Apple Computer Inc. today announced that customers could now get an eMac with the company’s DVD burning SuperDrive. The eMac is available in two configurations: one featuring a Combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive for US$1,099, the same price as the prior CD-RW equipped model; and one featuring Apple’s SuperDrive for burning DVDs and CDs for $1,499.
“Now, for the first time, users can burn their own custom DVDs on an under-$1,500 computer,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in a statement. “Our amazing SuperDrive and award-winning iMovie and iDVD applications ushered in the era of personal DVD burning, and this groundbreaking low price point will further reinforce Apple’s lead in this rapidly-growing market segment.”
What started out as an alternative all-in-one machine for Apple’s education customers, the eMac has grown in features in the last few months.
When Apple first unveiled the eMac on April 29, 2002, only the company’s education customers were able to buy the newly designed iMac look-alike. Interest from the consumer market in the G4-equipped all-in-one computer soon led Apple to release it for the general public.
When Apple released the eMac to consumers on June 4, 2002, they did so without the option to purchase a SuperDrive. Optical drive options for the eMac included a CD-ROM drive or a CD-RW, a move that left consumers wanting more.
At Macworld Expo, Apple quietly updated the eMac again, this time with a combo drive. While the Combo drive was a popular addition to the line-up it still didn’t give customers the ability to burn DVDs.
Zettabyte Solutions in July started offering customers an eMac with a SuperDrive pre-installed if you ordered the computer from them. Chris Thompson, owner of Zettabyte, said at the time that he had 30-40 units going out a day.
Late last month, Apple stopped the sale of SuperDrive equipped eMacs from Zettabyte Solutions.
The Combo drive eMac is available this week and the eMac with the SuperDrive is expected to be available by the end of this month through the Apple Store, at Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.