A fully kitted-out version of Apple’s swanky new 13-inch MacBook Pro will set you back a pocket-busting total of $4,099.
Here’s what the extra cash gets you — and what the most expensive upgrades are.
In terms of processor, the new MacBook Pro starts with a 2.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i5. But for an extra $200, this gets replaced with a 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, with Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz.
Memory is a bit pricier. The laptop’s basic configuration is for 16GB 3733MHz LPDDR4X memory. But this can be expanded to 32GB for an additional $400.
Storage is, by far, the biggest cost you can add to your swanky new 13-inch MacBook Pro. It’s also where Apple offers the greatest number of options. Things start at 512GB SSD, but another $200 boosts this to 1TB. An extra $600 on the base price (or $400 over the 1TB option) gets you 2TB. The top-of-the-line model, meanwhile, comes with a massive 4TB of SSD storage for $1,200 over the base price (or $600 over the tier below it.)
Last but not least, Apple offers Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X preinstalled. Final Cut Pro X will cost you $299.99, while Logic Pro X is $199.99. That’s the same price they carry in the Mac App Store, meaning that Apple isn’t giving any kind of discount for getting them bundled with your Mac. The only benefit of getting them at point of sale is ease.
2020 MacBook Pro: Far from Apple’s most expensive laptop
Without a teardown to confirm it, it’s not 100% clear whether or not it’s possible to upgrade components in the new MacBook Pro. But it seems highly unlikely that you can. The 16-inch MacBook Pro from last year serves as the bigger brother of this model. As iFixit noted, its processor, RAM, and flash memory are all soldered to the logic board.
That means that, while the current precariousness of the coronavirus-hit world might make you not want to overextend yourself financially, you need to consider your plans for the new laptop at the time you buy it. Because there’s not too much you can do to soup it up once it’s arrived.
Shelling out $4,000 for a new laptop is certainly more than you’d have to do for many Windows laptops. But if you’re in the market for a great macOS laptop right this moment, this fancy new addition to the MacBook range certainly fits the bill. It’s also a lot less than Apple charged for some of its laptops back in the 1990s. The top-end PowerBook 5300ce, the laptop which featured in movies like 1996’s Independence Day, came with a $6,500 price tag. Adjusted for inflation today, that’s $10,693.10. And it only came with a 640×480 10.4-inch screen.
The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is available to order via the Apple Online Store.
