iMacs and eMacs

iMac for Education (Mid 2011)

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Short link: http://bit.ly/iA2Ocy

Overview

This version of the Mid 2011 iMac is stripped back and only available to educational institutions; it is not available for sale to individuals.

To cut $200 and make this a $999 computer, Apple scaled back from a 2.6 GHz quad-core i5 CPU to a 3.1 GHz dual-core i3, removed the Thunderbolt port, and reduced capacity. This model's 2 GB of system memory, 256 MB of video memory, and 250 GB hard drive are half what the consumer model has.

Other than that, this model appears to be indentical to the entry-level consumer iMac.

At this point we don't know if the Mid 2011 Education iMac is available with OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, but it should be capable of running it.

Intel-based Macs use a partitioning scheme known as GPT. Only Macintel models can boot from GPT hard drives. Both PowerPC and Intel Macs can boot from APM (Apple's old partitioning scheme) hard drives, which is the format you must use to create a universal boot drive in Leopard. PowerPC Macs running any version of the Mac OS prior to 10.4.2 cannot mount GPT volumes. PowerPC Macs won't let you install OS X to a USB drive or choose it as your startup volume, although there is a work around for that.

Details

introduced 2011.08.08 at US$999 (21.5" 2.5 GHz i5, Radeon 6750M)
Part no.: n/a

Mac OS

requires Mac OS X 10.6.7 or later
Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard compatibility
- Grand Central Dispatch is supported.
- 64-bit operation is supported.
- OpenCL is supported.

Core System

CPU: 3.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core i3
L2 cache: 4 MB shared cache on CPU
bus: 1333 MHz
RAM: 2 GB, expandable to 16 GB using four 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM
performance: estimated based on 3.06 GHz i3 iMac from 2010

Speedmark 6.5: 174
Geekbench: 5681

Video

GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 256 MB dedicated VRAM
screen: 21.5" 1920 x 1080 LED backlit flat panel display
video out: Mini DisplayPort, DVI and VGA with optional adapters

Drives

drive bus: SATA 3 Gbps (6 Gbps with EFI update)
SSD: unknown
hard drive: 250 GB
SuperDrive: writes DVD±R, DVD+R, and DVD+RW discs at up to 8x speed, DVD-RW at up to 6x; dual layer at up to 4x; reads DVDs at up to 8x, writes CD-R discs at up to 24x, writes CD-RW discs at up to 16x, reads CDs at up to 24x

Expansion

Thunderbolt: none
USB: 4 USB 2.0 ports
FireWire 400: none
FireWire 800: 1 port, 7 Watts
ethernet: 10/100/gigabit
WiFi: 802.11n AirPort Extreme built in, three antennas support up to 450 Mbps bandwidth
Bluetooth 2.1: included
IR receiver: supports Apple Remote (not included)
SD Card: 1 slot, supports SDXC
Microphone: internal
Modem: None

Physical

H x W x D (21.5"): 17.75 x 20.8 x 7.42 in/45.1 x 52.8 x 18.85 cm
H x W x D (27"): 20.4 x 25.6 x 8.15 in/51.7 x 65.0 x 20.7 cm
weight (21.5"): 20.5 lb/9.3 kg
weight (27"): 30.5 lb/13.8 kg
power: 241W (21.5"), 365W (27")

