An analyst citing sources in the upstream supply chain, says that a display intended for a rumored 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display is now being produced, and initial output is expected to be higher than the current 15-inch version.

CNET:

Production has begun of a 2,560-by-1,600 pixel density display that will land on a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro, NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told CNET.

“The supply chain indications are that it’s for a MacBook Pro 13.3 — not a MacBook Air,” said Shim.

Shim said that production volume for the display is expected to be immediately higher compared to the current 15.4-inch Retina MacBook Pro.

“With 15.4 it’s production of a few hundred thousand units versus one to two million for the 13.3,” he said. That 13.3-inch production began in the third quarter.

The volume also depends on production yield rates. Shim said if the yield rates are “really good” and fall into the 70 – 90 percent area, then volume should fall into the million and a half range.

Apple’s amazing Retina displays are known for their high number of pixels crammed into a relatively small area. The 15.4 MacBook Pro Retina display is an IPS display with a 2,880-by-1,800 pixel density.

If production is starting now, that could mean a release of a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display sometime this fall.

Online benchmarking site Geekbench has reported multiple sightings of an unknown MacBook Pro, with a “MacBookPro10,2″ identifier spotted in the logs of an online battery testing site. The current 13-inch MacBook Pro carries an identifier of “MacBookPro9,2″.