Lower eMac Educational Pricing

[MacRumors]

Apple lowered the educational price on the eMac tonight:

Apple's most affordable computer for education is now more affordable than ever. New prices start at only $779 for an eMac with a 17-inch flat CRT display (16-inch viewable) and powered by a G4 processor. For just $1149, you can get one with a SuperDrive and more speed, memory, and storage. The eMac has always been an incredible value by any measure, and at these prices it’s a steal. Its space-saving, all-in-one design fits on your desk at home, school, office, or dorm. Order one today and begin taking advantage of Apple’s amazing iLife suite of award-winning applications for everything digital and more.

This was sent to educational customers by email.

[jholzner]

Hmmm...maybe those rumors of them killing the eMac were true?? But, most likely they're just clearing inventory to make room for new models...they haven't been updated in a while. Anyone know if the original iMac is still availabel to edu customers? Maybe they lowered the price since they are no longer selling the original iMac to anyone anymore.

[herr_neumann]

maybe they are getting ready to lose these things. Damn CRTs always make everything to hot, then picture quality goes. Although keeping the same design but with a LCD would be kewl. It would give internal expandability without having to go into the pro-line.

[macdong]

Now I can finally get that teacher friend of mine to buy a Mac...

[QCassidy352]

hehe, I already posted this news elsewhere...

I think this is good news. The emac doesn't have to be the fastest computer on the block, but it does have to be cheap to appeal to its target audience. And $780 for a 700mhz G4 is a good deal. $1150 for an 800mhz with a superdrive isn't bad either. Just having a G4 under $800 is a good move on apple's part.

[coumerelli]

I was just looking on apple's web site and even in the store there was nothing about a price drop. The same prices (starting at $999) were still there. Maybe it's a deal just for educators or those who got the email. (10:00pm CDT, Tuesday)

[NavyIntel007]

Originally posted by herr_neumann
maybe they are getting ready to lose these things. Damn CRTs always make everything to hot, then picture quality goes. Although keeping the same design but with a LCD would be kewl. It would give internal expandability without having to go into the pro-line.

Yeah, I agree. Kinda like the All-in-one powermac way back when. Give it fixed graphics and an un-upgradable G4 but have one or two PCI slots or even PCMCIA.

I never understood why Apple wouldn't have some expandability on the imac/emac arena. PC cards would be cheap, easily implementable, and wouldn't cut into desktop sales much if at all.

[Java]

I must say that the price drop is impressive on Apple's part. Yes, the prices are just for educational students and teachers. I must say that an eMac with a g4 chip and the superdrive is awesome for the price.

Go Apple!

[RandomDeadHead]

Strange, The $780.00 does not have a modem.

Mabe this is how they plan to keep just schools ordering them.

[LinuxGigolo]

It's also worth noting that the prices for K-12 and Higher Ed institutions is lower-still than the 'Individuals' prices that are listed on the main page of macrumors. The eMac with a CD-ROM drive can be had for $699 if you're a school. That... is excellent. And our dear old friend the iMac G3 is still hangin' in there at $649. Talk about cheap macs.

[rice_web]

If it doesn't have a modem, would most Mac users care?

Some estimates put broadband penetration at 20% of American homes; if that's the case, then one can bet that most Apple users have broadband. A dial-up modem shouldn't be necessary for most Mac users.

Besides, the consumer eMac can be purchased with a modem.

[rice_web]

Originally posted by LinuxGigolo
It's also worth noting that the prices for K-12 and Higher Ed institutions is lower-still than the 'Individuals' prices that are listed on the main page of macrumors. The eMac with a CD-ROM drive can be had for $699 if you're a school. That... is excellent. And our dear old friend the iMac G3 is still hangin' in there at $649. Talk about cheap macs.

$649 cheap? Let's take a look at what you get:

- 600MHz G3
- 128MB RAM
- 40GB Hard Drive
- CD-ROM Drive
- ATi Rage Video

The Classic iMac fails to bring Quartz Extreme, provide ample memory for Mac OS X operation, provide a large hard drive for use with iMovie, provide a decent CPU for iMovie (Apple recommends a 700MHz G3 or higher), and offers no DVD burner, or for that matter, a CD burner.

Let's take a look at what you won't get:

- iTunes with burning
- iMovie functionality
- iDVD completely
- Quartz Extreme

I'm sure there is even more that I'm forgetting, but the Classic iMac is by no means a great offering. Shave $150 off the price for educators and it may finally become a convincing deal, but not until then.

