There's a lot of talk about how Apple's losing its stronghold on the education market, and well that may be, especially given the way that Intel has been giving away "migration grants" to schools who move to Windows NT systems from Unix and Mac boxes. (You remember-- that's what kicked up all that dust with Yale telling their incoming freshmen not to buy Macs, etc.) Add that to the fact that Apple lacked a reasonably-priced school system for a long time until the Power Mac G3 All-in-one (née Artemis) made its $1499 debut, and that is still more than most school systems want to pay for a single system even though it's so powerful. The iMac is incredibly well-suited to the school environment, except possibly for that missing floppy drive, and may further help Apple keep its foot in the school door.

In the meantime, though, it's nice to see Apple is still keeping up its practice of handing out grants to schools who exhibit excellence in their "education technology project plans." In a press release, Apple reveals that they just gave out over $1 million in grants to ten teams of K-12 and higher education partners who have demonstrated "innovative ways to use technology in their classrooms." That helps keep them visible and reinforces their long-standing image as the "education computer" company, while also benefiting schools who are trying to integrate computers into their programs.

By the way, we've received comments from lots of faithful viewers in the school system that indicate that the All-in-one is very popular. Too bad we never hear about that nifty system from Apple, and we're also bummed that it's not available outside of the education channel. When you think about it, it's basically an iMac without USB and 100-base-T ethernet, but with standard Mac serial ports, ADB ports, PCI slots, Rage Pro 2D and 3D graphics acceleration, and floppy drive-- all for only $200 more. (If you really want USB also, just add a $49 card.) For existing Mac users who are looking to upgrade to an iMac, the All-in-one might be a better choice, as there would be no real compatibility issues with existing peripherals. Of course, you wouldn't get the iMac's cool plastics, but Apple could remedy that in a home version of the All-in-one. Anyone listening in Cupertino?