who want's a refitted cube back?

[Liamcow]

we all know the cube was a great idea, just not thought out well enough, nor givin the parts it deserved...but, if apple decided to take the old cube design/features, and refitted them with the specs of maybe the iMac, would the cube come alive once again??
maybe. what do you think?

 

[beez7777]

I wouldn't mind seeing a new cube introduced, although I'm not sure if it would sell too well with the competition of the new iMacs, which are very, very nice machines.

 

[vniow]

I'd get one!

But seriously, the Cube was what got me into Macs in the first place and I'd get one if they weren't going to be so outdated in the next year or two. I don't see them coming out with another Cube, but I could see a iDome or Powerdome, like a headless iMac (like the Cube was supposed to be)
The things that would have to make it different would be to have a seperate processor daughtercard and an AGP slot. The dome would probably raise a couple inches though and the proportions wouldn't be right. Mayby they could use a modified iMac logic board and a redisigned case. But to be realistic, I don't see them making anything like that soon, their product line is already pretty crowded, but maybe as a niche product like a XXth anneversary Mac or something.
Oh well. A girl can dream, can't she?

 

[Mr Jobs]

Apple is already sell a updated cube, they've taken the right angles out of it and sell it with a 15" or 17" display.

 

[beez7777]

Originally posted by Mr Jobs
Apple is already sell a updated cube, they've taken the right angles out of it and sell it with a 15" or 17" display.

Very true, Mr. Jobs

 

[DaedalusDE]

unless apple could get the new cube water cooled, it wouldnt be silent, and not have as much appeal as the old one... although it would still be cool to have dual ghz processors and a Radeon 9000 in an 8 inch box

 

[kiwi_the_iwik]

Originally posted by Mr Jobs
Apple is already sell a updated cube, they've taken the right angles out of it and sell it with a 15" or 17" display.

You're kidding, right?

The only real similarities between the Cube and the new iMac is that they both can run the same operating systems!!

I really don't care what people say - the Cube is a much better machine. It's far more diverse and upgradeable than the iMac. For example, the Cube has :

• an upgradeable processor (currently available in 1Ghz flavour)
• an upgradeable video card (current max. ATI Radeon 7500, or nVidia GeForce 3)
• the capacity for 1.5Gb Ram in standard 168-pin DIMM configuration
• the ability to increase the screen size to a 23" LCD widescreen (if you're rich enough... )
• no fan.
• style.

Conversely, the iMac has :

• a non-upgradeable processor (soldered onto motherboard - no daughtercard configuration)
• a non-upgradeable video card (soldered onto motherboard - nVidia GeForce 2MX/4MX)
• the capacity for only 1Gb Ram - one standard (and hard to access) 168-pin DIMM, one non-standard (and expensive) SODIMM.
• a maximum screen size of a 17" LCD widescreen
• a fan
• the stunning?!? design of a desk lamp...


I definitely know which one I would choose, if I had to make the decision now...

 

[dongmin]

Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik


You're kidding, right?

The only real similarities between the Cube and the new iMac is that they both can run the same operating systems!!

I really don't care what people say - the Cube is a much better machine. It's far more diverse and upgradeable than the iMac. For example, the Cube has :

• an upgradeable processor (currently available in 1Ghz flavour)
• an upgradeable video card (current max. ATI Radeon 7500, or nVidia GeForce 3)
• the capacity for 1.5Gb Ram in standard 168-pin DIMM configuration
• the ability to increase the screen size to a 23" LCD widescreen (if you're rich enough... )
• no fan.
• style.

I would say much of what you say is debatable.

1. Processor: All the new Macs have the processor soldered on, including the Powermacs so a reintroduced Cube wouldn't be processor-upgradable as you suggest.

2. Video: I'm not sure the AGP cards coming out now days would fit inside the Cube. And I don't think the convection cooling of the Cube would be adequate for these new high-powered cards. I'd say some major re-engineering would be in order.

3. Style: While I dig the Cube, the iMac has style and elegance of it's own. The "toaster" design of the Cube didn't catch on with everyone.

4. Optical Drive: They don't make slot-loading Superdrives, as far as I know. So that would limit your options.

5. Display: While the option to add a 22"/23" would is nice, what percentage of Cube owners do you think bought a cinema display? Two percent? Five percent?

