MacBook Pro

Apple (AAPL) might have to delay the launch of its rumored 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display due to low yield rates for the high-resolution displays, according to DigiTimes. The website reports that Apple had originally planned a September release for the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, but had to delay it to October because of difficulties in producing the Retina display (rumored to have a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution). Just last week, NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim reaffirmed his belief that Apple is still on track to release the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro by the end of Q4 with a price below $2,199. It’s unclear if Apple’s display suppliers will be able to meet the company’s strict quality-control standards for the holiday season. More →

With all eyes turned on Apple (AAPL), the iPhone 5 and the imminent iPad mini unveiling, it’s easy to forget that the company also makes the best-selling notebook computer models in the world. With some models beginning to show their age, NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim reiterated his belief that Apple will release a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display this quarter. Shim previously noted that Samsung (005930), LG Display (LPL) and Sharp (SHCAY) had already begun production on a display with a 2,560 x 1,600-pixel resolution to fit Apple’s notebook. Shim tells CNET once again that he strongly believes Apple is still on track to deliver the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display by end of the fourth quarter with a price below $2,199. The only leak supporting Shim’s claim that Apple was testing a 13-inch Pro model with Retina display came from this past July, and those leaked benchmark test results suggest the notebook might have a 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7-3520M processor. More →

Apple may have a pre-October surprise in mind as Digitimes reports that it’s trying to ramp up production of the 13-inch Retina-equipped MacBook Pro for a release sometime in September. Unnamed supply chain sources tell Digitimes that previous rumors about Apple delaying its production of the 13-inch Pro are incorrect and that the computer may “have a chance to launch before October to catch up with the back-to-school season.” As MacRumors points out, this report is largely in line with the predictions of KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who correctly predicted that the 15-inch Retina-equipped MacBook Pro would launch at WWDC last month and who now says the 13-inch version will launch in October.

UPDATE: MacRumors has also found a benchmark for what appears to be the 13-inch Retina-equipped MacBook Pro. The machine listed on the benchmark features a 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7-3520M processor and runs Build 12A2056 of OS X Mountain Lion. More →