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Apple has unveiled a new version of its popular iMac series. The new Apple iMac is a 21.5 inch educational offering available to schools... Educational Apple iMac 21.5-Inch Model Revealed

Apple has unveiled a new version of its popular iMac series. The new Apple iMac is a 21.5 inch educational offering available to schools and universities.

The new model features all of the basic options available via consumer devices, however it scales down the processor to a dual-core Intel i3 option, rather than the quad-core i5 setup. Also changed is the GPU which now features an Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics card in place of a discrete card option.

The new 21.5-inch iMac is $100 more expensive than previous education models but it makes up for that pricing with double the storage capacity and double the RAM.

Educational iMac 21 5 inch

For comparison sake, the previous education iMac model features a 3.1 GHz dual-core i3 processor, 2GB RAM and a 250 hard drive. The new model features a 3.3GHz processor, 4GB RAM and a 500GB hard drive.

While the original education version featured a Firewire 800 connector, the new version offers Apple’s Thunderbolt port. The new educational iMac also brings with it USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity options.

The new educational suite also follows suite with older versions by ditching an optical drive.

Apple has also decided to go with a wired Apple Keyboard and a wired Apple Mouse in place of its preferred Magic Mouse and wireless keyboard setup.

Educational buyers can pick up the new iMac version for $1099, that’s nearly $200 cheaper than the consumer version of the 21.5-inch iMac. While the discount is welcomed the consumer version features a much faster processor, Nvidia GeForce GPU, 8GB RAM and a 1TB hard drive.

Individuals and families are barred from buying the new 21.5-inch iMac which is earmarked for institutional purchases only.

Educational Apple iMac 21.5-Inch Model Revealed

While Apple is listing most iMac models in the US with 24 hour shipping periods, the education version is showing a 5-7 day delay. Apple is also offering upgrades on the system which will likely delay the shipping process further.

Do you think the new educational Apple iMac is a good deal?

[Images via Apple]