A closer look at Apple's educational iMac
For the most part, Apple Computers new educational iMac is a stripped down version of the company's 17-inch consumer offering that ships with a couple of internal component changes but also some outstanding issues, reliable sources tell AppleInsider.
Announced earlier this week, the $899 iMac is the first Intel-based computer from the Cupertino, Calif.-based company designed specifically for its educational customers. It replaces the now defunct eMac line of computers, which featured cumbersome cathode-ray-tube (CRT) displays instead of flat-panel LCD screens.
In order to keep the costs of the new computer down, Apple began with a 17-inch iMac Core Duo and began substituting its internals with lower cost components, shaving about $400 off the price of the $1299 consumer model.
In doing so, Apple replaced the 17-inch iMac Core Duo's ATI Radeon X1600 with Intel's integrated GMA 950 graphics chip, its 160GB hard disk with an 80GB model, and the computer's double-layer SuperDrive with a 24x Combo drive.
Apple also stripped the iMac of its Bluetooth wireless technology, deciding not to install Bluetooth antennas inside the computer's chassis. Therefore, the company does not authorize internal Bluetooth installations with the education iMac, forcing customers who require the technology to resort to external USB Bluetooth module solutions.
However, the educational iMac does appears to sport at least one I/O-related enhancement over the consumer model. It packs a combination analog/optical analog audio line-in port rather the consumer model's analog-only line-in jack.
Based on source accounts, the new iMac arrived about two months ahead of expectations. It's clear the move was a strategic one by Apple, aimed at capturing the heart of this year's educational buying frenzy. But in doing so, the company released the computers to manufacturing with a handful of outstanding issues, sources familiar with the matter have said.
Specifically, the first educational iMacs to roll off Apple's assembly lines will fail to sync properly with a television screen if they are booted from a Windows XP partition. According to sources, the iMac incorrectly detects TVs as a VGA displays and there is currently no workaround for the issue.
Also when booting from Windows XP, the iMac registers itself as a portable computer, which invokes power settings options typically reserved for notebooks running on battery. Sources say there is also no present solution to this problem.
Users of the new iMac may also find that Boot Camp fails to install if the included Apple Mighty Mouse is plugged into one of the USB ports at the rear of the computer during installation. A quick workaround is to use another mouse during installation or to connect the Mighty Mouse to the computer through the USB port on the Apple keyboard.
In one final note on the new educational iMac, sources warned that altering the computer's brightness setting in the Display Preferences without adjusting other video settings will corrupt the PRAM. This may cause the iMac to restart at a later date with a blank video screen. The solution is to simply reset the computer's PRAM.
Announced earlier this week, the $899 iMac is the first Intel-based computer from the Cupertino, Calif.-based company designed specifically for its educational customers. It replaces the now defunct eMac line of computers, which featured cumbersome cathode-ray-tube (CRT) displays instead of flat-panel LCD screens.
In order to keep the costs of the new computer down, Apple began with a 17-inch iMac Core Duo and began substituting its internals with lower cost components, shaving about $400 off the price of the $1299 consumer model.
In doing so, Apple replaced the 17-inch iMac Core Duo's ATI Radeon X1600 with Intel's integrated GMA 950 graphics chip, its 160GB hard disk with an 80GB model, and the computer's double-layer SuperDrive with a 24x Combo drive.
Apple also stripped the iMac of its Bluetooth wireless technology, deciding not to install Bluetooth antennas inside the computer's chassis. Therefore, the company does not authorize internal Bluetooth installations with the education iMac, forcing customers who require the technology to resort to external USB Bluetooth module solutions.
However, the educational iMac does appears to sport at least one I/O-related enhancement over the consumer model. It packs a combination analog/optical analog audio line-in port rather the consumer model's analog-only line-in jack.
Based on source accounts, the new iMac arrived about two months ahead of expectations. It's clear the move was a strategic one by Apple, aimed at capturing the heart of this year's educational buying frenzy. But in doing so, the company released the computers to manufacturing with a handful of outstanding issues, sources familiar with the matter have said.
Specifically, the first educational iMacs to roll off Apple's assembly lines will fail to sync properly with a television screen if they are booted from a Windows XP partition. According to sources, the iMac incorrectly detects TVs as a VGA displays and there is currently no workaround for the issue.
Also when booting from Windows XP, the iMac registers itself as a portable computer, which invokes power settings options typically reserved for notebooks running on battery. Sources say there is also no present solution to this problem.
Users of the new iMac may also find that Boot Camp fails to install if the included Apple Mighty Mouse is plugged into one of the USB ports at the rear of the computer during installation. A quick workaround is to use another mouse during installation or to connect the Mighty Mouse to the computer through the USB port on the Apple keyboard.
In one final note on the new educational iMac, sources warned that altering the computer's brightness setting in the Display Preferences without adjusting other video settings will corrupt the PRAM. This may cause the iMac to restart at a later date with a blank video screen. The solution is to simply reset the computer's PRAM.