6. Fan: The new iMacs are pretty damn quiet. Not much of an issue.

 

[Arcady]

Originally posted by dongmin


I would say much of what you say is debatable.

1. Processor: All the new Macs have the processor soldered on, including the Powermacs so a reintroduced Cube wouldn't be processor-upgradable as you suggest.

Excuse me, but the new PowerMac G4 has a CPU module, just like all previous PowerMac G4's. It will be possible to upgrade the CPU if upgrade makers want to make such upgrades.

 

[kiwi_the_iwik]

Originally posted by dongmin


I would say much of what you say is debatable.

1. Processor: All the new Macs have the processor soldered on, including the Powermacs so a reintroduced Cube wouldn't be processor-upgradable as you suggest.

2. Video: I'm not sure the AGP cards coming out now days would fit inside the Cube. And I don't think the convection cooling of the Cube would be adequate for these new high-powered cards. I'd say some major re-engineering would be in order.

3. Style: While I dig the Cube, the iMac has style and elegance of it's own. The "toaster" design of the Cube didn't catch on with everyone.

4. Optical Drive: They don't make slot-loading Superdrives, as far as I know. So that would limit your options.

5. Display: While the option to add a 22"/23" would is nice, what percentage of Cube owners do you think bought a cinema display? Two percent? Five percent?

6. Fan: The new iMacs are pretty damn quiet. Not much of an issue.

Well - let's take these issues one step at a time, shall we?

1. Arcady has sufficiently slammed you on that one, so I won't kick you whilst you're down...

2. The Radeon 7000 fits in very nicely, thank you very much - although it doesn't have the proprietory ADC that Apple uses for it's LCD's. The nVidia GeForce 3 makes an ideal substitute, as it actually works as good (if not faster) than the GeForce 4MX - which is just an updated 2MX (which is why the majority of users are either going back to a GeForce 3 - and why they're as rare as hen's teeth - or ditching their 4MX cards altogether, and going for the Radeon option, or the 4Ti option...)

3. Personal preference, I suppose. You probably like the look of old Volvos, too... I think the design is fine, and would fit in nicely with Steve Jobs' vision of a true digital hub, sitting in the lounge as the central device for your entertainment centre. Also, the Cube was designed with upgradeability in mind - no screws to remove, no internal shielding to take out, no big "warning" signs telling how it should be only opened by an "authorized Apple Repairer". Just turn it upside-down and eject the core (it even sounds hi-tech...).

4. I would rather have a slot-loading drive than a tray loading one. Again, preference. However, when the new TiBooks are released with slot-loading SuperDrives included (and it's not a matter of "if", but "when"), it would only be a matter of time before the drives become available on the market through a third party supplier. Then it would be completely feasible to remove my DVD-Rom drive from my Cube and replace it with a SuperDrive.

5. Notice I said "...the ability to increase the screen size..." - at least you've got the option to get a bigger screen if you wish. And with the correct video card, you can even run 2 monitors with seperate images on them (not screen mirroring, like with the iMac).

6. Fine. Whatever. I haven't sat in a quiet room with an iMac on. I have, however, sat in a quiet room with a Cube, and can hear nothing other than the tap of my fingers on the keyboard. Now that's quiet...

Where the iMac is a nice machine, you can't possibly categorise it with the Cube. They're poles apart. And that is why Cubes are the only computers in history to ever increase in value after being discontinued - and are still on the climb (the Apple I and Mac 128K only increased in value years after they were produced).

 

[beez7777]

Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik
And that is why Cubes are the only computers in history to ever increase in value after being discontinued - and are still on the climb (the Apple I and Mac 128K only increased in value years after they were produced).

One can buy a nice cube with a monitor for $1200, which is much cheaper than they were when they first came out

 

[beez7777]

Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik
And that is why Cubes are the only computers in history to ever increase in value after being discontinued - and are still on the climb (the Apple I and Mac 128K only increased in value years after they were produced).

Or you can go to this link at everymac and it clearly shows that cubes are not still worth the $2800 they were new.
http://everymac.com/systems/apple/powermac_g4/stats/powermac_g4_500_cube.html

 

[kiwi_the_iwik]

Funny...

