FairerPlatform.com

Economists say the recession’s over, but for the rest of us things probably aren’t quite so sanguine. And, even if you’re making more money now than ever before, there’s no reason to full pay retail for Apple’s powerful, best-of-class professional portable computers.

For shear affordability, it’s hard to beat the 13 inch MacBook Pro for $999. Still, for my Mac buying dollar perhaps the pick of the litter is the $1,299 15 inch model, which is amply endowed with 2GB RAM, 250GB disc and spunky nVidia 9400M graphics.

• 13″ MacBook Pro 2.26GHz, $999 (1199)
— 2GB, 160GB, 8x SuperDrive, SD slot, 9400M

• 15″ MacBook Pro 2.4GHz, $1,299 (1599)
— 2GB, 250GB, 8x SuperDrive, 9600M

• 15″ MacBook Pro 2.66GHz, $1,699 (1999)
— 4GB, 320GB, 8x SuperDrive, SD slot, 9600M

• 17″ MacBook Pro 2.66GHz, $1,949 (2299)
— 4GB, 320GB, 8x SuperDrive,

• 13″ MacBook Pro 2.53GHz, $1,949
— 4GB, 256GB SSD, 8x SuperDrive, SD slot, 9400M

• 15″ MacBook Pro 2.8GHz, $1,949 (2299)
— 4GB, 500GB, 8x SuperDrive, SD Slot, 9600M

• 15″ MacBook Pro 2.8GHz, $1,989
— 4GB, 500GB, 8x SuperDrive, SD Slot, 9600M

• 17″ MacBook Pro 2.5GHz, $1,999
— 4GB, 320GB, 8x SuperDrive, 9600M

It’s a Mac (with all the trimmings)

All of the MacBook Pros listed here come with a full Apple Warranty that’s extendible with AppleCare, as well as a free (after rebate) printer and free shipping — the same bundle available with new product but for hundreds of dollars less.

When it comes to desktop replacements, the 17 inch 2.93GHz MacBook Pro ships with powerful nVidia 9600M graphics, a chunky 320GB disc and SD slot all for $2,169.

• 17″ MacBook Pro 2.8GHz, $2,149
— 4GB, 500GB, 8x SuperDrive, ExpressCard/34 slot, 9600M

• 15″ MacBook Pro 3.06GHz, $2,169
— 4GB, 320GB, 8x SuperDrive, SD Slot, 9600M

• 17″ MacBook Pro 2.93GHz, $2,199
— 4GB, 320GB, 8x SuperDrive, 9600M

• 17″ MacBook Pro 2.93GHz, $2,249
— 4GB, 320GB, 8x SuperDrive, 9600M

• 17″ MacBook Pro 2.93GHz, $2,849
— 4GB, 256GB SSD, 8x SuperDrive,

Recent deal posts:
— iTunes 99¢ movies: Guarding Tess, Free Money, Out of Time
— Where to buy Photoshop Elements 8
— Best Mac prices: Refurbished Mac minis from $399
— Best iPod prices: The $139 8GB iPod touch back in stock

VMware Fusion 2.0 – The best of both worlds — run Windows applications on the Mac with VMware Fusion.

Filed under: Deals, Hardware, Mac