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The "e" in eMac -- Apple's new 17-inch screen, all-in-one G4 machine -- stands for "education." The computer is a slimmed-down, souped-up version of the rotund old 15-inch iMac -- whose "i" stood for "Internet," among other words -- and it's ostensibly only available to teachers, students, school administrators and a few others who can prove that they're peripherally connected with learning.
Industry analysts responded to Apple's announcement with praise on Monday, saying that designing a computer specifically for the education market is a wise move for the firm, whose long-time leadership in education has slipped to a piteous No. 2 position behind Dell.
But some Macintosh fans -- a group that can be counted on to greet any new Apple product with untempered enthusiasm -- took in the eMac news with exasperation: Being long out of school, they're blocked from buying the eMac and they're not happy about it.
At least a few, though, are openly discussing ways to get their hands on one of these machines.
"I have to say that I'm not too happy with this eMac thing," wrote qaramel2001, a reader at the MacNN discussion site. "I had decided to buy a classic G3 (and was) starting to shop around for one, and now I find that there is something (the new eMac) that would much probably allow me to get G4 power at a lower price than the new LCD iMac!"
The reader added that he'd wait a while to see if Apple decides to release the eMac to everyone. "And if not I'm going to be very pissed -- why the hell can't I (get it)? Just because I left university a few years ago!!!??? Come on Apple!"
It's easy to see why some in the Mac herd are bleating. With a price tag as low as $1,000, the eMac is the least costly G4 computer in Apple's lineup. And it's not too bad to look at, either. So here's a computer they desperately want -- a sleek, cheap, new machine made by their favorite computer company -- and they're being told they aren't scholarly enough to buy it.
Apple did not return phone calls for this story, so it's unclear why the company would restrict the possible market for a new machine to a small group. One obvious reason -- floated on some discussion sites -- is that sales of the eMac would eat into sales of the company's new iMac, which are more expensive and therefore presumably more profitable for the company.
David Daoud, an analyst at IDC, said that it's also possible that the release of the eMac on the heels of the very successful debut of the flat-screen iMac could have left the company in a bit of a supply bind. And therefore it probably couldn't satisfy the full market yearning for this cheap machine.
Also, it was suggested by some, but not confirmed, that the company may get a tax break by releasing a school-only computer.
None of this is to imply that non-students who really absolutely want an eMac will have a very hard time getting one. Schemes for how to go about getting one are easy to cook up. After all, if college kids are willing to sell their eggs and sperm to pay their way through school, surely some of them wouldn't mind buying you one, for a small convenience fee.
But there seems to be an even easier way to get an eMac: Just lie to Apple.
As Remy Davidson, a writer at the Mac site Insanely Great Mac, pointed out on Monday, it's incredibly easy to get into Apple's online store for the eMac.
All you have to do is "agree I am a Higher Education Institution Faculty or Staff member, or a new or currently enrolled student of a Higher Education Institution."
Apple didn't respond to questions regarding what could happen to people if they lied about their status. The purchasing page doesn't list any punishments and it doesn't even say that the document is legally binding in any way.
Indeed, the form is so vague that it might even be possible to qualify as a "student" while still avoiding the moral squeamishness attendant to lying to Apple. That's because the agreement isn't specific about what kind of "student of a higher institution" you have to be to qualify for purchasing an eMac.
Many city and community colleges offer free, non-credit classes in such courses as knitting, quilting, sailing, skiing, tennis, yoga, creative writing, philosophy, pottery and pilates. Do students taking those computer-intensive courses fit the eMac bill? Alas, that's not clear.
But Mark Frauenfelder, a freelance writer who said that he was irked to see the eMac come out just a few weeks after he bought an iMac for a similar price, said that were he still in the market for a machine, he'd "figure out some way to do it."
"I would do what it took. It's kind of a joke what they're doing, putting in this extra hurdle. If you want one you can get one -- why are they making it that much harder? It could be part of this scheme, a hype campaign. Maybe they'll say soon, 'Demand was so great, we decided to release it to everyone.'"
