Apple Launches $1099 21.5-Inch iMac With 3.3 GHz Dual-Core i3 Processor for Educational Institutions

[MrDc2]

Sorry, here comes the old fart with an "in my day" post. Please skip this post if you can't stand that crap.

First, anything that stimulates the desire to learn is wonderful, to my way of thinking.

That being said, there is something sad and disturbing that the need for flash and whiz bang to stimulate learning is becoming the norm. I know it won't change, and that this is the 21st Century and all, but the apparent need for intense stimulation to gain student's attention is kind of too bad. I'm not pushing the idea that everyone should love learning for it's own sake (although that would be nice!) there was a time when one learned without the flash.

OK, sorry for the sentiment from a long past and forever dead, era...just had to mention it for no other reason than I felt it needed to be mentioned.

It did need to be mentioned. Soon the world will forget how things once were.. and that to me is quite sad.

 

[RGunner]

Memory

Wonder how the memory is configured, no one has brought that up.

Replaceable? (it shows 4, 8 or 16 initially)

 

[ucantgetridofme]

I don't deny that you think they're better, that's cool... but why do you believe that "PCs are far better than Mac [sic]"?

1) Because the world runs on windows and kids should learn to use the computers they will one day be working with.

2) I'd be pissed if my tax dollars were being wasted on expensive apple computers when they could be used to buy PC at less than half the price.

There's always an apple fanboy/girl on the school board that insists on expensive macs for no good reason other than they love apple, but these people aren't paying for them so they should be ignored.
I remember my middle school paying 10K for an apple computer in the early 80's that nobody ever used or even knew how to use. That was a huge waste of money especially back then.

 

[glenthompson]

"Light duty", please. You can do all that work on an iPad 1. All I can see this being used for is gaming at school, which is bad.

The use case I use for this is my brother. He's in real estate and not technically savvy. He needs more than an iPad but barely. Trying to do a lot of his work on an iPad would be frustrating. He doesn't need much in the way of horsepower since he's currently using a 4 year old Lenovo desktop.

 

[Fatalbert]

The use case I use for this is my brother. He's in real estate and not technically savvy. He needs more than an iPad but barely. Trying to do a lot of his work on an iPad would be frustrating. He doesn't need much in the way of horsepower since he's currently using a 4 year old Lenovo desktop.

Yeah, but I'm talking about the power. You don't need a 3.3GHz machine for schoolwork or even most professions. For school only, I think an iPad would suffice in middle or high.

----------

Why do you use a Mac when PCs are far better?

Macs are easier to use and harder to screw up. That's why they're used in schools. Kids know even less about computers now than they did in the 80s.

Really, kids knew about computers in the 80s?? Most people didn't even have PCs back then, and now, almost everyone does. Kids are getting more and more tech-savvy. 7-year-olds have iPads, which I think is stupid.

 

[bawbac]

At my school they buy the iMac to head of a student run revolt. I and most everyone else on campus would complain loudly if they put Windows based PCs in the library or computer labs.

Also the total cost of ownership is NOT the purchase price. You need to also factor in the cost of the support staff. Supporting Macs is less costly

Ah, anecdotal post with no factual information.

 

[xdxdaustin]

Why do you use a Mac when PCs are far better?

Macs are easier to use and harder to screw up. That's why they're used in schools. Kids know even less about computers now than they did in the 80s.

As a 15 year old your stereotype greatly irks me. There seems to be a notion that my generation is filled with good-for-nothing obese dimwits that only know reality TV and sugar laden snacks. I would argue every single child today knows more than kids in the 80's knew about computers; we are routinely telling our teachers how to use the computers and how to fix them. Your statement totally disregards the fact that we (my generation) has been using technology since they popped out of the womb. Talk to any youngster and you'll realize you've underestimated them.

 

[ucantgetridofme]

At least the Macs in the school will give someone a job

Working in a chinese sweatshop

 

[Renzatic]

7-year-olds have iPads, which I think is stupid.

Really? I can't think of a better computer for a 7 year old. It's easy to use, is a great machine to get someone to learn the basics with, and isn't so expensive that it'll cost you a fortune replacing it when/if they break the thing.

 

[Frisco]

If you want to prepare for a job out of college you better know Windows and the Windows version of Office (which is so much more powerful than Mac version).

Accounts, Engineers all use Windows and mostly software editions of "Apps" that only run on Windows.

With today's economy being a Mac person is a crutch!

 

[Bubba Satori]

That's a nice $700 spec AIO.

I wonder how many school districts are going to pay $400 per apple sticker for thousands of these?

 

[glenthompson]

Really? I can't think of a better computer for a 7 year old. It's easy to use, is a great machine to get someone to learn the basics with, and isn't so expensive that it'll cost you a fortune replacing it when/if they break the thing.

