Last week, Apple stunned the world with its ludicrously priced new MacBook Pro models. Is the tech giant already having a change of heart?
Prominent Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, of KGI Securities, reckons Apple is planning to drop the price of new MacBook Pro models as soon as 2017. He said as much in a note to investors, which was obtained by specialist Apple blog 9to5mac. According to Kuo, Apple tends to overprice its MacBook products when they’re first released, and then gradually lowers the R.R.P.
Apple announced a new generation of MacBook Pro laptops last Thursday, revealing a revamped design that features a customisable OLED Touch Bar that replaces the top row of function keys on the keyboard.
But reception to the new notebooks has been mixed, with most of the discord being directed at the pricing. There are three new models, with prices ranging from £1,449 right up to £2,699, which potentially prices out a huge swath of consumers.
Related: MacBook Pro 2016 vs Surface Book i7
However, Kuo says we’ll likely see a drop in the price of the MacBook Pro (2016) variants in the second half of next year. He also believes we’ll see refreshed versions of the MacBook Pro that feature 32GB of RAM around the same time. However, he caveats this by saying that the timeline is dependent on the release of Intel’s upcoming Cannonlake processors.
Intel’s Cannonlake CPU is expected to consume significantly less power than its predecessors, Skylake and Kaby Lake. This power saving could then be utilised to increase the amount of RAM. After all, Apple exec Phil Schiller recently revealed that Apple didn’t include 32GB of RAM on the new MacBook Pro models specifically because of power consumption issues.
Unfortunately, we can’t say anything for certain about Apple’s pricing strategy for the future. It’s worth remembering that while Kuo has an impressive track record, he is only an analyst, and so his predictions aren’t official word on the matter. Take these claims with due caution; there may be no price reduction after all.
We’ve asked Apple for comment on Kuo’s predictions and we’ll update this article with any response.
Related: iPhone 8 news
Watch: MacBook Pro 2016
What do you think of Apple’s new MacBook Pro (2016) pricing? Let us know in the comments.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
