Apple Announces a Faster, More Affordable eMac; Complete DVD Burning Solution Now Just $999.

PR Newswire

April 13, 2004

Apple(R) today announced a faster, more affordable line of eMac(TM) desktop computers for home and schools, including faster PowerPC G4 processors running at up to 1.25 GHz, 333 MHz DDR memory, faster ATI Radeon graphics and USB 2.0 connectivity to peripherals. Offering even more power and performance, Apple's most affordable SuperDrive(TM)-equipped system is now available starting at just $999 (US).

"The new eMac is the most affordable SuperDrive-equipped Mac ever," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of Hardware Product Marketing. "Offering incredible value right out of the box, eMac provides everything you need for today's digital lifestyle including iLife '04, Apple's award-winning suite of applications for creating and managing digital photos, music and movies."

Housed in a remarkably compact all-in-one design, eMac has a crisp 17-inch flat CRT display (16-inch viewable) supporting screen resolutions of up to 1280-by-960 pixels in 24-bit color. Offering fast 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processors, eMac comes with either a Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) drive for watching DVD movies and burning CDs or Apple's revolutionary 8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) for the ability to burn professional-quality DVDs at double the DVD-burning speed as before. eMac comes with hard drives up to 80GB and high-performance ATI Radeon 9200 graphics with dedicated video memory for outstanding graphics performance and realistic game play.

Providing the latest in wireless communications, eMac now also offers an optional internal Bluetooth module, in addition to including a built-in antenna and card slot to support an optional AirPort(R) Extreme Card for 54 Mbps 802.11g fast wireless networking*. With a total of five USB ports (three USB 2.0) and two FireWire(R) ports, eMac desktops offer easy plug-and-play connections to popular peripherals such as iPod(TM), digital video camcorders, and digital still cameras and printers. eMac also includes built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet and a 56K V.92 modem.

Every new eMac includes iLife(R) '04, Apple's award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications including iTunes(R) for managing digital music, iPhoto(TM) for organizing and sharing digital photos, iMovie(R) for digital movie-making, iDVD(TM) for creating and burning Hollywood-style DVDs and GarageBand(TM), a revolutionary new music application that turns a Mac(R) into a professional-quality musical instrument and recording studio.

The eMac comes with Apple's latest operating system pre-installed. Mac OS(R) X version 10.3 "Panther" delivers more than 150 breakthrough features including iChat AV, an easy to use desktop video conferencing solution; FileVault, which uses the latest security standards and 128-bit encryption technology to ensure that data in the home directory is kept secure; ExposA[c](TM), a revolutionary new way to instantly view all open windows; Instant On, which wakes the eMac from sleep in just one second; and Automatic Networking, which automatically switches the network connections between Ethernet, 802.11 and modem. With enhanced Windows compatibility, files, printers and network services can easily be shared with Windows users. eMac also comes with a collection of productivity and entertainment titles including AppleWorks, Quicken 2004 for Mac, WorldBook Encyclopedia 2004 Edition and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.

Pricing & Availability

The eMac line is available immediately through the Apple Store(R) (http://www.apple.com/), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers in two standard configurations.

The 17-inch flat CRT eMac, for a suggested retail price of $799 (US) includes:

  -- 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor; 

  -- 256MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM; 

  -- a 32x Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive; 

  -- five USB ports (three USB 2.0) and two Firewire 400; 

  -- ATI Radeon 9200 with 32MB video memory; and 

  -- a 40GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive. 

The 17-inch flat CRT eMac, for a suggested retail price of $999 (US) includes:

  -- 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor; 

  -- 256MB of 333 MHz DDR SDRAM; 

  -- an 8x SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) optical drive; 

  -- five USB ports (three USB 2.0) and two Firewire 400; 

  -- ATI Radeon 9200 with 32MB video memory; and 

  -- an 80GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive. 

Build-to-order options and accessories include up to 1GB of RAM, 80GB and 160GB hard drives, AirPort Extreme Card and AirPort Base Station, internal Bluetooth module, Tilt/Swivel Stand and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

eMac computers, including a new configuration without an optical drive, are also available to education customers in the US and Canada through the Apple Store for Education at http://www.apple.com/education/store or by calling an Apple education sales representative at 800-800-APPL.

*Actual speed will vary based on range from the base station, environmental conditions and other factors.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.