MacBook Pro

Apple products aren't cheap. But, if you are planning to buy a Macbook, an iMac or an iPod shuffle, there is a place to get it cheaper, really cheaper. For example,  you could snag a   15" Macbook Pro for $1699 (300$ cheaper than the list price),  an Apple iPod Shuffle for $49 (50% off the regular price) or an 20" Apple Cinema Display for $699 (list price $1299). Sweet, isn't it?

So how exactly do you get these deals? Nah, there are no coupons, contests to play or mail back rebates. It's easy - Think refurbished. Think Apple's certified refurbished products from Apple's Online Store; all of which come with limited 1 year warranty, and can be extended with Applecare.

Parallels Workstation  is the first virtualization software designed to work with Intel-based Apple computers including the MacBook Pro, which allows the you to simultaneously use Windows, Linux and any other operating system  at the same time as Mac OS X. 

Unlike the Boot Camp from Apple, Parallels let's you work with all these operating systems without a dual boot; sort of like Microsoft Virtual PC and other virtual PC emulation software, but due to native virtualization it's claimed to offer pretty much the same speed as running it natively.

Now that the buzz has died down a bit, it's time to introspect. And yes, there are quite a few things that are missing on MacBook Pro compared to the now legacy "PowerBook", apart from "Power" in the name.

No Modem

That's right, there's no modem on the new Powerbook's (oops.. MacBook Pro). You can use an external modem, but come'on seriously will you carry one? And, no not every place in the world has wireless.

No PCMCIA

Apple has dumped the PCMCIA card slot for the new "Express Card". Sure, it's faster but the only problem is that there aren't too many "Express Card" accessories. Of course, since they aren't backwards compatible, you can't plug your PCMCIA card into the "Express Card" slot either.