You wouldn’t know it based on the sheer volume of complaints surrounding Apple’s new MacBook Pro models, but the company’s new notebook line appears to be resonating with consumers in a big way. Though Apple’s new laptops have been criticized from all angles for being overpriced and under-powered, Phil Schiller a few weeks back said that initial MacBook Pro orders were quick to set new sales records.
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“Our online store has had more orders for the new MacBook Pro than any other pro notebook before,” Schiller said during an interview with The Independent earlier this month. “So there certainly are a lot of people as excited as we are about it.”
Not only that, but ongoing demand for Apple’s new laptops appears to be holding up as we transition head-first into the busiest shopping period of the year. According to MacBook Pro manufacturer Quanta (via Digitimes), demand for Apple’s refreshed notebook line is not only strong, but will remain strong all the way through the first few months of 2017.
Quanta Computer, the sole producer of MacBook Pro products, expects its notebook shipments to be better than expected in the fourth quarter of 2016 and will slip only 2-3% on quarter from the previous quarter, according to company vice chairman CC Leung.
Orders for MacBook Pro models will remain strong in the first quarter of 2017, stated the sources.
Apple’s Mac line has stagnated a bit recently, in no small part due to Apple’s staggered refresh schedule. Indeed, the recent MacBook Pro revamp marks the first significant update to its Pro notebook in quite a few years. What will be interesting to see, and perhaps future earnings data will bear this is out, is whether or not MacBook Pro sales are taking off because consumers are enamored with the machine’s new Touch Bar or if sales are doing well as users with old machines were simply ready to upgrade to any new machine Apple happened to unveil this year.
For any Mac users unsure about whether or not now is a good time to upgrade, it’s worth noting that a minor refresh in 2017 will see Apple lower the price of its MacBook Pro line while also adding support for 32GB of RAM.
If you can’t wait that long, there’s still good news to be had. Amazon is still running a promotion where you can pick up Apple’s base model 13-inch MacBook Pro (sans the Touch Bar) for just $1399, representing a solid $100 in savings off the normal $1499 retail price.
