Apple rolls out new MacBooks, drops prices

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple Inc. showed off new MacBook Pro laptops with longer battery lives, faster processors and lower prices.

Apple made the new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops the introductory part of its developers’ conference in San Francisco, where speculation swirled that a new iPhone would be unveiled later in the presentation.

The laptop with the 13-inch screen starts at $1,200, and the 15-inch model sells for $1,700 and up — both $300 less than current similar models.

The company also lowered the price on its ultra-thin MacBook Air to $1,500 from $1,800.

Apple’s 17-inch MacBook Pro, which was unveiled in January, costs $2,500 and up.

Shares of Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple were down $4.27, nearly 3 percent, at $140.40 in afternoon trading today.