firehawk: wait a year if it isn't a "need it today purchase". Apple likes to push prices down as it settles its model line.
Anyway, these prices are really high to start, but I also recall some pretty high prices for the Mark I Retina-class MacBook Pro when it was revealed way back when. The 13-inch form factor started at $1,699, and the 15-inch model came out earlier in 2012 for $2,199. We've gotten used to much more palatable prices the last few years.
I'm more concerned about how they're trying to tie the entry-level Pro to the MacBook Air. That's a huge price gap for customers to consider, so suggesting them in the same breath... They aren't the same, even if the base 13" is relying on less stunning components. A MacBook Air consumer would get a lot more out of the new "stripper model" Pro, but the price difference is no small matter! I don't think these two Macs will appeal to the same customer, right now.
A MacBook Air is an everyday thing; a MacBook Pro only gets cross-shopped with the Air because the latter is unfit for purpose based on components. I'm sorry Apple didn't do something to give the Air one last revision's worth of relevance (not even 1080p) while this absurd gap persists. And for those of us who wanted a super-portable Mac regardless of specifications, the price of entry just shot up too, now that the ancient 720p 11-inch Air is gone.
Oh, and as Engadget et al pointed out, thanks for shipping a MacBook that can't easily connect to the iPhone 7 for data (because it ships with a USB-A plug, oops), and can't connect to the iPhone 7 EarPods for audio at all. This is why 3.5 mm is important, right? The least Apple could do is pack some USB-A and USB-C cables to ease the pain. Stop being cheap about this! (Oh wait.)
