Apple Ditches All CRT Monitors

Apple Computer, the Cupertino, Calif.-based producer of the iPod digital music and video player, on Wednesday decided to stop using cathode-ray-tube (CRT) monitors within its full product line, making it one of the first major computer manufacturers to offer only flat-panel monitors or displays, the Associated Press reports via Yahoo News.

Yesterday, Apple announced that it is replacing its old eMac computer, designed for use in the education market, with a $900 iMac for use by students and educators in schools and universities. The eMac was the company’s last computer that featured a CRT monitor, according to the AP.

Apple made its original shift away from CRT monitors amid a growing industry-wide trend toward employing flat-panel, liquid crystal displays (LCD), which tend to be more efficient and less bulky than CRT monitors, the AP reports.

In 2001, Apple replaced all CRT monitors within its product line with LCDs, except those in its iMac line, and in January 2002, the company replaced those monitors with LCDs as well, according to the AP.

Apple’s new education iMac, which will be available only to qualified students, teachers and others in the academic field, will feature a 17-inch display and a 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor, the AP reports. The next least expensive offering in Apple’s iMac line goes for $1,299, and it features the same monitor size and microprocessor; however, it also enables users to burn DVDs and save more content on its larger hard drive, according to the AP.

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• Apple Starts Free Computer Recycling Program

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