[MrMacMan]

Most schools have broadband connections anyway.

What were the former prices? Just wondering...

[phampton81]

this sounds a bit like a death rattle, although i would be sad to see it go, at this price i think they could really quiet the folks who say that there is no affordable mac, especially with a G4.

[MrMacMan]

Originally posted by phampton81
this sounds a bit like a death rattle, although i would be sad to see it go, at this price i think they could really quiet the folks who say that there is no affordable mac, especially with a G4.

Notice that this is only educational pricing aparently.

[MrMacMan]

It might be late but I think I'm seeing lower prices...

You aren't talking about the lowest model, the CD only model...

...uh

[NavyIntel007]

Why is apple only putting CD-rom drives on their bottom end products? Some programs are moving to DVD now and there's really no reason why every mac should not have a DVD drive to use the DVD player. It can't be that much more...

[iSmell]

Everybody is talking about what Apple won't do with the portable line because they want to avoid confusion about price/specs, but look at the low end of what they're offering to individual edu customers right now:

imac:
G3 600/40GB/128MB/CD-ROM - $749

emac:
G4 700/40GB/128MB/CD-RW - $779

That's $30 to trade a 600MHz G3 and a modem for a 700MHz G4, a CD-RW drive, a bigger screen and way better gfx card.

$30.

Absurd.



I like monkeys

[Phazer80s]

Yes!!! Apple lowers a price point!

That's great for Mac-based educators and it can't be bad for Apple's bottom line. The price drops aren't very aggressive, but they're better than just a token amount. It seems the natural complement to the Jag for Teachers campaign; they're both decent ways to increase market saturation and awareness of OS X.

But a CD-ROM drive and no modem???? Now that's just bas-ackward. What is this, 1995?:rolleyes:

If you can't sweeten the Apples, you MUST make them easier to pick.

[iSmell]

By the way, G3 imacs are still available to edu customers and are shipping in 1-3 days.




Still,

[Arcady]

Originally posted by MrMacman
It might be late but I think I'm seeing lower prices...

You aren't talking about the lowest model, the CD only model...

...uh

The prices you are looking at are for institution purchases. The $779 price is for individual purchases as a student, faculty, etc.

[ThorPrime]

If they do come out with a revised line of eMacs, I hope the display will be of higher quality. My school purchased 30 at the begining of the school year. 4 have had thier screens die.

not a good percentage.

[Thanatoast]

Not putting a DVD on what is supposed to be an educational machine isn't such a wacky idea. I'm sure it wouldn't take long for some students to walk in with [insert Adam Sandler movie here] and try to watch it during class. These aren't being targeted to consumers. There's no way they need a DVD drive or burner.

[nagromme]

$779 (individual) is NOT new this week--I noticed that edu price a week ago and posted about it then at MacCentral--and it may have been that low for much longer (I don't check the edu store much). Great price, though! But the old G3 iMac for only $30 less? Why bother?

(The eMac prices starting at $699 must be for institutions, not individuals.)

Looks to me like they dropped the eMac price a while ago--but only just publicized it widely now.

As for making modem, DVD play, and CD recording optional... they do cost something, so removing them lowers the price and makes good sense. I bet there are many labs full of computers that use none of those functions. I wouldn't be as eager to strip down a consumer machine so far, but these are for schools.

[gotohamish]

Originally posted by macdong
Now I can finally get that teacher friend of mine to buy a Mac...

There was only $70 was the difference between your friend getting a Mac or PC?

[The Shadow]

Originally posted by Phazer80s
Yes!!!...But a CD-ROM drive and no modem???? Now that's just bas-ackward. What is this, 1995?:rolleyes:[/I]

Schools, like big corporates, have no need for a modem in most machines, and perhaps schools can get away with one or two CD/R per classroom (I wouldn't know the exact figure - we never had computers at my school).

Apple's just giving their education customers what they want.

[Escher]

Now if only I could get an ADC connector instead of the cheap CRT in the eMac! I'd be all over the eMac, at the same $800 price point, if it didn't have a monitor built-in.

I want my headless eMac!

Escher

[rog]

Now Apple needs to make these the prices for everyone. non-pro Wintel users who might switch are used to low prices and a nice all in one for $749 might not seem bad whereas $1799 for a 17" iMac might seem outrageous to them, even though it's a better deal overall in many ways. Apple needs a supercheap Mac, and this should be it. If they're going to stick with the aging 700 Mhz no L3 G4, why not make it under $700?

