Apple debuts new $1,099 21.5-inch iMac for schools

The tech giant quietly releases a new low-end version of its iMac that saves educational institutions $200 over the regular consumer model.

by Dara Kerr

March 5, 2013 5:17 PM PST Follow @darakerr

Apple's new educational institution iMac.

(Credit: Screenshot by Dara Kerr/CNET)

Avoiding all fanfare, Apple appears to have quietly unveiled a new version of its low-end iMac. This machine is for educational institutions only, which can snap it up for $1,099 saving $200 over the regular model.

It's unclear when Apple debuted the new iMac on its education institution Apple store, but according to MacRumors it appears to have been very recently. The tech news site says that the $1,099 version has replaced the earlier $999 iMac for educational institutions -- which was launched more than a year and a half ago.

The new iMac is 21.5-inches and its hardware includes a 3.3 GHz Core i3 processor, 500GB of storage, and 4GB of memory. Custom configuration RAM and storage upgrades are available for around $270 each. The hardware for low-end consumer iMacs gives about double the RAM and hard drive capacity as this educational institution version.

Unlike other educational discounts offered by Apple, this iMac and other products offered on the education institution Apple store can only be ordered directly by a school. Students and educators can't individually buy these products for their own use.

CNET Update

Twitter attempts to beef up security

Twitter lets users add a second layer of password protection, Jennifer Lopez has a new mobile brand, and Nextdoor brings text alerts to the neighborhood.

Play Video