Apple launched its new, entry-level 21.5 inch iMac today, a device meant specifically for education institutions. This new iMac model is available for $999.  It comes with a 3.1GHz Core i3 processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB of hard drive storage and an AMD HD 6750 with 512 MB.  Interestingly, this model (dubbed a ‘Late 2011′ iMac) does not have Thunderbolt, which makes this iMac the first new Mac from Apple in 2011 that doesn’t support the high-speed iOS technology.  Bummer.

Apple has a history of releasing products specially built for educational institutions, including the earlier iMac introduced for $899. Apple really wants to capture the education niche and has been trying to find its way into specialty markets for a very long time. Microsoft, on the other hand, has a really firm grip over educational institutions, Windows is the most used computer in educational facilities around the world.

Apple has changed the electronics industry with some revolutionary products, and we’ve seen a significant increase in Apple MacBook Pros MacBook Airs iMac and Mac Minis sales in past couple of years. It’s not just about post-PC products, now people are converting to Apple and prefer Macs over PCs. If Apple takes control of educational institutions, things would be really different for the guys in Redmond, WA.

Apple has released education-only Macs in the past. Several years ago, the company introduced the eMac, which used a CRT display like its original iMac predecessor but had a G4 processor like the first flat-panel iMac. The eMac was only available to schools, but after protests, Apple made the computer available to everyone. At the time, CEO Steve Jobs had famously declared “the death of the CRT,” and the eMac was geared toward schools that couldn’t afford the then-new flat-panel iMac.

The introduction of the new iMac shows that Apple is still keen on attracting education customers, which is a great way of getting its product in the hands of students, one of its expanded demographics. Apple’s attempts to win favor with students also includes the yearly back-to-school deals, and special pricing for individual educational customers, which usually knocks at least $50 off the price of any Mac.  According to recent research, it’s a combined strategy that’s working very well.

While Microsoft’s had a stronghold in school machines, Google’s been infiltrating through software web apps, and is looking to converge these efforts with a netbook device of its own.  In May, Google announced its anticipated Chromebook, the consumer-facing evolution of their Chrome OS-based CR-48 laptop pilot program. Where CR-48 was a limited edition, free to the chosen few, beta program, Chromebooks were to be a straight-up commercial product, initially available in a handful of flavors from two manufacturers. TheSamsung Chromebook was finally out last July. Running Google’s Chrome OS operating system, Chromebooks find a way to everything you do at the web. Chrome OS is essentially a modified Linux kernel that runs only on Google’s Chrome browser and you can use Gmail, Google Docs and Google Calendar. Instead of using iTunes, you can use Pandora or maybe the “cloud” music services offered by Google and Amazon.  Google appeals to educational programs by way of price and integration, and that’s been helping the search giant maintain its steady takeover, leaving some to wonder why they’d pay nearly $1000 a pop for a machine that’s lacking features.