Last year Apple released their new entry to the laptop market. The MacBook (not to be confused with the MacBook Pro) burst onto the scene at WWDC2015 and was undoubtedly the best looking Apple laptop they’ve ever produced.
With a thickness of 0.35–1.31 cm and a combined weight of less than 1KG, the MacBook made even the MacBook Air and Pro look bulky!
Although it represented a huge step forward in laptop technology, there were many who felt that the MacBook showed an uncharacteristic lack of identity. Though it was clearly very small and transportable, it did lack power for any serious MacBook Pro user.
There are now many rumours that Apple will be looking to launch their new MacBook later this year. So, what do they have planned?
How Does Apple Price Its Products?
As well as being the world’s leading company for building brilliant content delivery devices, Apple are also very clever with their pricing. They don’t discount. They don’t price hike. They are also very good at getting their pricing spot on!
How they choose to price their new MacBook depends a lot on where they choose to position it. There’s a lot of public pressure to align the MacBook more closely with either the MacBook Air or Pro by giving it more power. However, Apple aren’t known for bowing to public opinion. In 2013 people thought they were crazy launching the New MacBook Pro 13” – but it remains their best selling Mac to date. They know what they are doing.
What Does History Tell Us?
Our best guess is that the MacBook Mark II will include only minor improvements, and stay true to Apple’s aim to produce a highly transportable, high spec ‘web-book’. If this is the case, the pricing of their new version is actually likely to decrease.
Historically, Apple does have a tendency to reduce their prices when a they launch a second generation of a product, especially products in the Mac line. The best example of this is the launch of the second generation MacBook Air back in 2010. As well as giving users an improved enclosure, screen resolution, battery, and flash storage instead of a hard drive, Apple also managed to offer the new model at a reduced price tag.
From what we’ve seen from the MacBook launch, and the public reaction to it. This comparison with the MacBook Air is the most accurate, and most likely to be repeated. This will please many Apple enthusiasts who saw the price as the biggest obstacle to buying a MacBook.
Obviously, it’s always impossible to guess what Apple are going to do next, especially as the launch is at least 4 months away. However, one thing is for certain: however apple choose to price the new MacBook, you can be sure that the strategy will be innovative, data backed, and successful.
Are you looking for a theory and data backed pricing strategy for your company? Do you feel like you’re leaving money on the table? Please, get in touch. Our talented team of pricing consultants will be happy to discuss your business in more details, and let you know how we can help.