Comments
jbcaro
Originally posted by jbcaro
Well, I guess this is going to be the 'school of hard knocks' for the new educational user.
WTF? Most of the outstanding issues seem to be related to Windows XP--now Apple is having to debug Microsoft's software! As long as it runs Mac OS X fine, I don't think it would have been worth it to wait.
As for waiting two months to fix the issues: that would be incredibly stupid if Apple wanted to sell the products to large school buyers who want to mainly run Mac OS X; their buying season is now, not two months from now.
Originally posted by MacSuperiority
Yea because those are such HUGE issues. Jeeze I'm sure the IT people at these schools will be all over these early problems and work around them easilly.
Yep, and Boot Camp is still in Beta state anyway, so the issues shouldn't be unexpected.
Originally posted by Mr. Dirk
WTF? Most of the outstanding issues seem to be related to Windows XP--now Apple is having to debug Microsoft's software! As long as it runs Mac OS X fine, I don't think it would have been worth it to wait.
Not that last one - it says that changing the brightness in the Displays pref pane corrupts the PRAM if that's the only thing you do. That seems like a pretty serious issue to me.
Originally posted by McHuman
This is like saying my Dell has outstanding problems because it doesn't boot OSX correctly.
:
Originally posted by CharlesS
Not that last one - it says that changing the brightness in the Displays pref pane corrupts the PRAM if that's the only thing you do. That seems like a pretty serious issue to me.
Me too, but missing the education buying season would be a disaster and as said above - expect a firmware update in the works ready to hit before these machines see any real use.
The worst case is that Apple sell these now and have to replace them later for that pretty serious brightness control defect. Even so, it's still sales on the books and money in the bank. Better than letting Dell and co. sweep the sales.
Originally posted by CharlesS
Not that last one - it says that changing the brightness in the Displays pref pane corrupts the PRAM if that's the only thing you do. That seems like a pretty serious issue to me.
Yeah to me too. I wonder if the users will even know how to reset the PRAM or that they should. Is Apple going to include a piece of paper telling them there's a problem and here's the work around? Adjusting the brightness seems like something almost anyone would do right away. Looks like a Customer Support Nightmare to me.
Originally posted by fuyutsuki
Me too, but missing the education buying season would be a disaster and as said above - expect a firmware update in the works ready to hit before these machines see any real use.
The worst case is that Apple sell these now and have to replace them later for that pretty serious brightness control defect. Even so, it's still sales on the books and money in the bank. Better than letting Dell and co. sweep the sales.
I see your point. Well I guess we'll be seeing plenty of these in the Refurb store come October for $699. Now that's gonna be a pretty sweet deal.
Originally posted by McHuman
This is like saying my Dell has outstanding problems because it doesn't boot OSX correctly.
Not really, Dell doesn't offer the ability to boot OSX, However, Apple does offer the ability to boot into Windows as a (beta) feature. The ability to dual-boot may be the determining factor for some education buyers to choose a Mac over a Dell.
Some of you people just overthink everything. Name one product, on this planet, of any kind, released to the public for use or consumption that was perfect and needed no modifications or improvements.
Face it. By some of your standards, if Apple had to wait to get it perfect, we wouldn't even be using OS X right now. That would certainly be a good thing....
I know I make mistakes and learn from them at my job because I am afforded the opportunity to take risks.
I'd like to know your secrets to a perfect life. Of course I am kidding. That would SUCK!
Originally posted by concentricity
I'm surprised no one noticed a pretty major mistatement of fact...ALL current iMacs have the combination analog/optical digital mini jacks, that's NOT an upgrade for the edu version.
According to Apple technical specifications the normal iMac has analog/optical out and analog in. The edu iMac has analog/optical in & out.
If kids find out about the brightness thing, they could and would kill a whole room full of Macs quite easily. Very stupid mistake.
Leaving out bluetooth in a school machine is equally dumb. Everybody has bluetooth these days and I sometimes use it for file transfer between machines when the wireless network gets congested. Seriously, how much could they have saved by leaving it out, $10?
Originally posted by Multimedia
Well I guess we'll be seeing plenty of these in the Refurb store come October for $699. Now that's gonna be a pretty sweet deal.
I know a few people who could put up with that for a refurb!
As for Merom: it's definitely THE chip for new MacBook Pros and MacBooks, but as for the Mini and iMac I reckon the cheaper and of course faster per buck Conroe will be used.
Oh I like Merom - one is SO going into the Core Solo Mac Mini downstairs - and it'll be a great upgrade path for all socketed Yonahs provided Apple don't nuke that with a mean firmware upgrade. But Conroe makes sense in desktops as its not only a great performer but cheaper for Apple too.
New chipsets will be required. Conroe for iMac and maybe Mac Mini (if not the Mini stays Yonah??) and Woodcrest for Mac Pro and Xserve. This is my forecast.