Upgrades

none at present

Online Resources

Best online Intel iMac deals, updated biweekly.
Best Mac OS X 10.6 deals. Best online prices for Snow Leopard.
The Late 2009 iMac value equation, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2009.10.21. With larger 16:9 displays, the new iMacs bring a lot of value to the table, but there are some close-out bargains.
Know your Mac's upgrade options, Phil Herlihy, The Usefulness Equation, 2008.08.26. Any Mac can be upgraded, but it's a question of what can be upgraded - RAM, hard drive, video, CPU - and how far it can be upgraded.
Four 'Mid 2011' iMacs Versus One 'Mid 2010' iMac, Bare Feats, 2011.05.06
2011 iMac EFI Update upgrades built-in SATA bus to 6 Gbps.
27" iMac firmware update, USB and SSD data recovery, Online Bible for Snow Leopard, and more, Mac News Review, 2009.12.24. Also upgrading your Mac's hard drive, BackPack shelf for iMacs and Cinema Display, and CaseCruzer 27" iMac carry case.
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DVI-to-Mini DisplayPort converters: A ray of hope for the 27" iMac, Dan Bashur, Apple, Tech, and Gaming, 2009.11.13. The new iMac accepts DisplayPort input, but it won't work with the usual DVI-to-Mini DisplayPort adapters. It requires a more expensive converter.
Dumping Macs for Google apps, SSD in iMac, Mid 2011 iMac performance problems, and more, Mac News Review, 2009.11.06. Also pros and cons of the Magic Mouse, Late 2009 Mac mini reviewed, Parallels Desktop 5 for 64-bit OS X and Windows, and more.
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Why the 20" iMac is perfect for home or school, John Hatchett, Recycled Computing, 2009.09.29. The aluminum iMac has plenty of power and screen space, yet it's small enough and light enough to tote from place to place.
Mac mini the best value in desktop Macs, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2009.08.25. Although the iMac is faster all around, the Mac mini provides plenty of power at half the price. Even with the cost of upgrades, it's the value champion.
The 64-bitness of Mac OS X 10.6 'Snow Leopard', Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2009.08.19. Although Apple is promoting 'Snow Leopard' as a fully 64-bit operating system, it defaults to running in 32-bit mode.
The road ahead: 64-bit computing, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2009.08.19. Personal computers started with 8-bit CPUs, Macs started out with a 24-bit operating system, and 32-bit computing is starting to give way to 64 bits.
OS X 10.6 requirements, why Apple owns the high end, when to upgrade your Mac, and more, Mac News Review, 2009.08.14. Also Microsoft Word patent infringement, BackPack shelf for iMac and Cinema Displays, two updated Bible study programs, and more.
The perfect Mac: MacBook Pro or iMac?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2009.08.11. The 15" MacBook Pro with antiglare could be the perfect Mac, but the iMac also has much to commend it.
OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard for $29, run Windows on your Mac for Free, Update Breaks Office 2008, and more, Mac News Review, 2009.08.07. Also getting your Mac ready for Snow Leopard, Time Capsule doubles capacity, Picasa 3 for Mac, Bodega Mac app store, and more.
Computer disaster ends happily, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 2009.08.05. The iMac was getting slower and slower, and Disk Utility kept trying to fix the same problems. With a new hard drive, the iMac is running as well as ever.
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Optimized software builds bring out the best in your Mac, Dan Knight, Low End Mac's Online Tech Journal, 2009.06.30. Applications compiled for your Mac's CPU can load more quickly and run faster than ones compiled for universal use.
Intel's promise fulfilled: More processing power per processor cycle, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2009.06.30. Apple promised improved CPU efficiencies when it announced the move to Intel in 2005. Three years of MacBooks show the progress.
Avoiding dead and stuck pixels on your LCD screen, Charles Moore, 'Book Value, 2009.06.22. While CRT monitors would sometimes develop burn-in, LCD monitors may ship with or develop bad pixels.
Snow Leopard Up-to-Date, 13 Mac browsers, run Windows 7 on your Intel Mac for free, and more, Mac News Review, 2009.06.19. Also Mac sales steady in May, Apple vs. low-bandwidth users, Opera Unite turns browser into a personal server, and more.
Macs tracking swine flu, 6 quick Mac OS fixes, iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.4, and more, Mac News Review, 2009.05.08. Also Right Zoom maximizes windows, GeForce GTX 285 coming to Mac, APC backup batteries incompatible with Intel Macs running OS X 10.5.4 and later, vertical mice, and more
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US Mac sales down 16% in February, Opera Turbo available for testing, new iMac benchmarks, and more, Mac News Review, 2009.03.20. Also farewell to FireWire, Mac mini 'deliberately neglected' to protect iMac sales, Mini DisplayPort to VGA firmware update released, and more.
New Mac mini and iMac benchmarked, FireWire 400-to-800 solutions, dual-band AirPort Extreme, and more, Mac News Review, 2009.03.06. Also new iMac and Mac mini dissected, OS X share still above 10%, fastest SATA boot drives for the Mac Pro, iMac keyboard loses numeric keypad, and more.
