbo Boost to 3.4 GHz) Intel Core i7 processor and moves up from there. Perhaps the biggest upgrade in the larger model is that 16GB of RAM is now standard (increased from an 8GB base in last year's entry-level model).
Apple is also dropping the price of the non-Retina 13-in MacBook Pro (yep, it's still around) by $100 to $1,099.
Apart from processors, prices and RAM, everything else with the Retina MacBooks is the same as it was before (in other words, don't expect a thinner or lighter machine or an even sharper display). All of the upgraded MacBook Pro models are available starting today from Apple Stores and authorized Apple retailers.
Source: Apple
