Indications show Apple's Retina MacBook Pro still overpriced
Apple's 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro still isn't selling in numbers that would indicate the price is right.
Even with recent price cuts, the Retina MacBook Pro is still plagued by inventory problems, according to an Asia-based report.
Component suppliers in Asia have not seen a major increase in orders, forcing Apple to sit on unsold inventory, according to a report in Digitimes.
That won't come as a surprise to U.S. retailers who have already indicated that the 13.3-inch Pro isn't selling as expected. Last week, the base 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro model plunged temporarily to $1,299 at MacConnection, a whopping $400 off its original price.
The model debuted at $1,699 in October. But Apple cut the price to $1,499 in February after widespread discounting from retailers such as Best Buy and MacMall.
Best Buy and MacMall are now selling the least-expensive 128GB model for $1,449, about $50 off Apple's price.
The original pricing on the Retina MBP was a miscalculation by Apple. And the additional $200 discount at MacConnection last week may indicate that $1,499 -- Apple's price -- may still be too high.
Apple is facing newfound competition from Google's Chromebook Pixel, which bests the MBP in a few key hardware areas: it has higher pixel density (239 pixels per inch versus the MBP's 227), has a touch screen, and can be configured with internal 4G.
And the base Pixel model is priced at $1,299.