...I don't see the new iMac in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Anyway - I wasn't stupid enough to buy the Cube when the CPU was £1500. I waited until the price dropped sufficiently, to £850 new. Quite a substantial savings. If you went to eBay now, you would easily pay the same as I paid for one new.

When the Cube came out, it was paired with Apple's new range of LCD displays. They definitely aren't as expensive now as they were then, which is why your example of a price is so astronomical. Monitors will ALWAYS be dropping in price - especially since they're a standard piece of equipment across the WHOLE range of PowerMac G4's. Apple has to be seen to have an attractively-priced and aesthetically pleasing monitor range, or else what's stopping the consumer from going out and getting a Formac or LaCie monitor?



You're boring me.


End of story.

 

[Mr Jobs]

Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik


You're kidding, right?

The only real similarities between the Cube and the new iMac is that they both can run the same operating systems!!

I really don't care what people say - the Cube is a much better machine. It's far more diverse and upgradeable than the iMac. For example, the Cube has :

• an upgradeable processor (currently available in 1Ghz flavour)
• an upgradeable video card (current max. ATI Radeon 7500, or nVidia GeForce 3)
• the capacity for 1.5Gb Ram in standard 168-pin DIMM configuration
• the ability to increase the screen size to a 23" LCD widescreen (if you're rich enough... )
• no fan.
• style.

Conversely, the iMac has :

• a non-upgradeable processor (soldered onto motherboard - no daughtercard configuration)
• a non-upgradeable video card (soldered onto motherboard - nVidia GeForce 2MX/4MX)
• the capacity for only 1Gb Ram - one standard (and hard to access) 168-pin DIMM, one non-standard (and expensive) SODIMM.
• a maximum screen size of a 17" LCD widescreen
• a fan
• the stunning?!? design of a desk lamp...


I definitely know which one I would choose, if I had to make the decision now...

i'm not saying the imac is the cube, i saying apple made the cube the way it did (just like u have written above) but found out that wasnt a good design that sells a lot so thay re-modified it to suit what the people wanted and they came up with the imac.

u can go on all night about wanting this wanting that but its been proved that it doesn't have a market, so dream on...imac is the redesigned cube, a cube that sells.

yes there are differences but thats what an update is, redesigned for the better

 

[kiwi_the_iwik]

Originally posted by Mr Jobs
u can go on all night about wanting this wanting that but its been proved that it doesn't have a market, so dream on...imac is the redesigned cube, a cube that sells.

The ONLY reason that the Cube failed was because of the pricetag. Had Apple lowered the price to a more respectable level, then sales of the G3 iMac would have decreased, with buyers taking on the more favourable G4 chip in the Cube. Face it - Apple shot themselves in the foot with this one. With the proper price tag on the Cube from the word "go", they could have left behind the G3 chip, focusing on the G4 instead - R&D would have had a significant advancement in both time and funding.

I'm sure that this iMac is only an interim solution - sales are already dropping, and the units are in stockpile mode in the factories.

When the new slot-loading SuperDrives come into play, expect better things for the iMac - no dome base and lamp design, but just a widescreen LCD display with SuperDrive and motherboard inside, positioned behind the screen at right angles...

 

[Mr Jobs]

Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik


I'm sure that this iMac is only an interim solution - sales are already dropping, and the units are in stockpile mode in the factories.

When the new slot-loading SuperDrives come into play, expect better things for the iMac - no dome base and lamp design, but just a widescreen LCD display with SuperDrive and motherboard inside, positioned behind the screen at right angles...

u just proved your self wrong, even a lower priced cube (imac) doesn't sell. plus before you say a lower price cube with all the original upgradeable and other features, well if they did that what do u think will happen to the powermac sales.

plus i really doubt that the imac is an interim solution...after all the fuss and marketing not to forget r&d time and cost

 

[Chaszmyr]

I think the bottom line about the cube is it was too expensive. I do however think the cube coulda done ALOT better if APPLE would have retailed updgrade modules for it. There is virtually no chance of a new cube though, becasue the old one was simply a flop

 

[kaltsasa]

I would definitly consider buying a cube. My girlfreind thinks they are the damn cutest things and always wants one, if i had the cash i'd pick up a used on just so she could put it in the living room.

