Apple Launches New $1,099 Education-Only iMac

With little fanfare, Apple this week launched a new version of its low-end iMac for educational institutions.

The machine sports the same iconic iMac design, but with scaled-down specs and a more affordable price tag compared to consumer iMacs. It has the same 21.5-inch display, but on the inside there's a cheaper 3.3-GHz dual-core Intel i3 processor instead of a 2.7-GHz quad-core Intel Core i5. The machine also has 4GB of RAM instead of 8GB and a 500GB hard drive, instead of 1 terabyte.

The newly redesigned iMac starts at $1,099, which is $100 more expensive than its predecessor. Even so, it'll save educational institutions $200 over the entry-level consumer iMac.

The new addition to Apple's lineup was first spotted by MacRumors. The previous $999 iMac for educational institutions was introduced more than a year ago, aimed at budget-constrained schools. Like its predecessor, the new machine can only be purchased by learning institutions, and is not available to individuals through Apple's educational discount program.

As of now, the new educational iMac is listed with an estimated ship date of five to seven business days.  

Meanwhile, those in the market for a new consumer iMac got some good news earlier this week when estimated shipment times for the machines improved from several weeks to just one to three business days. Supplies of the 21.5-inch and 27-inch consumer models had been limited since they launched late last year. Apple CEO Tim Cook in January acknowledged that there were "significant constraints" that prevented Cupertino from getting its new desktops to everyone who wanted them.

For more, see PCMag's reviews of the 27-inch and 21.5-inch iMac.