Bring Back the Cube

[Durandal7]

Apple should bring back the Cube. With the Powermac G5s starting at $1999 and the the iMacs having a fixed monitor there is a definite gap in the lineup. The solution? Reintroduce the G4 Cube with a price point between $1,000 and $2,000. It is obvious that it will be years until we see G5s in the iMac and for the forseeable future the Powermac G5s will remain premium computers.

Bringing in the G4 Cube with 1Ghz and 1.25Ghz processors would fill a gap in Apple's lineup. Many people don't want an iMac because of the utter lack of expandibility and the fixed monitor. Others don't want to spend $1999-$2999 for a tower. The Cube is actually in a position where it could suceed as a mid-range model due to Apple's current pricing scheme.

Just a thought...

[macphoria]

I think they should keep their lineup as is and focus on continuously improving them instead of introducing something else. Even though Cube was a good machine, it couldn't find a market and there is no guarantee it will find a market now.

[photohead]

I think Durandal7 is right!!! Bring the cube back! it will fill the pricing gap that is lacking in the current line up...think about it....on the next revision cube on the low end powermac single processors in the middle and hopefully like a dual 3.0 to top it off. How sweet would that be!! we can only hope....bring back the cube with firewire 800 and airport extreme, bluetooth, and I would be a happy camper! Lets all hold hands and pray!

N

[Kwyjibo]

Did they stop selling the old powermacs? I thought they would keep those around to fill that spot

[AnotherMortal]

Perhaps you are all like me, and want a chance to get their hands on this collectors item that still sells for over a grand on eBay.

[Sayhey]

how about a new version of the cube in the low end range? Apple needs a good entry into the $500 - $600 dollar range sans monitor. An adaption of the cube seems ideal for this.

[AnotherMortal]

I've often wondered what an iMac would be like without the flatpanel attached. This could easily be the same form-factor as the Cube....Just a thought

[funkywhat2]

This is why you can buy a single 1.25 G4 tower with OS 9 booting for 1299. If you did it in the shape of the Cube, it would just add to the price.

[vniow]

Originally posted by Kwyjibo
Did they stop selling the old powermacs? I thought they would keep those around to fill that spot

They do, check near the software section at the Apple store, starting at $1299 I think, if a Cube were reintroduced it would either have to match that price with better specs, or be cheaper than the towers, starting at $999 or so....

[AnotherMortal]

Yeah, shaping a computer like a cube, or like say, a lampshade does add to the price a bit, doesn't it?

[tazo]

Originally posted by Kwyjibo
Did they stop selling the old powermacs? I thought they would keep those around to fill that spot

They didn't. THe G4 powermac is the modern day cube in apple's lineup. affordable now, between the imac and g5 in terms of speed, and expandability. If apple introduces a new cube it would be extremely popular, but just cause G4 tower sales to disintegrate.

-tazo

[Wardofsky]

Not likely, I hate to be the negative but think about it.

Apple took away the cube 'cause only Mac dedicated would be a cube and a monitor seperately for that price.

It would hurt Apple's reputation to bring something back that it took away because it was selling badly.

They'd have to rename it and re-design it to a rectangle or a sphere :D

[Marble]

I want a little apple-shaped computer that I can cleverly hide in a basket of fake fruit.

[Abstract]

C'mon folks. If the Cube was a great idea, they wouldn't have taken it away from us. Its probably not as great an idea as we all think it is. ;)

It's very purdy. :p

[bystem]

The Cube is one of my favourite Macs. I would like to see it as an entry level machine. It doesn't require an AGP slot, integrated graphics would be fine (plus lowering costs). However, such price/performance would make the Cube a consumer machine and the all-in-one design is possibly better. The all-in-one simplifies the decision making process for the customer.

[wrc fan]

I don't think it should be a cube, but more of a small set-top box (perferably around the size of an external firewire hard drive (not the mini ones, but a full size one). It would not have a hard drive or any optical drive. What it would have is AirPort Extreme, Gigabit Ethernet, 4 Firewire Ports (perhaps 1 or 2 Firewire 800), 6 USB 2.0 ports, built in graphics with ADC and S-Video port, SPDIF in and out. For processing power it would have either a low power G4, or underclocked G5, so that no fan is needed.

This would be great for a set top box to watch video, surf internet, photo slide shows, mp3 jukebox... maybe it would have a co-ax in so it could also record TV? Or for a situation where the people just want a quiet but powerful computer.

The computer could use the gig-e or AE to netboot, or you could plug in a firewire hard drive.

This would enable it to be fairly cheep, and let the end user decide exactly what they want for their system. If they want to buy a firewire superdrive, they can; if they only want a firewire cd-rw they can get that. Then they won't have to speend money on something they don't need.

Price it between $300-$500, and offer a bluetooth keyboard/mouse and remote control for $70 and you've got a nice little system.

[the future]

The G4 towers Apple still sells are not meant to cover some price spot between the G5 and the iMac but to cover the segment of the market that needs/wants a machine that's OS 9 bootable.

A new, still fan-less, not overpriced, single G5 cpu cube would sell fantastically IMO. I would buy one immediately.

[vollspacken]

if a 1+ Ghz G4/G3 Gobi iCube was priced at $500,-, it would sell like hotcake!!!

...I want one!

[hvfsl]

Originally posted by macphoria
I think they should keep their lineup as is and focus on continuously improving them instead of introducing something else. Even though Cube was a good machine, it couldn't find a market and there is no guarantee it will find a market now.

