Some more thoughts:
Without discounts the cheapest eMac for education is:
$849.00
700MHz
PowerPC G4
128MB SDRAM
40GB Ultra ATA drive
CD-ROM drive
No Modem
Amazingly, many schools are snapping these up even with the anemic 128 megs of RAM. Remember most schools STILL purchase Macs for OS 9.
A more usable options is this:
$949.00
700MHz
PowerPC G4
128MB SDRAM40GB Ultra ATA drive
Combo drive (DVD/CD-RW)
56K internal modem
Discounted from $999 retail price
Still anemic in the RAM and not acceptable for OS X IMO.
When for this price most education instituions can get the iMac for : (in fact its often LESS for universities than this price even)
$999.00
15-inch LCD flat screen
800MHz PowerPC G4
NVIDIA GeForce2 MX
32MB DDR video memory
256MB SDRAM
60GB Ultra ATA hard drive
10/100BASE-T Ethernet
56K V.92 internal modem
Apple Pro Speakers
AirPort Ready
Bluetooth Optional
Discounted from $1,299 retail price
This increases speed, doubles ram, increases harddrive, for not too much more. As I said the price point in bulk is even smaller.
So, either Apple has realized most schools using X go with the iMac or they have decided the eMac does not really fir the bill in its current incarnation and needs a refresh of sorts.
I think that is more likely. iMacs can be too fragile for touch classrooms while the eMac is a workhorse in these environs.
Hopefully we will see a quiet refresh of the eMac with speed, RAM, and a lower cost. But the need is still present for a sturdy under 1K machine.
by eliminating the G3 and the lower power G4 they elimnate any excuses to keep 9 in schools. I know of one major CA university thattakes new G4s and erases X and installes 9 over it. Ugg.