'Dune Case' for PCs Copies Mac Pro's Cylindrical Design

[alexandercgomez]

Id buy this if it fit my GTX 970. But I'd love a case that looked like the classic G5 design, with maybe more ergonomic handles.

It is unfortunate that so much time and effort has been spent to create a good looking PC case that Apple will just shut down. PC cases are universally terrible, and there's really a market there.

One of these days I'll probably bite the bullet and buy a modified G5 case from eBay for my hackintosh.

I really wanted so badly to make this a ATX build will full size graphics cards. And I actually started like that for the first 6 months doing this.

But it just didn't look right ... so I decided to trim it down to mini ITX and the next 6 months ...

We finally got there

 

[576316]

Thanks for the comments opethian .. I love designing cases and humbled by your comments .. If this is funded it will enable us to take this further and develop other cases in different mb standards. I already have some avantgarde designs for SLI configuration and ATX / ITX builds and also an unorthodox approach on placement of GPU. I believe that now is the time to take a different approach in designing PC cases using more complex manufacturing process and quality material vs what we see on the market which is stamped sheet metal. Building this case has been an exciting journey for me.
[doublepost=1455991232][/doublepost]APlotdevice thank you for your concern but as mentioned many times this is not a desktop computer .. this is a PC case

It's quite ironic. You say you enjoy designing cases yet your first 'design' is a copy of something already on the market. Come up with something TOTALLY NEW.

 

[Carvensno]

The design of the Mac Pro is patented, but apparently that patent focuses on the triangular core. So I guess it'd be all right to crib the fan arrangement.

http://patents.justia.com/patent/9207729

Actually if you scroll down to the Background part, says right there that it covers external shape

 

[alexandercgomez]

Actually if you scroll down to the Background part, says right there that it covers external shape

Carvensno .. Please be assured, we did our due diligence and spending one years work and not validate would be foolish ..
Dune case is really a new take on the PC. Some will love it and some will not. I respect that ... I just really want to share my experience of building this case and help those who are looking for a solution like dune case make it come true.

 

[robzr]

We based it from the thermalright 140mm fan...

http://www.thermalright.com/html/products/fan/ty-14013r.html?panel=0

TY-14013R - Noise Level: 30.6dBA(Max.) as per mfg; compared to Apple's Mac Pro fan at 16dBA (Max) we are looking at somewhere in the range of a four-fold increase in perceived volume and a 16 fold increase in sound energy, while probably providing less airflow. One of the downsides to using inexpensive off the shelf components instead of custom engineered, high quality components. But hey, that's just a detail...

Dune case is really a new take on the PC. Some will love it and some will not. I respect that ... I just really want to share my experience of building this case and help those who are looking for a solution like dune case make it come true.

Nah, ripping off Apple isn't a new take for PCs, it's pretty much how PC design happens these days.

Rob

 

[alexandercgomez]

TY-14013R - Noise Level: 30.6dBA(Max.) as per mfg; compared to Apple's Mac Pro fan at 16dBA (Max) we are looking at somewhere in the range of a four-fold increase in perceived volume and a 16 fold increase in sound energy, while probably providing less airflow. One of the downsides to using inexpensive off the shelf components instead of custom engineered, high quality components. But hey, that's just a detail...



Nah, ripping off Apple isn't a new take for PCs, it's pretty much how PC design happens these days.

Rob

Rob .. love your enthusiasm you make some good points. And from your comments you seem like good in details .. But this is a case not a computer and would love if you could a comparison with another case versus the Dune case and bench marks .. would love to hear your review only if your up for it mate ...

 

[robzr]

Rob .. love your enthusiasm you make some good points. And from your comments you seem like good in details .. But this is a case not a computer and would love if you could a comparison with another case versus the Dune case and bench marks .. would love to hear your review only if your up for it mate ...

Alexander, I work in tech, I've dabbled in product design and marketing, and in a previous life I worked in CAD/CAM and CNC machining. It's not lost on me that your product design and the quality of your prototypes looks very nice, and you have doubtlessly poured a lot of money, time and effort into it. I'd even go so far as to say that I'd be surprised if you end up in the black given the quality and pricepoint - if you do, you'd be succeeding where many case manufacturers have failed.

But at the end of the day, you are here on an Apple forum promoting a cheap and inferior knock-off of an Apple product. Let's at least be honest about it.

Rob

 

[Michael Scrip]

No. They. Were. Not.
They were designed to fit into a small space, not a cylinder. The components are still square, which probably means they were not designed to fit a curved enclosure.

The triangular core was designed to fit inside a cylinder.

If the Mac Pro didn't have the triangular core... they could have made a cube.
[doublepost=1456002836][/doublepost]

Yet none are round that I can find.

Perhaps because round cases aren't really a good idea?

 

[robzr]

All I'll say is PC is 95% of the world. Mac is not.
[doublepost=1455986460][/doublepost]

Your point?

