Apple Cuts Prices: Tech Retailer Slashes $200 Off Price Of 13-Inch MacBook Pro Laptop, Upgrades Processors

Apple has announced cuts in the prices of two models of the MacBook Pro on Wednesday. The tech retailer also announced it has launched new, faster models of the computers with more memory, according to The Huffington Post.

According to Apple, the company will cut the price of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with "Retina" display by $200, from $1,699 to $1,499.

The new version of the 13-inch laptop, which features 256 gigabytes of flash memory will cost $1,699. The 15-inch version of the MacBook Pro will also be sold for $1,699.

Flash memory, an innovation Apple announced in the fall, is an alternative to the traditional hard drive, which cuts down on weight and allows the computers to be thinner.

Apple's price cuts come in the wake of criticism by some tech reviewers, like Mashable's senior tech analyst Christina Warren, that the 3-inch Retina MacBook Pro didn't offer enough bang for the buck.

"What's inescapable is that this first version of the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro isn't a winner when it comes to price and performance," Warren wrote. "It's just a bit too expensive."

Apple could also be making the cuts in prices in response to a sharp decline in sales in the final quarter of 2012. The company sold 4.1 million computers during that period, a 22 percent drop from a year earlier.