Apple Details Differences in 20" Educational iMac (Mid 2009)

MacRumors · 01:13 PM

Apple has published a new service document to authorized Apple repair shops that details the differences between the Early 2009 iMac and the recently released $899 (Mid 2009) 20" Educational iMac.

According to the document, the Early 2009 iMac and Mid 2009 iMacs are very similar. The only differences detailed are that the Mid 2009 iMac does not have Infrared or Bluetooth and has a smaller 160GB Harddrive.

sushi · May 11, 2009, 01:04 PM

AFAIK, it's the Education iMac for $899.

johnnyjibbs · May 11, 2009, 01:06 PM

Strange that Apple would feed the rumour mill such bait. Yes, it must be coming, but it seems odd to me that they would be so explicit in mentioning a new release considering they are normally so secretive. That said, if it's an addition to the range (i.e. an education model), then perhaps the news wouldn't really cannibalise any existing sales for people holding out.

arn · May 11, 2009, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushi

AFAIK, it's the Education iMac for $899.

Ah. Oops, then.

arn

Darkroom · May 11, 2009, 01:09 PM

ouf! cheaper 20" iMacs and entry level MacBooks? i'm scared to see the screen quality on those...

Eidorian · May 11, 2009, 01:11 PM

I'm not going to get my hopes up.

mklos · 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkroom

ouf! cheaper 20" iMacs and entry level MacBooks? i'm scared to see the screen quality on those...

What difference does it make? The quality of the screen has no bearing on how good Microsoft Word, Safari, some kind of educational game acts. This is NOT a computer students can buy. This is ONLY for educational institutions such as K-12 schools and colleges. The quality of the screen isn't going to hamper the quality of education a student receives. If a school bought this particular iMac for something that requires better screen precision then that person needs to be fired anyways. This is definitely not a computer suited for those needs.

Dropping out bluetooth and IR doesn't mean anything IMO. I seriously doubt it would get used on a daily basis. What they should do however is up the RAM to 2GB.

Its still a great deal however. It puts it damn close to right on par with the HP desktops w/17" LCDs we get for the school I provide tech support for. The desktops are approx $700 plus the cost of the 17" LCD. Thats within $100 of the HP setup. The HP is the same basic specs, 2GHz C2D, 160 GB HD, 2GB RAM, and Intel integrated graphics. So besides the RAM, this is actually a pretty good deal. You're getting a larger display in widescreen format, its an all-in-one so it takes up far less space, it has way better graphics to run the everyday things smoother, etc. Its well worth the little bit of extra money.

Now if Apple could release an $899 MacBook for educational institutions!!!!

Not to push my luck, but it would also be great if Apple could further lower the price of AppleCare, especially buying in bulk. Even at $119/iMac when purchasing 30-40 iMacs thats an extra $4700 just for the warranty. Would be nice to see it at like $79 per iMac when buying 30 or more iMacs. That would save $1500 or more if you buy more than 40 iMacs.

jinjo235 · May 11, 2009, 01:05 PM

If it's below $900, which it totally could be given the above details, this would be a huge thing for Apple!

fluidedge · May 11, 2009, 01:06 PM

wow that's brave.

iphone $100 rebate anyone?

speakerwizard · May 11, 2009, 01:06 PM

taking out bluetooth and IR would save pennies, pointless

Rudy69 · May 11, 2009, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speakerwizard

taking out bluetooth and IR would save pennies, pointless

+1

a bluetooth receiver can be bought for about $2USD.....how much do you think Apple pays for it?

akm3 · May 11, 2009, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speakerwizard

taking out bluetooth and IR would save pennies, pointless

No it's not, for a dorm room, Bluetooth and IR (for remote control of all their pirated content) are two features that college kids ACTUALLY USE - thus getting them to buy the more expensive model making Apple ~$100+ in profit for <$1 in parts. That's good business.

slicecom · May 11, 2009, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akm3

No it's not, for a dorm room, Bluetooth and IR (for remote control of all their pirated content) are two features that college kids ACTUALLY USE - thus getting them to buy the more expensive model making Apple ~$100+ in profit for <$1 in parts. That's good business.

