Apple has begun shipping an education-oriented version of its 17in Intel-based iMac - replacing its last remaining CRT-fitted all-in-one machine, the eMac.

The new iMac is based on a 1.83GHz Core Duo processor and contains 512MB of 667MHz DDR 2. The display's driven by the Intel GMA 950 GPU Integrated into the chipset. Long-term storage comes courtesy of an 80GB, 7,200rpm SATA hard drive, and the built-in optical drive is a simple DVD-ROM/CD-R/RW unit.

The machine ships with 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet on board. It has Apple's usual iLife 06 software bundle. It costs £639 in the UK, $899 in the US.

The eMac was launched in April 2002 as a cheap, education-friendly alternative to the second-generation, angle-poise iMac. Unlike the earlier iMac, on which it was modelled, the eMac sported a flat CRT. A 17in model, at that - the old iMac never got above a 15in display. Indeed, the eMac won many buyers who'd bought an iMac but wanted a larger display without getting a pricey LCD model. ®