 

[macwannabe]

I love the cube! It first got me interested in Macs. I'd buy one if they brought out an updated one.

 

[kiwi_the_iwik]

Originally posted by Mr Jobs


u just proved your self wrong, even a lower priced cube (imac) doesn't sell. plus before you say a lower price cube with all the original upgradeable and other features, well if they did that what do u think will happen to the powermac sales.

plus i really doubt that the imac is an interim solution...after all the fuss and marketing not to forget r&d time and cost

How could I possibly be proving myself wrong? If the price would have been fair in the beginning, there would have been no more iMac (or even a G4 iMac) - the market would have been strong enough to support the Cube in the first place.

Secondly, the Power Mac sales would not have been affected, as the Cube doesn't have the PCI expansion options available - unlike the tower design. Those machines are the workhorses of the Mac computing world, whereas the Cube is the attractive eye-candy (although it could pull it's weight with the best of them when it was released - and even now, with it's 1Ghz upgrade option). The Cube was designed for the home/office user, who wanted the functionality of a G4 processor without the unnecessary clutter and noise involved with having a tower.

I don't regret buying my Cube in the slightest - and if I had the chance over again, I would have still bought my Cube when I did. I'm satisfied to this day that it ranks up there with the best purchases I ever made.

Finally, in response to your last statement, technology changes constantly - as does fashion and design. My point in case is the first-generation iBook - hailed as a design revolution in the beginning, it went out of favour very quickly when it was compared to a toilet seat (and as for the green one - well, enough said about that...). Anyway, the design lasted no more than 2 seasons, and then was totally revamped - partly to do with technological improvements, and partly design.

I can see the same thing happening with this version of the iMac - if Apple factories are stockpiling these little guys, one of two things are going to happen:

1. There is going to be a big price reduction on the iMac to make it appear more attractive to the consumer, or

2. There is going to be a big sale to reduce inventory - which usually means yet another version of the iMac to be released. And gauging recent sales figures, it would not be out of the realms of possibility to assume that another incarnation of the iMac will soon be gracing the stage at the next MacWorld Expo, introduced at the keynote speech with Steve Jobs' characteristic - "...and one more thing..."

 

[tjwett]

the Cube was the bomb. it was probably the best Mac i ever owned. i loved every minute of it and NEVER had a problem. i would buy one in a heartbeat.

 

[Anon]

I liked the cube concept. Easy to access RAM, hard drive, upgradeable video card. The design was slick. I never bought one because I felt it was overpriced and the original ones lacked dual monitor support. With the latest video cards having two digital outputs part of my problems with the design are gone. If Apple were to come out with a new verison of the cube that was feature comparable to what ever the current PowerMac was, but cheaper because it didn't have any PCI slots, didn't have have gigabit ethernet, and only 1 processor, I'd buy it.

 

[bsharp]

In a heartbeat...

I'd buy one in a heartbeat. I need a new Mac. My son's got my Blueberry iBook and my daughter wants my old upgraded desktop. Cash is in hand, but...

The new 17" iMac seems sluggish to me. Nice design, but no upgrade options. I want more than just 800 MHz. The new PowerMacs concern me. I've read the posts about their overclocked chips, lack of 'true' DDR Ram and loud noise.

I don't need a laptop and the eMac doesn't interest me.

I want a new Mac, but just don't like any of the options currently available.

Yeah. I'd buy a cube.

 

[beez7777]

Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik

When the Cube came out, it was paired with Apple's new range of LCD displays. They definitely aren't as expensive now as they were then, which is why your example of a price is so astronomical.

The cubes were 2800 dollars without a monitor.

 

[mnkeybsness]

Originally posted by kiwi_the_iwik

4. I would rather have a slot-loading drive than a tray loading one. Again, preference. However, when the new TiBooks are released with slot-loading SuperDrives included (and it's not a matter of "if", but "when"), it would only be a matter of time before the drives become available on the market through a third party supplier. Then it would be completely feasible to remove my DVD-Rom drive from my Cube and replace it with a SuperDrive.

i'm pretty sure we will NEVER see superdrive laptops...dvds just take too long to burn and the drive gets SO hot...it's just not a feasible idea to do...if you really want one then get an external dvd-r drive