It's that time again - the chance to grab cheaper Intel-based MacBook, PowerMacs and Mac Minis. We love to get more value for our limited funds, so this is good news!

The refurbished MacBook Pro powered by 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo with 80GB HDD and 512MB RAM is priced at $1,599. That's a 21% discount from its retail price. If you opt for a more powerful processor, you can get the 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo for only $2,199. The 15-inch PowerBooks prices range from $1,299 to $1,599, depending on the processor. The 17-inchers with 100GB HDD go for $1,849. Additional 20GB will cost you $1,999.

All refurbished iMacs carry a full 1-year warranty. Head on to the online Apple Store to see more of the low-priced Mac goodies.

Apple recently opened it's latest store at Fifth Avenue New York. The whole store is underground except for the entrance, a 32-foot glass cube in front of the General Motors building opposite the Plaza Hotel and Bergdorf Goodman on 767 Fifth Avenue. This Quicktime VR panorama shows you the cube and where it's located. it was made during the opening and taken with a canon 5d + Nikkor "shaved" 10.5mm fisheye.

A lot has been going on at the cube, for example, there has been a proposal in front of it. In the proposal video you'll see a man with a piece of paper asking someone to marry him. Typical.

According to Apple the glass is about 12 inches thick and therefor creates an illusional effect. You can't really see that in the QTVR but you can in the picture here on the right.

Nothing says I love you more than a proposal in front of $9 million dollar cube, right smack in the center of Fifth Avenue. This thirty-second time lapse video shows us an unforgettable proposal in front of the newly unveiled Apple Store. May your love burn as hot as the MacBook.

CNN reports that Apple will soon add the option of recycling your old computer for free when buying a new Mac, because normally it costs $30 to recycle your Mac. They're planning on starting this offer in June.

"U.S. customers who buy a new Mac through the Apple store online or any Apple retail store will receive free shipping and recycling of their old machines", CNN reports.

At the moment most Apple retailers accept old iPod music players for free recycling when you're buying a new Mac. Also, people who live near Cupertino (where Apple is based), they can drop off their old Macs at the headquarters.

Some organizations, which weren't very positive about Apple's regulations in the past, applaud this offer and they're saying Apple is now closer to Dell and HP for that matter. What do you think about this new offer? Post below!

According to VNUNet, London department store Selfridge, in an apparent move to benefit from the inability of some to understand their ever-confusing electronics devices is now advertising a course in iPods.

iPods 101 will show customers how to make full use of their new toys, with employees working directly with them to show them how to transfer music to their iPods, rip music to iTunes and all the other wonderful things you can do with an iPod.

At just a little below the cost of an iPod Shuffle, VNUNet said the service has confused several potential customers who can just walk down the street to visit the local Apple Store and get the information free of charge. Makes sense. Kind of like how buying one of those lessons from a Geek Squad member might be when other stores offer it for free, though I've never heard anyone stateside complain about that.

[Via, VNUNet]

PC Pro is reporting the likelihood of Apple to phase out its current Shuffle lineup to concentrate on its Nano series of portable music players. According to the article, the move can come as soon as next week's MacWorld Expo in San Francisco.

The website bases its speculation on several key factors, including: "The 1GB version of the player is no longer available through the UK version of the online Apple Store and has been out of stock in the US since mid-December. The iPod shuffle was Apple's first flash-based portable music player and immediately became the number one seller. However, it has since been largely eclipsed by the iPod nano."

Strictly speaking, the Shuffle is a product that you either love or hate. With the introduction of the Nano, which has been stealing much of the thunder as far as Apple's MP3 players go, it seems reasonable that the company would want to phase out the lower-end model. Guess we'll have to wait and see if this is true.

[Via, PC Pro UK]