These aren't made for kids in dorm rooms, thats what the student discount on all regular macs is for. These are made for educational institutions to buy for labs, where Bluetooth and IR would be utterly useless.

hirshnoc · May 11, 2009, 01:51 PM

It's ridiculous that Apple keeps on withholding features that are standard on every PC. Such as the 'combo drive' on the entry-level MacBooks. Apple REALLY needs to standardize. If you want 2 optical drives, get a Mac Pro, but don't take away the basics.

crisss1205 · May 11, 2009, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akm3

No it's not, for a dorm room, Bluetooth and IR (for remote control of all their pirated content) are two features that college kids ACTUALLY USE - thus getting them to buy the more expensive model making Apple ~$100+ in profit for <$1 in parts. That's good business.

Students CANNOT buy this. Only the school can buy it to be used for educational purposes. You have to be purchasing for an institution to get this model.

crisss1205 · May 11, 2009, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speakerwizard

taking out bluetooth and IR would save pennies, pointless

What do you need Bluetooth and an IR sensor in a school computer for?

ChrisA · May 11, 2009, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speakerwizard

taking out bluetooth and IR would save pennies, pointless

The point mmay be the the schools don't not want bluetooth and IR. They don't want kids moving data. I've even seen computers where the USB ports were filled with epoxy for the same reason.

robotartfashion · May 11, 2009, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speakerwizard

taking out bluetooth and IR would save pennies, pointless

no offense meant but so what?

neither is necessary for educational purposes and it would make "Apple Sense" to strip features from the eMac to keep it from competing with the lowest end iMac.

this is only intended for educational institutions, so don't expect to see it around your friendly neighborhood school

Kardashian · May 11, 2009, 01:08 PM

I'm gonna cast a second vote for education-market only.

May 11, 2009, 01:02 PM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	Apple Details Differences in 20" Educational iMac (Mid 2009) Apple has published a new service document to authorized Apple repair shops that details the differences between the Early 2009 iMac and the recently released $899 (Mid 2009) 20" Educational iMac. According to the document, the Early 2009 iMac and Mid 2009 iMacs are very similar. The only differences detailed are that the Mid 2009 iMac does not have Infrared or Bluetooth and has a smaller 160GB Harddrive. Last edited by arn : May 11, 2009 at 01:13 PM.

May 11, 2009, 01:04 PM	#2
sushi macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Kanagawa-Ken	AFAIK, it's the Education iMac for $899. __________________ You only live twice, once when you are born, and when you look death in the face. Basho style poem from 007 YOLT.

May 11, 2009, 01:06 PM	#3
johnnyjibbs macrumors 68030 Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: London, UK	Strange that Apple would feed the rumour mill such bait. Yes, it must be coming, but it seems odd to me that they would be so explicit in mentioning a new release considering they are normally so secretive. That said, if it's an addition to the range (i.e. an education model), then perhaps the news wouldn't really cannibalise any existing sales for people holding out. __________________ johngriffithsapps.com - Get It Done! \| Grocery Checkout 15" MBP, iPhone 3G, 12" PB, iPod 4G, iPod shuffle

May 11, 2009, 01:09 PM	#5
Darkroom macrumors 68000 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Montréal, Canada	ouf! cheaper 20" iMacs and entry level MacBooks? i'm scared to see the screen quality on those... __________________ iPhone OS Apps: Film Light, SizeMe.

May 11, 2009, 01:11 PM	#6
Eidorian macrumors G3 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Indiana	I'm not going to get my hopes up. __________________ MRoogle it! hikari T7500 2.2 GHz / 4 GB / 320 GB / GMA X3100 / 10.5.8 chobimaru Core i5 750 2.66 GHz / 4 GB / 640 GB / 4830 / Windows 7

May 11, 2009, 01:05 PM	#8
jinjo235 macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Allston, MA	Below $900? If it's below $900, which it totally could be given the above details, this would be a huge thing for Apple! __________________ APPL Guy www.adamkilker.com

May 11, 2009, 01:06 PM	#9
fluidedge macrumors 65816 Join Date: Nov 2007	wow that's brave. iphone $100 rebate anyone?

May 11, 2009, 01:06 PM	#10
speakerwizard macrumors 68000 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London	taking out bluetooth and IR would save pennies, pointless __________________ mac pro octo-core, 10GB, 5.25TB, 8800GT, 30"acd iphone 3G, Macbook pro C2D

May 11, 2009, 01:51 PM	#14
hirshnoc macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2007	Dumb It's ridiculous that Apple keeps on withholding features that are standard on every PC. Such as the 'combo drive' on the entry-level MacBooks. Apple REALLY needs to standardize. If you want 2 optical drives, get a Mac Pro, but don't take away the basics.

May 11, 2009, 01:08 PM	#19
Kardashian Banned Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Britain.	I'm gonna cast a second vote for education-market only.

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