DigiCape, an Apple Premium Reseller in South Africa, has revealed the local retail pricing for the refreshed range of MacBooks, as well as the recently announced MacBook Pro with Retina display.

In an update posted to Twitter, DigiCape said that the “expected increase [is] bigger than we anticipated” and that there is “still no confirmed ETA”.

Apple launched its “next generation MacBook Pro” and refreshed its existing line of MacBooks on Monday (11 June 2012) at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) event in San Francisco.

A 2012 MacBook in its default configuration would cost more-or-less the same in the US as its predecessor did, Apple announced. Only the 13-inch MacBook Air got a different price – a $100 cut from $1,299 to $1,199.

The MacBook Pro with Retina display was set to cost as much as a high-end 15-inch MacBook Pro in its default configuration.

In South Africa, however, both the entry-level 11-inch MacBook Air and 15-inch MacBook Pro will be more expensive than before, according to DigiCape.

The 13-inch MacBook Air did get a bit of a price cut and the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is set to cost as much as the higher-end 15-inch MacBook Pro from the previous generation.

USD-ZAR exchange rate: 1-Jan-2011 – 14-Jun-2012

This change in local pricing will likely be attributed to the weakened Rand.

As shown in the graph above, the Rand-Dollar exchange rate took a dive in September 2011, strengthened briefly from mid-January, and then dropped again in May 2012.

Core Group, official distributors of Apple products in South Africa, was contacted for comment but didn’t immediately respond.

Article courtesy of MyBroadband – New MacBook pricing for SA emerges

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