eMac Gets New Drives; iMac Gets Cheaper
Apple today announced small changes to its consumer desktop line of Macs, adding new optical drive options to the inexpensive eMac and dropping the price on the iMac line. The eMac, which initially offered only a CD-RW drive, now features either a Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) for $1,100 or Apple’s SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-CD-RW) for $1,500 (the two configurations differ in other ways as well – the SuperDrive-equipped model has faster CPU, more RAM, and a larger hard disk). If you don’t mind spending a bit more for the stylish iMac with its flat-panel display, Apple just sweetened the deal by dropping the prices on the CD-RW and Combo drive models by $100, to $1,300 and $1,500 respectively. (Both repriced models come with the 15-inch LCD screen; the 15-inch model with a SuperDrive remains priced at $1,800 and the 17-inch model comes only with a SuperDrive and costs $2,000.) Although these changes are minor, they help make the iMac and eMac even more attractive to students just before the start of the school year.