The End of Non-Retina? 13-inch MacBook Pro to Be Discontinued

Could we be approaching the end of low-resolution Apple devices? According to Digitimes, Apple will be ending production of its non-Retina, 13-inch MacBook Pro this year, slimming the product line down to the Retina-enhanced models introduced over the past two years.

Apple’s non-Retina, 15-inch model of the MacBook Pro was discontinued last year.

Should Apple move ahead with this decision, it would leave the MacBook Air line of laptops, the iMac line of desktops and the iPad 2 as the only devices left that don’t boast Retina displays. And even the iPad 2’s days are numbered; Apple Insider claims that Apple plans to discontinue the three year-old tablet very soon, doing away with yet another non-Retina product.

So will we see more high-res additions to the Apple Store this year? That’s the big question.

For the iMac, I don’t think it’s a question of power so much as it is a question of, can Apple do a high-quality Retina display at 21.5 or 27 inches and stay near current prices? I personally don’t know how the company can go another year putting out a low-res iMac; a wait of another year for Retina would be too long. I’m willing to bet Apple finds a way to make it work, and we could see the fruit of that labor soon — it’s been over a year since the last models were introduced.

The MacBook Air is another story. These are thinner, yet less powerful machines than the MacBook Pro line. I know Apple customers are clamoring for a Retina Air, and Apple has forced high-resolution displays into skinnier products — looking at you, iPad mini — but finding the power to push those additional pixels without sacrificing performance and battery life will be a challenge on the Air. This one I’m undecided on. It would be great if Apple brought the MacBook Air line into the Retina age, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it held off another year.

So what say you? Do you plan on upgrading to a Retina-enhanced MacBook this year? Do you think Apple will introduce Retina displays on iMacs and MacBook Airs? Leave us your thoughts below.