[bokdol]

just to note on the edu price list for emac

$779.00
700MHz PowerPC G4
128MB SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA drive
CD-RW drive
No Modem

Configured for education only

but now the 15 in imac
$749.00
600MHz PowerPC G3
128MB SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA drive
CD-ROM Drive
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
56K internal modem
both avaliable in mac edu.
kinda lopsided dont you think?

[RBMaraman]

Originally posted by rice_web
Some estimates put broadband penetration at 20% of American homes; if that's the case, then one can bet that most Apple users have broadband. A dial-up modem shouldn't be necessary for most Mac users.


20% of people have broadband? No. I just recently completed a project on this subject for my communications class, and the number is between 5% and 7%. Modems are still a necessity.

I live right across the river from Louisville, Ky (The 16th largest city in the nation) and my town just got broadband activated in December. I don't have it now, and I don't plan on getting it until the price drops. The City Council will only let the cable company provide broadband (DSL is banned by a city ordinance) and in order to qualify to get broadband, you must subsribe to digital cable for $70 per month. Then, broadband service costs an additional $50/month. There is no way in I'm going to pay $120/month for TV I don't watch and internet I use for less than 5 hours per day. I'm quite happy with EarthLink Dialup.

Bottom line, modems are still very much a necessity. The low end eMac doesn't have a modem because it's configured for schools with network connections.

[Nermal]

These prices have been available since 2 April. Take a look at http://a192.g.akamai.net/7/192/51/c9a8f4299ef2bf/www.apple.com/education/pricelists/pdf/0402EDIPPAdd.pdf

[DakotaGuy]

Originally posted by bokdol
just to note on the edu price list for emac

$779.00
700MHz PowerPC G4
128MB SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA drive
CD-RW drive
No Modem

Configured for education only

but now the 15 in imac
$749.00
600MHz PowerPC G3
128MB SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA drive
CD-ROM Drive
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
56K internal modem
both avaliable in mac edu.
kinda lopsided dont you think?

Yeah very lopsided, my guess is the price lowering of the eMac, does not mean it will be going away, but means the G3 iMac will be going away. I would also bet that the G3 iMac pricing will drop soon to $550-$650. A G3 iMac still makes sense in many elementary classrooms, but they need more processor speed, at least an 800Mhz G3 and a better graphics card so they can use all the new Apple software. IMO however, the G3 iMac will be done in the next month or two and the eMac will take over as the true economy Mac desktop.

[rice_web]

Originally posted by RBMaraman
20% of people have broadband? No. I just recently completed a project on this subject for my communications class, and the number is between 5% and 7%. Modems are still a necessity.

I live right across the river from Louisville, Ky (The 16th largest city in the nation) and my town just got broadband activated in December. I don't have it now, and I don't plan on getting it until the price drops. The City Council will only let the cable company provide broadband (DSL is banned by a city ordinance) and in order to qualify to get broadband, you must subsribe to digital cable for $70 per month. Then, broadband service costs an additional $50/month. There is no way in I'm going to pay $120/month for TV I don't watch and internet I use for less than 5 hours per day. I'm quite happy with EarthLink Dialup.

Bottom line, modems are still very much a necessity. The low end eMac doesn't have a modem because it's configured for schools with network connections.

http://www.websiteoptimization.com/bw/0302/

Oh, and sorry about the crappy broadband connections in Louisville, but in North Dakota, I have 1MB DSL for $29.95/month. Thank God for cooperatives.

[maxterpiece]

Originally posted by iSmell
Everybody is talking about what Apple won't do with the portable line because they want to avoid confusion about price/specs, but look at the low end of what they're offering to individual edu customers right now:

imac:
G3 600/40GB/128MB/CD-ROM - $749

emac:
G4 700/40GB/128MB/CD-RW - $779

That's $30 to trade a 600MHz G3 and a modem for a 700MHz G4, a CD-RW drive, a bigger screen and way better gfx card.

$30.

Absurd.



I like monkeys

word up. I think Apple should do special promo pricing for the old iMac.... It would be nice to see it go out the way it came in - by bringing the mac to a whole new group. They should drop it down to like $500. An all in one computer for $500 would entice the users who would really benefit from the simplicity of the Mac OS. Less wealthy people who haven't had a computer in their house before (granted there aren't too many of them left).

max

edit: I felt I had too many hiphens and too few periods (I'm an English major). Besides, I've never edited one of my posts before!