Apple makes 54Mbps standard on eMac

By Joe Wilcox, CNET News, 6 May, 2003 16:01

NEWS

Apple also added support for 802.11g wireless, or what the company calls AirPort Extreme. The "g" class transfers data at 54Mbps -- fast enough to move video over the air -- compared with 802.11b's maximum transfer rate of 11mbps. The revamped eMacs mark Apple's second move of an entire product line to AirPort Extreme. New Power Macs launched in late January also support AirPort Extreme across the line. Apple debuted the technology in January on new PowerBooks and added it to flat-panel iMacs in February, but the faster wireless is not available on all models. Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of hardware product marketing, said that AirPort Extreme will become "more common" on Macs, "but not everywhere." He described the reasons as "architectural", adding that "we'll be making the transition over the next year or so." AirPort Extreme is a $99 option on all new eMacs. The eMac, which is designed for the education market, is Apple's last computer built around a cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitor. Apple's other Mac lines use slimmer, flat-panel monitors. In March, Apple pulled the plug on the original iMac, the company's other computer built around a CRT. Prices remain unchanged for the two basic eMac models. The $999 (£618) eMac comes with an 800MHz PowerPC G4 processor, 128MB of SDRAM, a 60GB hard drive, a CD-rewritable/DVD combo drive, a 32MB ATI Technologies' 7500 graphics accelerator, 56Kbps modem, 10/100 networking USB 1.1 and FireWire ports, and Mac OS X 10.2.5. The computer also features Apple's iLife digital media suite, Quicken 2003 and Word Book 2003. The older $999 model came with a 700MHz PowerPC G4 chip and a 32MB Nvidia GeForce2 MX graphics accelerator. The $1,299 model offers a 1GHz chip, 256MB of memory, 80GB of storage and a 4X DVD recording drive. The high-end model previously came with an 800MHz chip and the 32MB Nvidia GeForce2 MX graphics accelerator. Joswiak described the new eMacs as Apple's "most affordable G4 (systems) ever" and an "ideal entry point for today's digital lifestyle." As part of the revamp, Apple added a third, lower-cost model to fill a void left by the original eMac. The move is important because the $799 price tag gives Apple a low-cost alternative to PCs that use Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. The average selling price of XP-based PCs at retail is around $720, according to NPD Techworld. But analysts questioned whether the new, low-end eMac packs enough features to effectively compete in the $700 to $800 price range. The $799 eMac comes with an 800MHz PowerPC G4 processor, 128MB of SDRAM, a 40GB hard drive, a CD-ROM drive, a 32MB ATI 7500 graphics accelerator, 56Kbps modem, 10/100 networking USB 1.1 and FireWire ports, and Mac OS X 10.2.5. By comparison, Hewlett-Packard's $899 Pavilion 735n comes with a 2.13GHz Athlon XP 2600+ processor from Advanced Micro Devices, 512MB of DDR SDRAM, a 80GB hard drive, a DVD+R/RW drive, a 48X CD-ROM drive, an Nvidia GeForce4 MX graphics accelerator and Windows XP Home. But the problems with the underpowered entry-level model are more than just about competitors. Mac OS X 10.2.5's basic requirements demand a minimum 128MB of memory, making a memory upgrade almost a necessity for many eMac buyers. The $999 model faces the same issue. "If you're a Macophile consumer, this configuration is probably just a little underpowered," said IDC analyst Roger Kay. "I think the lack of sufficient memory is potentially problem." The low-end model also features only a CD-ROM, which bumps up against Apple's own digital music strategy. On 28 April, Apple launched the iTunes Music Store, which sells downloadable songs for 99 cents a piece. On Monday, the company reported more than 1m songs sold during the service's first week of operation. But, Joswiak said, "$799 has been a pretty good price for us. It's part of trying to attract the value customer." He noted that in many cases, Mac buyers are "adding a second computer" and "may not need every capability." Kay agreed. "The education application is not that demanding," he said. "It's not like you're burning a lot of CDs in a classroom. If someone in education wants a Mac, the price is good." At the same time, the CD-ROM model is potentially appealing the schools, which might not want to give children the ability to burn CDs or DVDs. Apple debuted the eMac, which is built around a 17-inch CRT monitor, for the education market in April 2002. "That's the market it was designed for," Joswiak said. In January, Apple made Mac OS X the only option on most Macs. Previously, Macs could boot into either Mac OS X or the older Mac OS 9. Now Mac OS 9 is only available from within OS X's "Classic" compatibility mode. But the entry-level and midrange eMac models will still be able to boot into Mac OS 9. Apple made the concession for the benefit of schools, many of which still run the older operating system.