They are also excellent for autistic children. I know of two cases where an iPad has greatly improved their communication skills. One was a 6 year old and the other is 8 or 9.

 

[aristotle]

my company offers us discounts from many different manufacturers so I looked this model up on Lenovo with my reg discount, not even including corp volume pricing and its $789.65

and it would be even cheaper when not choosing an all in one system

So, you would then be comparing completely different systems then.

If you are going to do that they why not compare a fridge and a stove?


Good for your company. The reality is that Apple would probably offer discounts for "companies" but this model is for schools which typically deal in smaller volumes. Others have also pointed out that some schools "lease" their computer anyway so the sale price will only have a minor effect on the overall cost of the lease especially if you factor in repairs/replacements and support over damaged OS installs. You are much less likely to have hardware and software problems on those mac units at a school than with a PC model.

How do you expect anyone to take you seriously if you are going to compare a cheap tower with a cheap/low res monitor to the iMac model?

The nice thing about the iMac is that you just plug it in, attache the keyboard and mouse (if they are not wireless) and away you go. There is no need to attach the monitor of adjust display settings.

 

[Fatalbert]

Really? I can't think of a better computer for a 7 year old. It's easy to use, is a great machine to get someone to learn the basics with, and isn't so expensive that it'll cost you a fortune replacing it when/if they break the thing.

They sit and play games on it all day. I've seen it in action. Learning a little on a parent's iPad is probably a good idea, but then again, it's probably more useful to know how to use a cheap PC.

Yeah you could prevent any games from being installed, but why dedicate a whole iPad to a little kid just for web browsing?

----------

If you want to prepare for a job out of college you better know Windows and the Windows version of Office (which is so much more powerful than Mac version).

How is it more powerful? It's the same thing except with sometimes a worse GUI.

----------

That's a nice $700 spec AIO.

I wonder how many school districts are going to pay $400 per apple sticker for thousands of these?

Windows PCs in schools... bad plan. Having new iMacs is an even worse plan. They should just go with older Macs. I can't think of anything a school kid would need a 3.3GHz computer with 4 or more GB of RAM for. 1GHz with 512MB RAM is perfectly fine for web, email, and Office/iWork.

If public schools are spending even $700 on a PC, that's a waste. It's sad that any are spending >$1000 on flashy iMacs as if to compensate for something.

 

[Renzatic]

How do you expect anyone to take you seriously if you are going to compare a cheap tower with a cheap/low res monitor to the iMac model?

Honestly, a good 1920x1200 21" Dell IPS monitor and an entry level Mac Mini would cost you less and get you more for your money.

----------

They sit and play games on it all day. I've seen it in action. Learning a little on a parent's iPad is probably a good idea, but then again, it's probably more useful to know how to use a cheap PC.

The big thing with the iPad is that it's kinda like the book bag, music player, and portable DVD machine for kids these days. This is stuff we all used to stuff in our bags back when we were kids. Having it all in one device doesn't make a huge amount of difference, other than being more convenient.

And playing games all day? Hell, we used to do that all the time with our NESes back when. We can do the same thing our parents did for us. Limit their time on it during the week, and give them semi free reign during the weekends.

Yeah you could prevent any games from being installed, but why dedicate a whole iPad to a little kid just for web browsing?

Why not? The world's a computer heavy internet connected place these days. Might as well get your kids in on it early so they're more comfortable with it later.

 

[uknowimright]

So, you would then be comparing completely different systems then.

If you are going to do that they why not compare a fridge and a stove?


Good for your company. The reality is that Apple would probably offer discounts for "companies" but this model is for schools which typically deal in smaller volumes. Others have also pointed out that some schools "lease" their computer anyway so the sale price will only have a minor effect on the overall cost of the lease especially if you factor in repairs/replacements and support over damaged OS installs. You are much less likely to have hardware and software problems on those mac units at a school than with a PC model.

How do you expect anyone to take you seriously if you are going to compare a cheap tower with a cheap/low res monitor to the iMac model?

The nice thing about the iMac is that you just plug it in, attache the keyboard and mouse (if they are not wireless) and away you go. There is no need to attach the monitor of adjust display settings.

the price I quoted is for the exact same Lenovo system you compared it to, trying to show you the difference in pricing is greater than the one you wanted to present (c'mon posting a consumer price, you should well know neither a corp nor an educational institution would pay consumer price)

I then said it would be even cheaper if you bought things separately, you ASSumed that meant lowered spec'ed stuff which buying cheaper separately doesn't even necessarily mean you are buying lowered spec'ed stuff it's just sometimes cheaper to buy things separately as you could have various companies competing for pricing on desktops and monitors, also the advantages of just simply replacing a monitor if it goes bad to having to get the whole thing serviced

your stove and fridge comparison to a tower vs all in one is by far one of the dumbest I have seen on here, you could at least have gone the route of a deep freezer vs fridge (at least then you would have used devices that share similar functions but yet not the same, a stove and a fridge are nowhere near the same)

how can anyone take you seriously after that hot mess?