Unbuntu Linux and Boot camp make it easy to create a triple boot Mac, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2008.12.24. Boot Camp makes it easy to install Windows on Intel Macs, and Ubuntu now makes it easy to install Linux to a virtual Windows drive.
Why DisplayPort is the video connector for the future, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2008.12.23. DisplayPort supports multiple displays, combines audio and video on one cable, and costs nothing to use.
The 'better safe than sorry' guide to installing Mac OS X updates, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.12.16. Most users encounter no problems using Software Update, but some preflight work and using the Combo updater means far less chance of trouble.
Why you should partition your Mac's hard drive, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.12.11. "At the very least, it makes sense to have a second partition with a bootable version of the Mac OS, so if you have problems with your work partition, you can boot from the 'emergency' partition to run Disk Utility and other diagnostics."
15 reasons Macs are better, quad-core iMac in January?, USB 3.0 spec finalized, and more, Mac News Review, 2008.11.21. Also 25 years of Macs, 'Snow Leopard' in Q1?, SimpleTech's faster and greener hard drive, Hyperspaces, StarOffice for OS X, and more.
Virtualization shootout: VMWare Fusion 2 vs. Parallels Desktop 4, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 2008.11.20. Both programs do the same thing, but one runs Windows XP smoothly alongside Mac apps, while the other bogs down everything but Windows.
Anticipating Macworld: Nehalem, Snow Leopard, and updated desktops, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.11.18. Intel's Core i7 CPU has to make it way into the next Mac Pro, Nvidia GeForce graphics will drive the iMac and Mac mini, and 'Snow Leopard' will unleash the animal within.
Debunking the Apple Tax, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2008.10.31. "...no one else is offering the quality of computer construction that Apple offers in the same price range."
One OS to rule them all, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2008.10.29. With Fusion or Parallels letting you run Windows at full speed, Mac OS X gives you the best of both worlds.
Nvidia may power new Mac mini and iMac, FireWire firestorm, OS X on PCs, and more, Mac News Review, 2008.10.27. Also turning your Mac into a WiFi access point, iKey keyboard with Bluetooth and trackpad, MacSpeech Dictate updated, and more.
Economic crunch may slow Mac sales, a recycled Cube, ToCA Race Driver 3 for Mac, and more, Mac News Review, 2008.10.10. Also don't buy RAM from Apple, customize your Mac's appearance, MacTribe expanding into print, My Apple Space social networking, and more.
How to clone Mac OS X to a new hard drive, Simon Royal, Mac Spectrum, 2008.10.07. Whether you want to put a bigger, faster drive in your Mac or clone OS X for use in another Mac, here's the simple process.
CodeWeavers brings Google's Chrome browser to Intel Macs, Alan Zisman, Zis Mac, 2008.10.02. Google's new Chrome browser uses separate processes for each tab and brings other changes to Windows users. Now Mac fans can try it as well.
Apple trumps Microsoft in making the 64-bit transition transparent to users, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2008.09.18. To use more than 4 GB of RAM under Windows, you need a 64-bit PC and the 64-bit version of Windows. On the Mac, OS X 10.4 and later already support it.
SATA, SATA II, SATA 600, and Product Confusion Fatigue, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2008.09.08. In addition to the original SATA specification and the current 3 Gb/s specification, SATA revision 3.0 is just around the corner.
Does running OS X system maintenance routines really do any good?, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2008.08.26. Mac OS X is designed to run certain maintenance routines daily, weekly, and monthly - but can't if your Mac is off or asleep.
Mac prices in context, Macs best for Microsoft Office, Macs surge in education, and more, Mac News Review, 2008.08.15. Also Macs becoming standard in the enterprise, Linux on old Macs, Gmail feels your pain, BurnAgain FS software for rewritable discs, and more.
Simple Mac security in the age of malware, Kev Kitchens, Kitchens Sync, 2008.08.13. Unlike Windows PCs, at this point Macs can't become infected simply from being on the Internet, but you still need to be careful about your downloads.
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No widescreen display for me, accessing MacWrite files, Fedora Linux for G3 Macs, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.06.19. Why monitors need more height, not more width; using MacWrite files, unleashing old Macs with Linux, and using badram to work around bad RAM in LInux.
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What's the best version of OS X for my Mac?, Ian R Campbell, The Sensible Mac, 2008.02.28. Which version of Mac OS X is best for your hardware depends on several factors.
Using the aluminum iMac: Color me impressed, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 2008.04.22. A MacBook is a wonderful thing, but an iMac with a 20" display can really spoil you.
