A note to dealers reveals: “Please be advised that the iMac for education is no longer available to education individuals. Effective immediately this product is only available to education institutions. The product will be removed from the Apple Education Individual Stores from 12 July 2006.”
I guess all those people with the bright idea to order that low cost iMac through a student or teacher are out of luck. Give me a moment to dry my crocodile tears. All that abuse has basically hurt many students.
Then again, it could of course just be that Apple in their infinite wisdom (and unfortunate percentage drop in stock price) have realised that selling a single indivdual iMac to a lowly student is financially bereft as opposed to selling, say 100 units, to an academic institution.......or am I just being cynical???
By allowing individuals to purchase it, they aren't disallowing an academic institution from purchasing 100. But this way I guess individuals will have no choice but to buy pricier Macs.
Although I have been a happy Apple customer for decades, I also think limiting the education purchase options hurts Apple. A lowly student or underpaid teacher will remain a loyal Apple customer once they use the product. If potential customers are forced to buy a inferior PC product because of price, they may never return even when they are flush. Apple's innovation and computing prowess is a fact but their marketing needs to restained
with common sense and not arrogance. Computing is not like building washing machines, forward thinking computer makers need to also
need to build a user culture and sometimes that means a lower price structure or incentives. It proves to me that Apple( as so many companies)has also been seduced by Wall street greed. Unfortunately, 'education' is becoming a ghetto instead of a democratic ideal that should be nurtured. regards,
AS