eMac Gone, Replaced By Low-End iMac

PC Magazine is reporting that Apple has announced that the eMac is no more, marking the end of the CRT era for Apple. Instead, Apple is making a special edition of the iMac available to Educational customers for $899. The lower-cost model uses the same GMA 950 graphics system used in the Mac mini, which shares main system RAM for its graphical needs. It also has only an 80GB hard drive (standard iMacs have a 160GB drive) and instead of the 8x SuperDrive standard on other models, this iMac has only a 24x CD-R/DVD playback combo drive. The new iMac does retain the standard 17-inch LCD display, along with the built-in iSight camera and other perks of the latest iMac models.

The new low-cost iMac shows up in the educational Apple Store only, not the regular store, which still lists the lowest cost iMac at $1299. No doubt the low-end iMac will be available on eBay, etc., in a short period of time.