Apple today introduced a new $899 configuration of the 17-inch iMac designed specifically for education customers featuring a 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, a built-in iSight video camera and iLife ‘06, the next generation of Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications. The 17-inch iMac for education is available immediately and will replace the eMac, Apple’s last CRT based computer, providing students and teachers everything they need to learn and create in today’s digital classroom, all in the ultra-efficient iMac design.
The ultimate in design simplicity, the iMac is ideal for the space saving needs of both the classroom and the dorm room with the entire computer built right into a two-inch thin display. The iMac design has continuously improved generation after generation, resulting in increased material efficiency, decreased packaging mass and volume, and decreased energy consumption—all of which lead to a smaller environmental footprint.
Featuring a 17-inch widescreen LCD display, the iMac for education includes a Combo drive for burning CDs and reading DVDs, 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory expandable up to 2GB and hard drive storage capacity up to 160GB. Every iMac also includes a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing out-of-the-box using Apple’s award-winning iChat AV, or recording a video podcast or iMovie using iLife ‘06. Providing the latest in high-performance connectivity options, the 17-inch iMac for education includes built-in 10/100/1000 BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet for high-speed networking, built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11g WiFi for up to 54 Mbps fast wireless networking, a total of five USB ports (three USB 2.0) and two FireWire 400 ports.
Designed with today’s digital classroom in mind, every iMac comes with iLife ‘06, the next generation of Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications featuring iPhoto®, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand and iWeb, a new iLife application that makes it super-easy to create amazing websites with photos, blogs and Podcasts and publish them on .Mac for viewing by anyone on the Internet with just a single click. Every iMac also comes with the latest release of the world’s most advanced operating system, Mac OS® X version 10.4.6 “Tiger” including Safari™, Mail, iCal, iChat AV, Front Row and Photo Booth, running natively on the Intel-based desktop.
The 17-inch iMac for education is available immediately for education customers through the Apple Store for Education or by calling an Apple education sales representative at 800-800-APPL. The eMac will no longer be in production and is available for purchase while supplies last through the Apple Store for Education (http://www.apple.com/education/store) or by calling an Apple education sales representative at 800-800-APPL. Apple will showcase the 17-inch iMac and its complete line of products and solutions for education at the National Educational Computing Conference in San Diego, California from July 5-7, 2006. For details, please visit http://www.apple.com/education/necc
The 17-inch 1.83 GHz iMac, for a suggested education price of US$899, includes:
• 17-inch widescreen LCD display
• 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor
• 512MB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 2GB
• 24x Combo drive
• Intel GMA 950 graphics
• built-in iSight video camera
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking
• 80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm
• mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately)
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone
• Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard
Build-to-order options and accessories include up to 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160GB Serial ATA hard drive, iWork ’06 (pre-installed), Apple Remote and Apple USB Modem.
More info at the Apple Store for Education here.
Also available via Apple’s Home for HomeSchools.
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How about securing the iMac to the desks. This would fulfill two problems – one that it can fall and two that it can be stolen.
The standard can be also be replaced with similar devices. Maybe kensington will make a stand that can be locked in.
DLMeyer:
theres = Theres not there’s.
The ancient greek word for “monsters” and “beasts”:
http://www.theoi.com/Encyc_T.html
There’s almost no cable management to do on an iMac! Compare that to the nightmare that is a Mac mini with a display. That ALONE is worth it when considering deploying hundreds across a school.
No one can BREAK OFF the video connector or steal the power supply bricks etc. that a mini and separate display would have.
Beryllium and others:
Good points about physical stability and longevity. I like the idea of screwing them to the desks, though this would not sit well with custodial staff everywhere.
I have an original 400 Megahertz G4 tower from late 1999, I think, running 24/7 in my basement right now. I can attest to the durability of Macs, but my district would rather replace machines every three years. Why? That’s about how long one can trust a Wintel machine. No one district level will listen. All they see is the starting price tag.
Look at it like a typical taxpayer. Your smallish district needs to replace, say, 5 computer labs of 40 machines this fall. You can buy 200 iMacs at $900 or HP systems at about $650. You, taxpayer, are not a techie. You use Windows at work like everybody else and it’s good enough for you. The district saves $50,000 on the HP’s. That’s all you see. That’s all school principals and school boards see. They don’t see ease of setup, iLife, ease of use, or fewer crashes, or longevity, or less IT staff (district-level network folks love Windows because they get job scurity out of it) because there’s nobody standing up at board meetings pointing these things out.
My hope is that Vista will be so bloated that districts will have to choose between higher-end, more expensive PC’s and Macs and more will give them a chance. However, most will stick with XP as long as they possibly can, anyway, even on new machines.
Longwinded. Sorry, folks.
Like the eMac — originally, available ONLY to education customers — this should become available to everyone.
As has been pointed out, some folks will never burn a DVD. Nor will they play high-end games, an appealing feature to schools and businesses — I’m sure.
Think of it as a Mac mini with:
• 17-inch widescreen LCD display
• 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor (not a Solo or lesser Duo)
• 24x Combo drive
• built-in iSight video camera
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking
• 80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm (not the mini’s 5400rpm)
• mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately)
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone
• Mighty Mouse and Apple Keyboard
for only an extra 100 dollars:exclaim:
And let’s not forget the more integrated use of ‘Front Row’.
Bloke: “And let’s not forget the more integrated use of ‘Front Row’.”
The Apple Educator site seems to indicate that the Apple Remote will not be included on the eVersion of the iMac… so “Front Row” may not be available. Can you image the “Remote Wars” that kids could wage with every one of 40 lab iMacs coming equipped with a remote? ZAP! Zip! Zap Zap… ZAP!
School IT types are:
1) Teachers who couldn’t make the cut in the classroom environment, or
2) Corporate IT who couldn’t take that environment.
Their only interest is to grow the cancerous “ecosystem” of windoze to further their own job security. And to belittle expert teachers who were turning out wonderful kids before DOS was even thought of.
FWIW, I believe that most school boards will indeed listen to a well-presented case for TCO–well-presented being the key.
What is so great about this price?
IMO you can wait for a Best Buy sale and get a lot more computer, 17″ monitor with a free Printer for $325.
Swordmaker,
Touché.
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They should drop the iSight and Airport for a $799 version.
Why do we need iSight cameras on kids’ workstations? More trouble than it’s worth. Ditto video out, but it’s probably standard on the mobo. (Drop it if it saves money, though.) Every penny counts in education sales.
This is assuming, as it seems, that they are already lacking Bluetooth and the remote control.
The big diff between this and the MacBook and Mini is that it doesn’t have to use smaller (more expensive) parts and can therefore be cheaper.
The integrated graphics is a good differentiator for the cheaper machines, though. Even though everyone I talk to doesn’t play games and doesn’t need the extra gfx performance, they all say they’d never buy an integrated graphics machine. (These are fairly affluent people who can afford the extra.)
One friend even said he had no good reason except that the integrated graphics made him feel “icky.”
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My wife has a MacBook, and it’s basically indistinguishable from my MBP and Intel iMac. (I haven’t pushed the graphics ability on any of them yet.)
Protection for the LCD screen? eMac has polycarbonate shield over the tube face. What is protecting the LCD from pens and other sharp objects?