Best Buy MacBook Pro sale helps push down prices on 13" Retina models
Apple and Best Buy have again teamed for a week-long MacBook Pro sale, not only helping the Mac maker push units in an unfavorable climate for the PC market, but also helping to driving down prices for consumers even further at competing resellers.
Best Buy's MacBook Pro sale took particular aim at the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pros, and initially prompted Amazon to follow suit by offering the 2.5GHz 13" MacBook Pro (8GB,128GB) for $1,349.00 this weekend before selling out and diverting its inventory draw from Datavision.
Similarly, MacMall followed Best Buy's lead, and as of Monday had recouped claim to the lowest prices on 13-inch MacBooks when customers use the links in our price guides (also below) and then apply Promo code APPINSDRMWB38717. For example, MacMall is offering the entry-level 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro with 128 gigabyte solid-state drive for $1,377.38, compared to Apple's suggested price of $1,499.
The latest drops come just weeks before Apple is excepted to introduce its 2013 MacBook lineup at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. They also arrive amid the largest historical decline in PC growth in recent memory.
"The market for PCs are incredibly weak," Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook told a group of analysts last month. "IDC said that the market for the March quarter was down 14 percent year-on-year, which is the largest decline that I remember from being in this industry for a long time."
Mac sales slightly down year over year last quarter, reaching just under 4 million units. But Apple still managed to outperform the larger PC market, which has seen sales plummet in the face of the iPad.
Well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities indicated last month that Apple plans to refresh its MacBook lineup at WWDC in june. Most notably, the refreshed models are expected to feature Intel's next-generation Haswell processors.
According to Kuo, Apple plans to keep its legacy MacBook Pro with disc drive available, because the hardware is popular in emerging markets where Internet connectivity is not as dependable. He indicated that new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models will ship by the end of the June quarter, while updated MacBook Pro with Retina display units will arrive later this year due to apparent yield issues with high-resolution screens.
Reduced prices on existing models are usually a sign that updated hardware is on the horizon, but this year it's believed that the reductions are also driven by weak overall PC sales, as well as initial pricing on Retina MacBook Pros that was too high. That has helped to fuel expectations that Apple's new MacBook Pro with Retina display models will be available at prices more in line with market expectations.
Readers can follow AppleInsider's Mac Price Guide to get the latest deals on Apple's entire Mac lineup. The MacBook Pro portion of the guide is included below.
Best Buy's MacBook Pro sale took particular aim at the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pros, and initially prompted Amazon to follow suit by offering the 2.5GHz 13" MacBook Pro (8GB,128GB) for $1,349.00 this weekend before selling out and diverting its inventory draw from Datavision.
Similarly, MacMall followed Best Buy's lead, and as of Monday had recouped claim to the lowest prices on 13-inch MacBooks when customers use the links in our price guides (also below) and then apply Promo code APPINSDRMWB38717. For example, MacMall is offering the entry-level 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro with 128 gigabyte solid-state drive for $1,377.38, compared to Apple's suggested price of $1,499.
The latest drops come just weeks before Apple is excepted to introduce its 2013 MacBook lineup at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. They also arrive amid the largest historical decline in PC growth in recent memory.
"The market for PCs are incredibly weak," Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook told a group of analysts last month. "IDC said that the market for the March quarter was down 14 percent year-on-year, which is the largest decline that I remember from being in this industry for a long time."
Mac sales slightly down year over year last quarter, reaching just under 4 million units. But Apple still managed to outperform the larger PC market, which has seen sales plummet in the face of the iPad.
Well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities indicated last month that Apple plans to refresh its MacBook lineup at WWDC in june. Most notably, the refreshed models are expected to feature Intel's next-generation Haswell processors.
According to Kuo, Apple plans to keep its legacy MacBook Pro with disc drive available, because the hardware is popular in emerging markets where Internet connectivity is not as dependable. He indicated that new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models will ship by the end of the June quarter, while updated MacBook Pro with Retina display units will arrive later this year due to apparent yield issues with high-resolution screens.
Reduced prices on existing models are usually a sign that updated hardware is on the horizon, but this year it's believed that the reductions are also driven by weak overall PC sales, as well as initial pricing on Retina MacBook Pros that was too high. That has helped to fuel expectations that Apple's new MacBook Pro with Retina display models will be available at prices more in line with market expectations.
Readers can follow AppleInsider's Mac Price Guide to get the latest deals on Apple's entire Mac lineup. The MacBook Pro portion of the guide is included below.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by TzTerri
I refuse to buy a laptop with a glued in battery
Groan...
Originally Posted by TzTerri
I refuse to buy a laptop with a glued in battery
Get used to never buying a laptop again. Where have you been for the past five years? Taxing your brain for something to troll about? Oh, and what's this?
HUH. LOOK AT THAT. GUESS YOU CAN TAKE THE BATTERY OUT AFTER ALL. JUST LIKE EVERY SINGLE OTHER MODEL BEFORE IT.
My eyebrows basically look like that heatsink right now. Stop trolling.
Looks likea sale to make room for the new models to be announced at WWDC?
Have fun living in the past...
Some basic comprehension of retail business is needed here.
My suspicion is that Best Buy decide to cut their own margins on MacBooks to sell/bundle high margin accessories such as cables, cases, printers etc....
Insinuating that Apple teamed up with Best Buy is false unless you have some sources.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TzTerri
I refuse to buy a laptop with a glued in battery
Are your concerns environmental, practical, or economic? Or are you simply used to the status quo?
Apple should hammer it now, right? Take the high end all to themselves. Every computer sold that costs more than 800$ dollars should be a Mac. There's no excuse to let people be stupid and fooled by the PC industry.
Put the hammer down, Apple.
I suspect they made a pricing error and simply aren't moving MBPs fast enough.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
I suspect they made a pricing error and simply aren't moving MBPs fast enough.
you could be right...... I wonder if some of the very large distributors like BestBuy in their contracts with Apple "commit" to buy or sell a fixed number of units? Then when faced with the pending release of a new model they have to reduce the price to make room for the pending new models?
Best Buy is not a distributor but rather a retailer. Distributors do not necessarily sell to consumers. Ingram Micro is a distributor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TzTerri
I refuse to buy a laptop with a glued in battery
I refuse to buy a $2000+ Laptop that isnt serviceable and has memory soldered on the $1500 logic board. Too financially risky and I can't afford to buy a new laptop every year or every couple years...
Originally Posted by Macboy Pro
I refuse to buy a $2000+ Laptop that isnt serviceable and has memory soldered on the $1500 logic board. Too financially risky and I can't afford to buy a new laptop every year or every couple years...
How often does your RAM fail, again? Once every week? Come on.
How come the normal Apple prices on the table are never the same as the current Apple store prices for the same item? Makes the table dishonest, and makes me have to check Apple's website to see what the actual savings would be - usually alot less.
Edit.
If Apple has teamed with Best Buy the why doesn't Apple lower it's prices internally as well? like Sony and any other electronics company would?
I refuse to buy from Best Buy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
How often does your RAM fail, again? Once every week? Come on.
What made me laugh is the 1500.00 logic board in a 2000.00 laptop. Worst case not even half that amount, in some cases as low as 200.00 depending on the model. Buy AppleCare and you don't have to worry about anything. Heat is the main reason logic boards fail, if the temps are good then the risk is low.
Only that's exactly the case when the retailer is Apple, who maintains strict control over the prices their products are sold at. No third party retailer can offer a discount or promotion on new Apple stock without Apple's permission.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
My eyebrows basically look like that heatsink right now. Stop trolling.
You mean you're a unibrow?