I think he's saying that he is comforted in the notion that his thoughts are in line with conventional thinking. I agree, there is some comfort in the lack of risk required to align with mass mediocrity.

But really, the number is closer to 85-90% of new PC sales. And that neglects the fact that Apple products tend to be used for longer, so the actual base of users is higher than raw marketshare of new sales. And a huge portion of the PC marketshare is done by purchasing departments who are buying the cheapest crap they can get away for other people to use. Bland, conventional, cheap thinking by penny pinching non-users.

But hey, if you throw all nuance out the window, he's kind of got a point.

Rob

 

[576316]

But at the end of the day, you are here on an Apple forum promoting a knock-off of an Apple product. Let's at least be honest about it.

Rob

I don't think he's ever going to be frank and admit that he's promoting a blatant copy and rip off of an Apple product. I think he genuinely believes this is an original design and hasn't quite weighed up the consequences of poking a lion with a stick, as it were. If MacRumors makes a main page post about it being a blatant copy, it's a blatant copy. If I were him I'd bury this product quickly because Apple WILL notice if not already.

 

[alexandercgomez]

Based on your avatar I'm guessing you're pretty young - so perhaps you really didn't see the humor in the old chestnut of a double entendre suggesting that Apple products are "fruity". Good on you and your generation. I didn't think it was funny or clever when I first heard it 10 years ago and I still don't think it's funny.



Alexander, I work in tech, I've dabbled in product design and marketing, and in a previous life I worked in CAD/CAM and CNC machining. It's not lost on me that your product design and the quality of your prototypes looks very nice, and you have doubtlessly poured a lot of money, time and effort into it. I'd even go so far as to say that I'd be surprised if you end up in the black given the quality and pricepoint - if you do, you'd be succeeding where many case manufacturers have failed.

But at the end of the day, you are here on an Apple forum promoting a knock-off of an Apple product. Let's at least be honest about it.

Rob

Hi Rob .. I'm heading in to middle age territory hahha ... Yes you are right and if you understand manufacturing you would know that this case offering is good considering the price point. It's obvious you know that this is not a cheap build and the materials I'm using is not either. Thanks for confirming that.

I also work in tech for a long time and started in Hardware and now in software dev in Objective C (iOS), java (Android) and Windows C#. Now Im back in the hardware with Dune case. I also own a variety of laptops from Dell, Apple and other vendors. I use a Macbook Pro 15 retina for iOS development and love the boot camp capability into Windows. In the office I hook the rMBP to a nice Dell 4k P2415Q and its just great. I have a Dell XPS that is good for gaming, and I have a Dune case at home for some grunt work I love technology.

But I didn't start this thread and by all means I am only educating the audience to know that the Dune Case is a PC case and nothing else. Its very clear that there is mixed messaging about what this case is as some do not know the difference between a case and a desktop computer. I hope through awareness and educating the audience here it will help them understand that this is a new take on the PC case.

 

[castlerock]

It's a pity that no trash can maker didn't shut down the new Mac Pro project before it was released to the public.

Seen somewhere in Minneapolis...

 

[xnu]

Truly beautiful. http://imgur.com/5P0suqc

 

[APlotdevice]

All subjective likes.
I use OSX and home, (unless gaming), and Windows at work.
Windows Explorer is better than the Finder. Don’t use Tags, All my files, Auto Save, Time Machine, Airdrop, Continuity and lots of other things. Equally there are lots of things I don’t use in Windows and lots of things I can’t do in OSX.
One thing I love about Windows is quick file navigation. First letter, (or few), of a file/folder, then press enter. Very quick to drill down into folders.

I agree that it's all subjective. But that is not what the person I was replying to was arguing. It's clear he thinks Windows is superior, and we're all fools for wanting to use OS X.

 

[APlotdevice]

Truly beautiful. http://imgur.com/5P0suqc

Heh...

As much as I generally love Apple products, I have to admit that they seem rather clueless about the "Pro" market as of late. Not only does their "Pro" desktop rely heavily on external peripherals, but their "Pro" tablet is just a bigger version of their regular one with barely any additional features. (especially without the $100 stylus)

 

[kdarling]

The design of the Mac Pro is patented, but apparently that patent focuses on the triangular core. So I guess it'd be all right to crib the fan arrangement.

http://patents.justia.com/patent/9207729

Actually if you scroll down to the Background part, says right there that it covers external shape

That's not a design patent covering a shape, it's a utility patent covering a method.