What will Apple come up with next? For full Mac OS coverage, see ZDNet UK's Mac News Section. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

ZDNet UK Live

Don't forget to check out apps like GoodReader or SlideShark either, they're indispensible for people on the go in presentation situations. Best...

1 hour ago by tinycg on Four top iPad apps for people on the move

Well it seems there is something a number of us agree on. Why is the Ubuntu Unity launcher so ugly? I thought perhaps it was something to do with...

6 hours ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

Duplicate comments are not made intentionally. Its very good to know that now you are keeping check on this problem because sometimes a commenter...

15 hours ago by Freebies202 on Microsoft fixes blog comments, speeds up blogs with open source

"the very significant number of users" and "many (most) of us" - you have no evidence for these statements. It is a fact that most users are saying...

23 hours ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

Another grammar faux pas is the improper use of "you". When sitting down down in a restaurant, for example, I get cringe when the waitress...

1 day ago by Marg Menzies Harrison via Facebook on 10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid

And NOW, folks, for Canonical's next trick... Kubuntu is late. Here's a pencil. Draw your own conclusions. cf.:...

1 day ago by zdnetukuser on Linux Minterface

@kevinmchapman. The discussion here reflects the very significant number of users who really do like the traditional menu system and who wish to...

1 day ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

Er, no... It is an efficient means of finding the application/file/setting you need in one place. The icons are a simply a fallback for when you...

1 day ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

Isn't the provision of a text based search an admission by the developers that the mass of icons approach does not work? I don't need to use a...

1 day ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

"Unity and GNOME 3 both abandon the old text-based cascading menus in favour of a graphical icon-driven system." Point truly missed. Both use a...

1 day ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

whs001 - Thank you, I'm glad you liked the article. I absolutely agree with you on your first point. I should perhaps have made it clearer that...

1 day ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

If we allow corporate interest to dictate the way our government circumvents due process against foreign entities then we should accept the same...

1 day ago by Dennis Nilsson via Facebook on ACTA stumbles in Germany

I totally dislike pirating of works, I fear that artists will be deterred from creating works if they think that they are going to get ripped off....

1 day ago by GHar123 on ACTA stumbles in Germany

How dare film makers, artists or anybody that invests in creativity stop us pirating their works for free. I want to be able to walk into my local...

2 days ago by JCB33 on ACTA stumbles in Germany

@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...

2 days ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel. The first bug that I found was applying the median...

2 days ago by greycynic on Ten flawed products that derail productivity

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

2 days ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

2 days ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

2 days ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

2 days ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material

Featured white papers

Latest jobs

Apple makes 54Mbps standard on eMac

Daily Newsletters

Topics

Related stories

Apple denies Universal Music bid

Apple tunes up for music service

Apple updates its iBook and online store

Apple to develop iTunes for Windows

ITunes music sharing app goes online

Post your comment

ZDNet UK Live

Latest in IT Strategy

Heart of England NHS begins massive digitisation plan

Hard-drive woes hit PC shipments in fourth quarter

Featured white papers

Latest jobs

PHP Web Developer - html, css, javascript

Java Developer, Online Gaming, London

Quant Dev, Hedge Fund, FX, Excel VBA

Inside ZDNet UK

A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint

2012 Predictions: VCE FastPath, VI SAN Probe & Hadoop

BlackBerry Bold 9790

Make faster, smarter decisions using BI

Ten factors that make Ubuntu 11.10 a hit

Toshiba Portégé Z830-10P Review

BT's archive: Pictures from the vault

News & Analysis

Reviews

Blogs

Resources

About Us

Member Services

Special Features

Advertising Features

ZDNet UK / News and Analysis / Business of IT / IT Strategy

Apple makes 54Mbps standard on eMac

Daily Newsletters

Topics

Related stories

Post your comment

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

Latest in IT Strategy

Featured white papers

Latest jobs

Inside ZDNet UK

Resources

About Us

Member Services

Special Features

Advertising Features