With the holiday season over, the Apple rumor mill is clearly back at work. According to a new report, Apple is getting ready to revamp its notebook line yet again, introducing more models with high-resolution Retina displays, or maybe even phase out the older displays completely.

According to a source, Apple has begun requesting quotations from its suppliers to produce updated MacBook and MacBook Pro models. In layman’s terms, Apple is in the final stages of designing next year’s notebook line and is contacting possible suppliers in order to bring it to the production line.

The new notebooks will allegedly feature no changes to their industrial design, yet they will be refreshed with newer hardware, including a new line of Intel chips, currently code named Haswell, which are expected to include better graphics capabilities:

The sources pointed out that the MacBook Air for 2013 will feature a new processor platform, but its industrial design will not see any major changes.

The report goes on to mention that the Cupertino company is continuing its shift to Retina displays: indeed, all of Apple’s notebook models might boast Retina screens, including the MacBook Air. These high-resolution screens have first made their way into the iPhone in 2010, to the iPad early this year and, more recently, to two additional MacBook Pro models: one featuring a 13-inch screen and a larger one with a 15-inch one. While currently premium-priced for the early adopter market, there’s no doubt that Apple wants more consumers to get their hands on devices with these ultra-sharp high-resolution screens.

In order to achieve this, Apple will have to significantly reduce its prices on these models. Currently priced at $1,699, even the lowest-end MacBook Pro with Retina display is simply out of reach for most consumers. Given the much more expensive displays, this would likely require Apple to slightly reduce its profit margins or simply make a modest increase in prices across its product line. Also likely, Apple might choose to retain a low-end MacBook Pro or MacBook Air model with a regular screen for to accommodate for the lower end of the market.

Apple’s notebook line is the most popular Mac lineup, with 17 million units expected to be shipped in 2013.

(via DigiTimes)

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