Apple’s shock decision on the MacBook Pro

Updated November 29: The article was originally published on November 26.

Apple’s pricing strategy has always seemed stable – the products are more expensive than similar devices in the same class, but many believe the premium is worth paying. While other manufacturers may offer discounts on their products, Apple’s pricing was consistent, which makes Apple’s decision to offer discounts on the MacBook Pro very unusual. They might not promote it on the front pages of the Apple Store, but there are options depending on what you’re looking for.

Update: Tuesday, November 29: Apple isn’t the only place where MacBook Pro laptop sales are accelerating with holiday specials. Notice how many 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models saw discounts applied during Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro offers discounts of up to $400 depending on model and specs; B&H offering the 1TB 10 Core M1 Pro model for $2099 is one of the most generous. A similar 16-inch MacBook Pro model could be found on Amazon for $2,299, a similar $400 discount. Curiously, the biggest discounts are on Space Gray rather than Silver models; there are likely more Space Gray machines in stock that need to be sold, suggesting that the product color mix needs to be changed.

Even the latest consumer laptops, the MacBook Air M2 and the still unexplainable 13-inch variant of the MacBook Pro, have received several offers from retailers; Amazon and Best Buy are offering the higher-spec MacBook Air M2 at a $150 discount and the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 also offered at a $150 discount, bringing it down to $1,149.

Retailers have a much wider reach in terms of discounts – unlike Apple which does its best to maintain the mystique and appeal of the MacBook platform on its website by not littering store pages with trivia such as “discounts”. Outside of Cupertino, that’s not the case. The economy is not in its best shape and consumers are looking for a bargain.

And if buyers prefer to go straight to the source and buy from Apple, they should take the time to explore their options with Apple itself. While it takes careful consideration of which MacBook to choose, there are some attractive choices in the Apple Store, depending on the balance you need between power, productivity, and price.

If you are looking for a good daily MacBookit’s hard to look beyond Macbook Air. The 2020 MacBook Air M1 is still available for $999 on the Apple Store. The Air’s ability will serve a general audience thanks to Apple Silicon.

That leaves the “professional” 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops to use if you need power. And that power will be most evident in the M2 Pro and M2 Max variants of the MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, while geekerati expected it to arrive in October, Apple had other ideas and made the shock decision to delay laptops until at least the first calendar quarter of 2023.

What to do with MacBook Pro sales in the last quarter of the year? Apple had made another decision… to quietly offer discounts until the new macOS laptops went on sale.

While Apple doesn’t have the same zeal to promote Black Friday discounts, several moves show the company is working harder than normal to keep sales on the MacBook platform as high as possible. .

One of them is in the retail space, small businesses are being offered discounts of up to 10% on 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. Those who need to upgrade to the pro MacBook Pro models may have been waiting for the M2-equipped models over the summer. Still, Apple would like you to continue buying the old M1 model which will soon be replaced.

While there may not be any visible discounts for consumers, those looking for a better deal on Apple’s website know to head to the refurbished section of the store (although you may be more quick by using a search engine for the link, Apple doesn’t make it easy to spot in the UI). You’ll find the same larger MacBook Pro models here at discounts of up to twenty percent.

Since refurbished MacBooks are typically 10% off (all backed by the same warranty and options for AppleCare as a brand new machine), this is an additional discount for consumers. who are looking for the larger MacBook Pro laptops.

The mystique around Apple has extended to its prices, and browsing the Apple Store shows very little out of the ordinary. Yet just below the surface, Tim Cook and his team are quietly offering more discounts to boost MacBook sales in the last quarter of the year. In other years, this would be the role of a new version; With the delay of the M2 Pro and M2 Max variants of the MacBook Pro, Apple decided to take a closer look at the brave new world of discounts.

If you want the most power, you’ll have to wait for the M2 family. If you need a lot of performance right now, you’ll be looking at the M1 picks, with the added temptation of those discounts. Apple has made its decision. Now you have to make yours.

Now read the latest MacBook, iPhone and iPad stories in Forbes’ weekly Apple Loop roundup…