Apple updates retina MacBook Pro range

Apple has refreshed its MacBook Pro retina high-end laptop lineup, adding value by swapping in faster processors and more memory for throughput.

From today, the 13-inch MacBook Pro will come with 2.6 and 2.8 giga Hertz Intel Core i5 dual-core processors as standard, with all models having 8 gigabytes of RAM.

Apple has also upgraded the Intel Core i7 quad-core processors in the 15.4-inch retina screen MacBook Pro range with faster 2.2GHz and 2.5GHz parts.

The laptops will now ship with 16GB RAM as standard, the most that can be fitted into the 15.4-inch models.

A new 2.8GHz Core i7 option with Turbo Boost of up to 4GHz is available for the 15.4-inch model, Apple said.

The earlier models 13.3-inch screen MacBook Pro retina computers featured 2.4 and 2.6GHz dual-core Intel processors, with the cheapest model having just 4GB of RAM. 

In the 15.4-inch screen range, Apple used 2GHz and 2.3GHz quad-core processors and 8GB RAM previously. 

No changes have been made to the graphics capabilities of the Macbook Pro retina, or the standard storage options.

Pricing for the new models is unchanged in the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro range, starting at $1349 for the non-retina display 2.5GHz processor model, going to $1599, $1849 and $2199 for the higher-specification ones, respectively.

Apple's least expensive MacBook Pro 15.4-inch costs the same as before, $2499,but the top-end model has come down $200 in price to $2999.

Whereas as Windows-based PC vendors continue to report declining sales figures globally, Apple reported recently [PDF] an 18 per cent increase in the number of Macs sold compared to a year ago.