13-inch Retina MacBook Pros already being mass shipped

There have been a range of rumours surrounding a smaller MacBook Pro with Retina Display ever since Apple announced the 15-inch MacBook Pro at the Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this year. There has been a lot of talk surrounding the launch of this smaller notebook which is believed to come in a 13-inch form factor and most of the rumours surrounding it is with respect to the time frame it will be launched in. Apart from the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display capabilities, another computer from Apple creating a buzz is the next generation iMac, the brand’s all-in-one desktop. As per a report by Digitimes, it appears that these computers will be launched sooner than expected with Apple’s supply chain already believed to have begun shipping them.

A report by Digitimes states, “Apple’s upstream supply chain reportedly started mass shipping new iMac all-in-one PCs and Retina Display 13.3-inch MacBook Pros in September, according to sources from the upstream supply chain. The sources estimated that the official launch of the Retina Display 13.3-inch MacBook Pro should be in either September or October to target back-to-school demand and the year-end holidays. As for the iMac, Apple originally planned to release three new models with upgraded panels and CPUs, but due to poor yields of the panels, the mass production of the high-end model, has been postponed, without any launch schedule. The other two models – targeting the mid-range and entry-level segments – saw shipment volumes from the supply chain increase in September.”

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A 13-inch version already being mass shipped

At the moment, only the 15-inch Retina Display MacBook Pro variant is available in the market. Months preceding the latest report were filled with countless rumours surrounding the launch of the new variant. A report last month speculated that the 13-inch variant could launch by October, this year. At the time, Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had in the note shared with Apple Insider that he expected Apple to “ramp up production of a 13-inch next-generation MacBook Pro with Retina display in September. That would allow the product to hit stores in early October, in time for the holiday shopping season.”
 
As stated in our previous reports, like the next-generation Retina Display MacBook Pro, the 13-inch variety is expected to lack an optical disc drive and rely solely on solid-state flash memory storage. Kuo also expects the screen to have a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels and said the 13-inch model will be slightly thinner than the 15-inch model, at 18 millimeters. As for the other specifications expected to feature on the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, the brand will use Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics and an Intel Ivy Bridge processor with a clock speed greater than 2GHz.

Do share your thoughts on these upcoming computers by Apple in the comments below.