- The title given to this article is incorrect due to technical limitations. The correct title is eMac.
- This article is about the Apple Macintosh computer model. For the text editor, see Emacs.
The eMac is an economy desktop computer made by Apple Computer. It is a white all-in-one Macintosh with a shape and design closely resembling that of Apple's original iMac, but it sports a PowerPC G4 processor significantly faster than the old iMac's G3, as well as a larger display. At first, one might mistake an eMac for a Snow iMac. The only differences noticeable simply by looking at the eMac would be the flat 17" CRT display, the tray CD-ROM, and the slightly different shape.
Apple introduced the eMac in April 2002 as a low-cost alternative to the new LCD iMac, exclusively for education buyers – in fact the name "eMac" stands for "education Mac" – but demand for it was so great that it was made available to the general public one month later.
The eMac featured a 17-inch flat CRT monitor, a G4 processor running at 700 or 800 MHz, NVIDIA GeForce2 MX graphics, and built-in 16-watt stereo speakers. The public models were priced at $1,099 and $1,499, filling the price gap between the $799 old iMac and the $1499 new LCD iMac.
Apple discontinued the old iMac line in March 2003 but did not fill the "cheap" price point until May, when the eMac line was updated and its price brought down to old-iMac levels. That revision brought the processor speed to 800MHz and 1GHz and replaced the GeForce2 with an ATI Technologies Radeon 7500 graphics system.
The eMac was further improved in October 2003, when the 800 MHz model was eliminated and the 1GHz model brought down to its price. A more expensive 1 GHz model that included Apple's SuperDrive was also made cheaper. This model was notable for being one of the least expensive brand-name computers at the time that could burn DVDs.
The most recent revision to the eMac line came in April 2004, with DDR SDRAM, a faster CPU, and a better graphics system.
To Apple's detriment, a large portion of eMacs have suffered from what was known as "Raster Shift", a strange phenomenon where the bottom third or half of the screen goes black, with the rest of image shifting upward and out of the top boundary of the display. Serious static also accompanies the problem, rendering the viewable part of the screen virtually useless. In response to the problem, Apple offered a solution which involved the replacement of a video cable inside the eMac's case.
Current revision
- 1.25 GHz G4 processor
- 167 MHz system bus
- 256 MB DDR SDRAM (can be upgraded to a maximum of 1 GB DDR SDRAM)
- ATI Radeon 9200 graphics
- 17-inch flat CRT display
- Built-in 16-watt stereo speakers
- Combo drive (CD burner that can read DVDs) or SuperDrive (CD and DVD burner)
- 40 or 80 GB hard disk drive
- The hard drive on the Combo Drive model can be upgraded to 80 GB, and the hard drive on the SuperDrive model can be upgraded to 160 GB.
External links
- Apple's eMac page (http://www.apple.com/emac/)
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