( WIRED ) -- Apple has traditionally held its ground as a premium computer manufacturer , but it might just be getting sucked into a recession-prompted price war . A worker helps a customer with a MacBook Pro laptop at an Apple store in San Francisco , California . The company 's recent MacBook price cuts signify its reluctant conformity to the economic downturn . At its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday , Apple shaved hundreds of dollars off its MacBook models . The high-end , 15-inch MacBook Pros dropped from $ 2,000 to $ 1,700 . And the price of the unibody MacBook ( now renamed the 13-inch MacBook Pro ) fell from $ 1,300 to $ 1,200 . Apple 's most inexpensive MacBook , the lone white model , remains $ 1,000 . `` For a while they 've been ignoring what 's been happening in the economy , '' said Richard Shim , an IDC analyst . `` This is an indication that they 're realizing that the first quarter did n't go as well as it has for them historically . I think this puts them closer in mind about what 's going on in the PC world . '' Still , Apple has avoided making even deeper price cuts , thanks to the juicy profit margins already baked into its products , the availability of cheap components , and the fact that the company also makes money by selling apps and music to iPhone and iPod owners . All of these factors mean that Apple has room to comfortably trim prices even further , if it deems it necessary . For instance , the company dropped the price of its now low-end smartphone , the iPhone 3G , to just $ 100 with a two-year contract . But that cut does n't cost Apple as much as it might appear , given that the company still gets a carrier subsidy of several hundred dollars for each iPhone . Apple 's computers have historically been priced well above the average PC . However , Apple 's first quarter of 2009 market-share numbers suggest the company is struggling to compete as a premium brand name in the face of the economic recession . In the first quarter of 2009 , Apple 's U.S. notebook market share shrank 0.4 percent compared to the same quarter a year earlier , according to Shim . And in worldwide notebook market share , the company saw 0.3 percent growth compared to the first quarter of 2008 , Shim said . Additionally , Apple is likely hurting from its competitors ' aggressive pricing , cast into relief by Microsoft 's recent Laptop Hunters ad campaign , a BrandIndex survey indicates . The pseudo reality-TV commercials denounce Apple computers as too expensive and even implies Mac users are simple-minded snobs who buy gadgets as a fashion statement . As a result , Microsoft is detracting from Apple 's `` value '' score by convincing a substantial number of consumers that they get less for their money by buying a Mac , according to the survey . By cutting its prices somewhat , Apple may also be seizing the opportunity to strike a blow against the netbook market . In 2008 , low-powered , budget netbook PCs saw rapid growth , driven by value-conscious consumers looking for a good deal . Apple has no netbook in its lineup , and has said it has no plans to create a netbook . Fortunately for Apple , netbook sales are seeing a significant slowdown in 2009 . In April , netbook manufacturers Acer , Asus and Micro Star International each reported fewer netbooks were sold than expected . Their netbook shipments for the first quarter of 2009 fell considerably below shipments during the third quarter of 2008 . Asus , for example , hoped to ship 1 million Asus Eee PC systems during the first quarter , but only 900,000 units sold . Thus , Apple 's MacBook price cuts are a strategic move to reclaim growth while the netbook market is shrinking . This move allows Apple to continue to avoid offering a netbook , which is wise , because an Apple netbook would have cannibalized MacBook sales , according to ThinkPanmure analyst Vijay Rakesh . With the reduced MacBook price tags , Rakesh expects Apple to see double-digit growth in notebook marketshare -- up to 20 percent -- in the third quarter of 2009 . Regardless , Apple 's MacBook price tags are still well above the cost of the average notebook -- $ 860 in the United States , according to Shim . Apple 's cheapest MacBook is anchored at $ 1,000 , and Apple could afford to bring it down even lower if it so chose . According to Tim Bajarin , principal analyst with Creative Strategies , Apple 's new pricing for its MacBook line and the price drop on its lightweight MacBook Air will not compromise much on its profit margins . `` They are not favoring market share over profitability in a big way , '' Bajarin explained . `` They have already taken the pricing curve down on the unibody and chipsets , so they are building on those lower costs . '' Will Apple deliver a mobile computer for the average Joe in terms of cost ? Perhaps so , in the form of a touchscreen tablet that many Apple enthusiasts are placing their bets on . Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster predicts such a device -- a blown-up iPod Touch , of sorts -- will land as soon as 2010 . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2009 Wired.com .
Apple might just be getting sucked into a recession-prompted price war . The company has shaved hundreds of dollars off its MacBook models . Apple 's computers have historically been priced well above the average PC . But in recent years, it seems that Apple's prices are rising faster than those of other computer makers.