The only reason it did not find its market was that it was the most expensive of Apples computers, will having less expanability than the PMs. A cube that costs less than the G5s would be a good thing. It could be like the shuttle cases in the PC world. It could have:

1 AGP 8x slot (non pro) with min Geforce FX5200
2 PCI-X slots
2 DDR333 RAM slots with min 256MB
Choice of Superdrive or DVD/CD-RW
The new 1.3Ghz IBM G3 with altivec
60GB Hard Disk

All for around $1000 without a monitor. If Apple uses the new G3 with 200Mhz bus then there should be no reason why it can't be this cheap.

Edit: actuall the $700 would be a much better and more realistic price.

[rt_brained]

Originally posted by Marble
I want a little apple-shaped computer that I can cleverly hide in a basket of fake fruit.
Clever idea. Call me.

S. Jobs
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
408.996.1010

[AnotherMortal]

1 AGP 8x slot (non pro) with min Geforce FX5200
2 PCI-X slots
2 DDR333 RAM slots with min 256MB
Choice of Superdrive or DVD/CD-RW
The new 1.3Ghz IBM G3 with altivec
60GB Hard Disk


Good idea hvfsl, but the mhz myth and the stigma of a G3 processor would hurt it. It would need to be a G4, or a low-power G5. I mean, *we* know the difference and the performance ratings, but the average buyer doesn't. They see:

G3 --old, for laptops
G4 -- iMac and lowend Powermac.
G5--- the processor your friends drool over.

At least, that's what I've experienced where I work. (and these are mac users are doctors and researchers)

[Schiffi]

What Apple needs is a $500 computer to compete with lowend dells and the such.

My thoughts would be more along the lines of

PC133 RAM
G3 900MHz
30Gig ATA66 HD
Geforce2 or Raedon 7500
Airport slot

Maybe making the G3 a little slower $500 isn't too little. It'd be the perfect old person computer! Think of the commercials now!

[funkywhat2]

Originally posted by rt_brained
Clever idea. Call me.

S. Jobs
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
408.996.1010

I take it that you don't know that Apple's executive HQ is off-site, no? It's about two blocks or so away.

[rt_brained]

Originally posted by funkywhat2
I take it that you don't know that Apple's executive HQ is off-site, no? It's about two blocks or so away.

Hmm...Yes, I can see how it would have been MUCH funnier if I had posted the correct address.

Technically speaking, Steve Jobs doesn't sign his emails as "S. Jobs" either. And he also would have posted his direct phone number or a return email address.

I'll remember all those intimate details next time, so as to make sure the punchline of the joke makes perfect sense to everyone, including those lacking a sense of humor.

Thanks for the input.

[cr2sh]

As someone who owned a cube, its not that great. Its just not... flame on. Cool design yes, quiet yes... effective no. *shrug* A lot of that might have to do with the system I had NOT having a CDR... but I found myself swapping harddrives in it a lot... I'm a fan of the engineering, but not the usage.

[yzedf]

The cube was overpriced and underpowered. If it had not come out during the stagnant for a year early G4 era, it might have done better.

At most it was interesting. At worst it was badly designed (power switch, case cracks, etc).

Apple does need a lower priced headless system, but not like the cube. Shuttle pretty much owns that market now, and even they have issues. Besides, Apple would have to outdo this:

http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp?image=56-101-219-01.JPG

Good luck......

[Billicus]

I've always liked the cube, and I have a friend who owns a cube to this day. And I have to say that I'm impressed with it. It's a really good design and a really good computer. I sincerely think that Apple should bring back the cube. But will it happen? NO. :(

[Letni]

Apple needs to forget the square shape and concentrate on something a little more intuitive. They need to introduce the Apple G4 Circle, the Apple G5 Rod or the Apple G5 Cardboard Box
These would attract more attention than the old cube design.

But serously.. I like my cube, and with a PL 233 800mhz, its pretty fast, but the big issue with the cube is the cooling. With a 450mhz G4, it ran hot enough. Check out www.cubeowner.com
they have some ideas..

[Pete_Hoover]

I've been sayin this for a while, just like everyone else has, that we want a low-end, headless machine. Hopefully apple will one day here us. Until then, I guess we will keep on complaining.

[IJ Reilly]

Originally posted by yzedf
The cube was overpriced and underpowered. If it had not come out during the stagnant for a year early G4 era, it might have done better.

At most it was interesting. At worst it was badly designed (power switch, case cracks, etc).

Too expensive clearly -- but not underpowered. The 450/500 mhz G4 was pretty much Apple state-of-the-art back then. As for "badly designed," all I can say is I've had no serious problems with mine, and many other people didn't either. Considering how radical the design was that's no small thing. All of the design issues could have been worked out if Apple had stuck with it.

In fact I bought my Cube off eBay a couple of years ago, right after they were discontinued, because Apple wasn't going to be offering another small form-factor, modular Mac design, and that's what I wanted. Two years later, and they still don't!

I agree with everybody who says that a small form-factor Mac, if not the Cube itself, is what Apple needs to introduce. They could do it easily by putting either the iBook or PowerBook MB in a box and selling it for $500-800. Market it at "switchers" who've already got a PC and a monitor.

[MacMaelstrom]

It really doesn't matter to me about the cube. You could sit it on the floor or on the desk, but the way I see it you'd then have to stand up to see where to put the CDs. You could turn it right ways, with the slots in front, but then the cables would stick out the top. It was a bad design. If they'd improve it, i'm sure it'd take off, but until then.... :( I miss the Apple Studio CRTs. :(