X

13-inch Retina MacBook Pro on track, says analyst

An analyst reiterates that a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is slated for production this quarter.

Brooke Crothers Former CNET contributor
Brooke Crothers writes about mobile computer systems, including laptops, tablets, smartphones: how they define the computing experience and the hardware that makes them tick. He has served as an editor at large at CNET News and a contributing reporter to The New York Times' Bits and Technology sections. His interest in things small began when living in Tokyo in a very small apartment for a very long time.
See full bio
Brooke Crothers
Following the 15.4-incher, a less-expensive 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro is also expected. An analyst reiterated production plans today.
Following the 15.4-incher, a less-expensive 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro is also expected. An analyst reiterated production plans today. Apple

A 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display is on track for production, according to an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch.

DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim has been telling CNET for a while now that a 13.3-inch Retina version of the MacBook Pro (MBP) is slated for production in the fourth quarter. And today Shim reiterated that he sees no change in those production plans.

Related stories

What's not clear is when Apple would release the new MacBook. Shim speculates that it would happen after the iPad Mini announcement -- which is expected to be released in the coming weeks -- though he said he has no first-hand knowledge of this.

Reports have been streaming out of Asia for some time, also.

Shim confirmed today that the MBP 13.3-incher will have a 2,560-by-1,600 pixel density display. That compares with the 2880-by-1800 15.4-inch Retina MacBook Pro announced in June.

Ironically, the expected 2,560-by-1,600 resolution is the same pixel density that's expected on a future Google Nexus 10-inch tablet.

The 13-inch MBP Retina is also expected to be more consumer friendly, with a price tag well below the $2,199 entry point for the 15.4-inch model.

Watch this: MacBook Pro with Retina Display: Hands-on