 

[MrDc2]

lol, I'm sure us lowly users of iToys and kiddie iMacs have no clue about what REAL users think is powerful....

Get over yourself.

Uhm. Apple does not offer a powerful computer for $1,099. I don't see why you're being hostile toward him. Even if you got a Mac mini you would still need to purchase a decent display, mouse and keyboard.

 

[tevion5]

Yarr, tiz a mighty price to be payin' for no dedicated graphics, yarr.

 

[MrDc2]

Same system from Dell and HP for Educational is $550... Lets review school budgets and review this... Apple failed.

How is this Apple's fail when the school is the one doing the purchasing?

 

[AidenShaw]

Umm my old college had Macs in the design, Art and Media department.

How long ago were you at your old college? Please don't compare 10 to 15 year old Windows systems against today's Apple OSX.

I would think Macs would be cheaper over time due to the fact that they last longer and software/OS costs would be much cheaper (no AV, $15 OS upgrades versus $100+ for the newest version of Windows).

Do you have stats on that "last longer" bit - it seems that Apple's moved to the mode of planned obsolescence forcing frequent upgrades.

Compatibility with each OS upgrade is much better on a Mac as well.

This is a ludicrous claim, considering that XP from 2001 is still the most popular OS. Is any Apple stuff from 2001 still useful?

They also last longer.

Today?

Same system from Dell and HP for Educational is $550... Lets review school budgets and review this... Apple failed.

+1

No, You can get a Wintel Machine that will last a long time for 500-600 dollars,monitor included.

They're made of the same quality parts as any mid range PC, they do not last longer. Most PCs and Macs will last a very long time.

+1

And, in case anyone still believes that Apple OSX and Apple computers are better long-term, my desktop gadget today is saying:

So, XP - which was released before Apple OSX 10.1 "Cheetah" for 600 MHz PPC G3 systems - is still supported.

How does Apple compare to that?

 

[tevion5]

If you want to prepare for a job out of college you better know Windows and the Windows version of Office (which is so much more powerful than Mac version).

Accounts, Engineers all use Windows and mostly software editions of "Apps" that only run on Windows.

With today's economy being a Mac person is a crutch!

C'mon, I think almost every mac user had their first user experience with windows. Who doesn't know where the start button is, how to use control panel and use the Microsoft office suite? It's just like knowing how to walk

I prefer Macs, but know at least as much if not more about windows myself. I think OSX has a much easier to use interface but I always laugh when my windows veteran father "can't find anything" because he gives up after he sees Finder has a different layout to Explorer...

 

[MrDc2]

He had a temper tantrum.

BTW our currency has been crashed since the $899 education Mac. I use Gold and Oil as my benchmark. On that basis the $1099 far better processor and display iMac is an equal or greater value.

Apple has always been and always will be stingy on memory. 4GB for the ed iMac and 256Mb in a cable and an Apple TV. You must know it's true by now. 4Mb for the Mac+.

Rocketman

... the dollar began losing its purchasing power long before the first Apple computer was a schematic.

 

[Renzatic]

Who doesn't know where the start button is...

A lot of people these days.

 

[HenryDJP]

He had a temper tantrum.

BTW our currency has been crashed since the $899 education Mac. I use Gold and Oil as my benchmark. On that basis the $1099 far better processor and display iMac is an equal or greater value.

Apple has always been and always will be stingy on memory. 4GB for the ed iMac and 256Mb in a cable and an Apple TV. You must know it's true by now. 4Mb for the Mac+.

Rocketman

I certainly won't disagree with you about Apple's stinginess with ram. I don't know why they feel the need to cut back on that? Also what's weird is how they pretend that their ram is much better quality than what's available from 3rd parties. I've never had problems with 3rd party ram.

 

[tevion5]

:So, XP - which was released before Apple OSX 10.1 "Cheetah" for 600 MHz PPC G3 systems - is still supported.

How does Apple compare to that?

And where was this greatly long lasting support for 98 and 2000 hmm? They were only released instantly before XP and yet got thrown out quite quickly. The only reason they kept supporting it was because they had to. VISTA was arguably the worst operating system Microsoft ever released. Nobody wanted that ******. I laugh when games mention VISTA in their requirements. As if a gamer would use such a horrendous platform. That said, 7 is vista with everything fixed, but I like 7 it's probably the best OS they ever shipped.

The only group I believe deserves credit for updating old software is Valve. 2 months ago they released an update for Half Life 2, released in 2004. Not fixes, but added support for newer GUI features found in newer games. That's dedication.