Always go to the Claims section to see what is actually being patented. For each numbered claim, all the details included are important. Here, the first main claim is about a computer inside a cylinder containing an internal triangle, with realtime temperature control based on CPU activity, using a fan (air mover) and cooling fin:

Claims

1. A desktop computing system, comprising:

- a computing engine positioned within a cylindrical housing that defines a cylindrical volume having a longitudinal axis; and

- a thermal management system closely coupled with the computing engine wherein the thermal management system responds directly to a change in an activity level of the computing engine in real time and comprises a heat sink and an air mover configured to move an amount of air through the cylindrical volume, three planar walls that enclose and define a central thermal zone having a triangular cross section, and a cooling fin that spans the central thermal zone from a first wall to at least a second wall.

 

[Markoth]

We will get the ability to run an external GPU, including a GTX 980ti, thanks to Thunderbolt 3, which this fake Mac Pro won't have. I'm only half serious. That would be useful for a MacBook, but a desktop computer ought to have user-swappable GPUs. And yeah, Xeon w/ ECC RAM is overkill for most.

There is something to be said for Apple's hardware. It's a lot nicer than anything one would build at home, especially in terms of airflow.
[doublepost=1455945459][/doublepost]Wait for some Android fans to complain that Apple tried to patent the cylinder

The Mac Pro is a workstation, not a desktop PC, so it's no surprise it contains a Xeon and ECC RAM. It is overkill for most, but most people shouldn't be considering a Mac Pro.

 

[robzr]

I really had no intentions of insulting anyone's sexual orientation. Just so that is clear.

I'm sure you didn't, and to be fair, when Alex originally posted the "We're Not A Fruit" update on kickstarter, he probably didn't consciously mean to either. But it's an old line that pops up time to time, usually (always?) when referring to Apple in a derogatory manner. It's a double-entendre that associates Apple with an old bit of derogatory gay slang, suggesting that there is something "gay" about Apple, and used in contexts suggesting there is something wrong with that.

In short it hasn't aged well and it's a bit unprofessional to promote a product with that line. Especially when your product is a rip off of an Apple product.

Rob

 

[Jason83]

"Dune" eh? That's a strange way to spell Samsung.

 

[trifid]

I really wanted so badly to make this a ATX build will full size graphics cards. And I actually started like that for the first 6 months doing this.

But it just didn't look right ... so I decided to trim it down to mini ITX and the next 6 months ...

We finally got there

That's awesome man, make your dreams come true and don't let some of the negativity here stop you
[doublepost=1456009324][/doublepost]

The design of the Mac Pro is patented, but apparently that patent focuses on the triangular core. So I guess it'd be all right to crib the fan arrangement.

http://patents.justia.com/patent/9207729

Yeap, Apple has a patent on the triangular heatsink, ie 1 heatsink for all. This dune design does not have a triangular heatsink, it has separate heatsinks as any traditional PC build, so there is no legal issue.

 

[joshen]

I can't that it looks original, i.e., blatant copy of apple's mac pro. I do love it though.

Oh I was joking about the original part

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

If it could have fit a full size graphics card in then I would likely have pre-ordered one to replace my gaming PC with. Alas, it's mini graphics cards only.

On a different note, you can tell just by glancing at it that it's not designed by Apple. If it were, the power socket would have been the other way up so that the sockets look more like a smiling face rather than an unhappy one.

 

[MH01]

I know. I'm not making fun of those folks.

To be honest , I just see this as a blatant ripoff , as a PC user, i would never get it.

This is not about PC v Mac, this is someone blatantly ripping off the Apple design. My opinion anyway.

 

[elgrecomac]

A new Kickstarter project, the "Dune Case," is offering up a PC case that looks awfully familiar, closely mimicking the well-known cylindrical design of Apple's Mac Pro.

Available in black or gold and made of aluminum, the Dune Case promises "an innovative housing" that's a "sleek and stylish" alternative to standard PC cases. The page doesn't reference the Mac Pro, instead treating the design as a fresh idea.

While the Dune Case is different than the Mac Pro internally, lacking the unified thermal core that is the Mac Pro's signature feature to absorb and disperse heat, the visual similarities are impossible to deny. One variance -- the Dune Case is much larger than the Mac Pro.

While a Mac Pro is priced at upwards of $2,000, the Dune Case PC case is being sold at an early bird price of $159. The Dune Case has thus far raised $38,000 out of $130,000 and there are 26 days to go on the campaign, but given the similarities to the Mac Pro, there's a chance Apple could make an effort to shut down the project before it's funded.

Article Link: 'Dune Case' for PCs Copies Mac Pro's Cylindrical Design

 

[trifid]

To be honest , I just see this as a blatant ripoff , as a PC user, i would never get it.

This is not about PC v Mac, this is someone blatantly ripping off the Apple design. My opinion anyway.

In a way I agree, but consider this: if you were to make a cylindrical PC case, how much different can you make a cylinder design from a trash can or Mac Pro? Seriously, think about it. In fact people can find trash cans that look almost the same as the mac pro.

The 'real' innovation in the mac pro is the unified heatsink, and Dune isn't doing that, I think people are just overreacting to appearances.