Never miss an update Follow AppleInsider
Tuesday, March 05, 2013, 05:27 pm
Apple updates education only 21.5" iMac model, bumps price to $1,099
In an update to its traditional special priced Mac offerings targeted at educational institutions, Apple is now offering the newly redesigned 21.5-inch iMac with a 3.3GHz dual-core Intel i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 500GB HDD for $1,099.
Compared to Apple's previous iMac for education, which featured a 3.1GHz dual-core i3 CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 250GB HDD, the new thin-and-light model is $100 more expensive but comes with more RAM and storage space. However, the new 21.5-inch iMac uses Intel's HD 4000 integrated graphics chipset, whereas the older version came with a discrete AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics card.
Like the consumer iMac, the made for education iteration brings Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity while dropping FireWire support. Also of note is the lack of an optical drive, which is a necessity for many schools that regularly install and update software. Interestingly, the standalone drive cannot be added to the configuration upon checkout.
As noted by MacRumors, the education only iMac is available to ship in 5-7 days, which is a bit longer than the 3-5 days quoted for machines with regular specifications. Apple recently caught up with iMac demand after suffering supply constraints during the holiday quarter, with North American customers now seeing 24-hour ship-by times for preconfigured models.
On Topic: iMac
- Best Buy, Amazon knock 10% off Apple's MacBook Airs & iMacs for Mother's Day
- Apple adds 256GB, 512GB flash storage upgrade options for iMac
- AI readers now get lowest prices on Apple's iMacs & MacBooks with new coupons
- AI readers now get lowest prices on Apple's iMacs & MacBooks with new coupons
- Tim Cook admits he wishes Apple had held launch of new iMac until 2013
Previous Comments View All
Yeah, I think its inane when people point out "no media drive". Whatevs, this is 2013 %u2014 not 2002!
Why would a school be installing software via CD? There are very few titles out there that couldn't be easily deployed via network installs. Apple Remote Desktop is a powerful tool for that purpose.
On the off chance that you absolutely MUST have a CD drive with the machine, the school can buy a handful of drives that the techs can connect to USB ports for the installs.
Removing the CD drive from the machines is going to save a ton in repair costs. Kids tend to stick anything into the CD slot, destroying the drive in the process. No slot, less chance of damage.
Any software that doesn't have a digital download method at this point doesn't even deserve to be used or purchased. I can't even think of the last software I used that came only on CDs.
The above comments come from three parents, no doubt.
The above comments come from three parents, no doubt.
Why would parents not see the need for an ODD in 2013 but non-parents would?
Why would parents not see the need for an ODD in 2013 but non-parents would?
Its a joke that parents don't really have a damn clue what teachers/education system do/need. Speaking as the spouse of a teacher, I can pretty much confirm that stereotype.
Also working at a university I can tell you that (some/many?) big organisations do in fact need optical drives for software, which might be stupid, lame, so last year, whatever, but its plain simple fact.
Also working at a university I can tell you that (some/many?) big organisations do in fact need optical drives for software, which might be stupid, lame, so last year, whatever, but its plain simple fact.
In what way do they need an ODD? Because they sent on a CD/DVD and therefore can loaded onto the network and installed as needed, or they need to run from the image which means they can copied to as a DMG with Disk Utility?
If an app absolutely needs to read from an ISO, for whatever reason, anyone who manages Macs should know how to use hdiutil to convert a DMG to an ISO.
So what am I missing that some claim that every Mac will need to have a CD/DVD player for thereby deemed completely useless?
Yeah, I think its inane when people point out "no media drive".
Where's my floppy? I want to install Lemonade Stand on my iMac.
In what way do they need an ODD? Because they sent on a CD/DVD and therefore can loaded onto the network and installed as needed, or they need to run from the image which means they can copied to as a DMG with Disk Utility?
If an app absolutely needs to read from an ISO, for whatever reason, anyone who manages Macs should know how to use hdiutil to convert a DMG to an ISO.
So what am I missing that some claim that every Mac will need to have a CD/DVD player for thereby deemed completely useless?
I don't work in IT, but when I want software it generally comes to my desk as a DVD. There are all sorts of non-tech reasons this could be, such as payment. Or it could be old software. Maybe it's just the specialized stuff I use. (Though it can't be because I use Ms Office and camtasia, among other things)
And I'm not defending whatever reasons they give me, only suggesting that some organisations need their employees to have ODDs, even if if they technically shouldn't. But changing how 2000 people get software takes some work I'm sure.
ps I don't see why they couldn't use air drives for installation. So I'm not really against the lack of disk drives
Latest Apple Headlines
-
10M Samsung flagship phones in 28 days a 'record,' 5M iPhone 5 in 3 days 'disappointing'
~6 hours ago -
Song skipping feature in Apple's 'iRadio' reportedly holding up Sony deal
~10 hours ago -
Apple yanks 'Bang with Friends' app from iOS App Store
~11 hours ago -
Revenue from iOS, Android gaming apps now three times greater than portable consoles
~12 hours ago -
Gameloft's Gangstar Rio, N.O.V.A. 3 go free on iOS for a limited time
~14 hours ago - more...
Lowest Prices Anywhere!
| Model | Price | You Save |
|---|---|---|
| Core i5 MacBook Pros w/ Retina | ||
| 13" 2.5GHz/8GB/128GB | $1,406.48 | $292.52 |
| 13" 2.5GHz/8GB/256GB | $1,479.99 | $519.01 |
| 13" 2.5GHz/8GB/512GB | $1,699.99 | $799.01 |
| Core i7 MacBook Pros w/ Retina | ||
| 13" 2.9GHz/8GB/256GB | $1,599.99 | $599.01 |
| 13" 2.9GHz/8GB/512GB | $1,799.99 | $899.01 |
| 15" 2.3GHz/8GB/256GB | $1,899.99 | $299.01 |
| 15" 2.6GHz/8GB/512GB | $2,299.99 | $568.01 |
| 15" 2.7GHz/16GB/768GB | $2,699.99 | $499.01 |
| Model | White | Black | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPad mini (WiFi only) | |||
| 16GB WiFi |  |
$329.99 | $329.99 |
| 32GB WiFi | |
$429.99 | $429.99 |
| 64GB WiFi | |
$529.99 | $529.99 |
| iPad mini (WiFi + 4G) | |||
 |
 |
 |
|
| 16GB 4G White | $459.99 | $459.99 | $459.99 |
| 32GB 4G White | $559.99 | $559.99 | $559.99 |
| 64GB 4G White | $659.99 | $659.99 | $659.99 |
| 16GB 4G Black | $459.99 | $459.99 | $459.99 |
| 32GB 4G Black | $559.99 | $559.99 | $559.99 |
| 64GB 4G Black | $659.99 | $659.99 | $659.99 |
"Also of note is the lack of an optical drive, which is a necessity for many schools that regularly install and update software." What software are you talking about? Old software or copies of software that's being distributed illegally? Most software for Macs is available through the App Store or from other on-line distribution methods. Schools need to regulate what software is installed and how the computers are used so removing the optical drive should maintain cleaner systems. If they want to install software, then use a master iMac with optical drive and do remote installations. Schools are able to join the 21st century and don't have to continue to operate like old-time PCs.