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18-bit video inadequate, restoring AppleWorks speed, Macintosh display info, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.04.09. Also problems importing AppleWorks drawings and a damaged, unfixable mail database in Outlook Express 5.
Millions vs. thousands of colors: What's the difference?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2008.04.07. Once again Apple is being sued over a Mac that can display 'only' 262,144 colors per pixel, not the millions it claims. Does it realy matter?
Too few USB ports in too many Macs, developer Leopard ran on Yikes, Mac IIfx RAM heaven, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2008.01.16. Also Macworld Expo disappoints, Pismo a great field computer, using flash memory in vintage Macs, and Word vs. Pages for academic writing.
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Cross-platform computing: Better than it's ever been, Andrew J Fishkin, Best Tools for the Job, 2007.11.13. Macs can read PC media, both Macs and Windows PCs play nice with each other on networks, and emulation makes it easy for Intel Macs to run Windows apps.
Beyond Google, 10 years on the G3, the Cube is not a Road Apple, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2007.11.13. Also the 64-bit advantage of Core 2, OS 9 on a USB flash drive, sound problems since switching to Leopard, and 7200 rpm in an eMac.
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External $100 Sony DVD burner likes Macs, Brian Gray, Fruitful Editing, 2007.10.10. The box and manual say nothing about Mac compatibility, but this 18x USB 2.0 DVD burner is plug-and-play (at least with Tiger).
FastMac 8x SuperDrive and BurnAgain DVD: Fast and easy multisession disc burning, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2007.10.08. FastMac's 8x SuperDrive upgrade is remarkably fast compared with older PowerBook burners, and BurnAgain DVD makes it easy to append files to a previously burned CD or DVD.
3.2 Gbps FireWire, 4.8 Gbps USB coming, Macs cost less to use, a Core Image-based image editor, and more, Mac News Review, 2007.09.28. Also wireless USB to hit 1 Gbps, Mac sales are surging, aluminum iMacs have great image quality, 802.11n WiFi for most modern Macs, and more.
Importing video into iMovie, jumping the gun on G3s and Leopard, interference robustness, and more, Dan Knight, Low End Mac Mailbag, 2007.09.18. Also, Intel Macs support 802.11a WiFi alongside b, g, and n, and USB card options for beige G3 Power Macs.
Does a college freshman need to run Windows on a MacBook?, Al Poulin, My Turn, 2007.07.24. While you can run Windows on today's Intel-based Macs, is there any reason most college students would want to or need to?
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VMware Fusion beta 3 adds new features, takes a giant step toward release, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2007.04.11. Looking for a virtualization solution for your Intel Mac? The latest beta of VMWare Fusion makes several improvements and includes some unique features.
1 core, 2 cores, 4 cores, 8: How much difference does it make?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2007.04.10. Geekbench scores make it possible to compare the newest 3 GHz 8-core Mac Pro with the 1.5 GHz Core Solo Mac mini - and all the models in between.
11 ways to optimize your Mac's performance, Ed Eubanks Jr, The Efficient Mac User, 2007.03.12. If your Mac is getting sluggish, here are 11 tips that can help restore its original performance.
CrossOver: Run Windows apps on Intel Macs without Windows, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2007.02.28. If you need to run Windows apps on your Intel Mac once in a while, CrossOver may be the least expensive way to do so since it eliminates the need to buy a copy of Windows.
Parallels revisited: Release version far more polished than beta, Alan Zisman, Mac2Windows, 2006.11.21. Parallels lets you run Windows or Linux without rebooting your Intel-based Mac, and it's made great strides since the beta came out earlier this year.
To AppleCare or not to AppleCare?, Charles Moore, Miscellaneous Ramblings, 2006.11.20. Consumer Reports, which generally recommends against extended warranties, says AppleCare makes sense. But does it?
Pre-2006 software: The big reason you shouldn't buy an Intel Mac today, Ted Hodges, Vintage Mac Living, 2006.11.09. If you work with software that predates the Intel transition, you may be better off sticking with PowerPC Macs. And if you use classic apps, you definitely want to avoid Intel.
Region free DVD viewing options for Intel and PowerPC Macs, Andrew J Fishkin, The Mobile Mac, 2006.09.12. Several hardware and software options that will let your view 'wrong region' DVDs on your PowerPC or Intel Mac.
Comparing Apples to Apples: When is Macintel faster? When does PowerPC make more sense?, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 2006.01.29. Benchmarks show the Intel Core Duo flies through native code but plods through PowerPC programs. Will PowerPC or Intel give you the more productive workflow?
Macintel stumbling block: Sometimes you need Classic, Jeff Adkins, Mac Lab Report, 2006.01.25. As nice as the new Intel Macs seem to be, the lack of any Classic environment makes it impossible for some people to upgrade.
Apple Specs for iMac (Mid 2011)

Go to the iMac and eMac index.

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