Macintosh Purchase Information for Academic Offices 

The configurations below are recommended for most academic staff buying a Macintosh computer.

• Tenure-track and regular part-time faculty members are eligible for a College Provided Computer. Please contact Academic Computing for consultation and to place your order. You may select either the recommended desktop or laptop described below, or a similarly configured Dell. Your support liaison can help you select a system.
• Departmentally funded and grant funded computers also qualify for institutional pricing. The configurations suggested below are good general purpose systems. However, we can order most Macintosh products at our institutional discount, plus $150 shipping and software licensing. We will be happy to help you select an appropriate system for your needs. Please contact your support liaison for details or to place an order.

Note: You can go to Apple's Online store for Education, log on as a higher ed institutional buyer, and configure a system on your own. You will not be able to place the order directly, but you will be able to get a "proposal number." Pass the information onto your liaison. He or she will discuss the proposal with you and place the order.

iMac Intel Core 2 Duo

The iMac combines the computer’s base unit and display in one piece. This system meets the needs of most Macintosh users who prefer a desktop system. Faculty members eligible for an office computer can select either the 21.5" or 27" models. Those who travel frequently or do a lot of computer-based presentations may prefer a laptop.

iMac, Intel Core 2 Duo

Display: 21.5" or 27"

Speed: 3.06 Intel Core 2 Duo

Memory: 4 GB (2 x 2GB)

Hard Drive: 1 TB Serial ATA

Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics processor with 256MB

Expansion Ports: Four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, one SD card slot

Optical Drive: 8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

AppleCare Protection Plan: N/A

Microsoft Office: Office 2008

MacBook Pro 13-inch

This is the standard model for faculty who prefer a portable system for travel or presentations, or just to have a flexible work space. The 13" MacBook Pro weighs about 4.5 pounds.

MacBook Pro, 13-inch, aluminum

Display: 13.3-inch (viewable) LED-backlit glossy widescreen

Speed: 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Memory: 4 GB

Hard Drive: 320 GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory

Expansion Ports: Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, one SD card slot

Optical Drive: 8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

AppleCare Protection Plan: 3 year warranty

Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office 2008 license

MacBook Pro

This is the standard model for faculty who prefer a portable system for travel or presentations, or just to have a flexible work space. This MacBook Pro weighs 5.5 pounds.

MacBook Pro, 15-inch, aluminum

Display: 15.4-inch (viewable) LED-backlit glossy widescreen

Speed: 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo

Memory: 4 GB

Hard Drive: 320 GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT w/256 MB

Expansion Ports: Two USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 800 port, one SD card slot

Optical Drive: 8x double-layer SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)

AppleCare Protection Plan: 3 year warranty

Microsoft Office: Microsoft Office 2008 license

Mac Pro

The Mac Pro is recommended only for those who need a large chassis for expansion ports. If an iMac does not meet your needs, work with your liaison on a configuration. We do not have a standard recommendation on this system.

* ACC charges $150 for shipping and software licensing, above the price from Apple. Prices are subject to frequent change without notice. An actual price quote will only be available at time of purchase.