Favorite Case Design

Moxiemike · Feb 12, 2003

Since ditching the Beige 7300/7500/7600/8600/9600/g3 minitower and desktop case design there have been four iterations of the new "side door" case. Starting with the smurf, er, I mean, blueberry G3 and finally ending up here with the Mirrored Drive Doors.

I think that this will probably be the end of the line with the case design?the tower case has been essentially the same since 1999 and is the last hold over from the old "colorful" era in Apple history.

But enough about that.... what i wanna know is which tower iteration do you like best?

For me, I LOVE the quicksilver. Cleanest lines, and most "mature" looking. MDD looks like too much of an afterthought. And the original g4 is too much of a compromise between something new and the old smurg G3.

What do you think?

sparkleytone · Feb 12, 2003

for me, definitely the quicksilver as well. it just smacks elegance. i dont really think apple could have improved on it, and really took a step backwards with the MDD. they are nice, but the quicksilver is damn sexy.

Moxiemike · Feb 12, 2003

Originally posted by sparkleytone
for me, definitely the quicksilver as well. it just smacks elegance. i dont really think apple could have improved on it, and really took a step backwards with the MDD. they are nice, but the quicksilver is damn sexy.

Plus, the speaker on the top of MDD looks too much like a cyclops....

weird. and out of place

blogo · Feb 12, 2003

The quicksilver looks boring though.

vniow · Feb 12, 2003

Quicksilver all the way.

The MDD just looks......awkward.

edesignuk · Feb 12, 2003

QuickSilver all they way! I love mine

Moxiemike · Feb 12, 2003

Originally posted by Eple
The quicksilver looks boring though.

how so??

RBMaraman · Feb 12, 2003

I think the MDD is the best. The always thought the colors we're ugly, and the Quicksilver was just too plain. I like the MDD, because the drive bays jump out at you.

Moxiemike · Feb 12, 2003

Originally posted by RBMaraman
I think the MDD is the best. The always thought the colors we're ugly, and the Quicksilver was just too plain. I like the MDD, because the drive bays jump out at you.

Although I'm not changing my position on the QS case.... I amgonna say that the MDDs DO look a TON better in person.

The QS actually looks about the same, and the original graphites looked better or worse than the pics, depending on light.

Again though, I think that's why QS wasthe best, and most mature.... it really captured simplicity and you could reproduce that along the whole gamut-- from ads, to product placement, etc.

littlejim · Feb 12, 2003

I like the original G3 ... it reminds me of the days when Apple had a chip inside that they were so proud of - they put it's name on the side of the machine (bigger even than their logo)!!

littlejim
---------
he's fallen in the water

MacBandit · Feb 12, 2003

I too like the MDD best. I agree that the Quicksilver was borring. I just don't like that one color coats all type thing. Having all the space of the front face in one color it blah. Reminescent of 1984. I think having the front face broken up with another color or mirror or what have you is the way to go. Also having the speaker up high is a functional thing. High frequency sounds which are what that speaker best produces are easily absorbed by walls, floors, desk tops. So having the speaker high prevents that and provides a more line of site position for users with the computer on there desk.

The really cool thing about the later cases with the clear plastic is that they are painted. I can't wait until my MDD is out of warranty so that I can strip the paint off of it and either have a clear case or repaint it black or some other color.

Moxiemike · Feb 12, 2003

Originally posted by MacBandit
I too like the MDD best. I agree that the Quicksilver was borring. I just don't like that one color coats all type thing. Having all the space of the front face in one color it blah. Reminescent of 1984. I think having the front face broken up with another color or mirror or what have you is the way to go. Also having the speaker up high is a functional thing. High frequency sounds which are what that speaker best produces are easily absorbed by walls, floors, desk tops. So having the speaker high prevents that and provides a more line of site position for users with the computer on there desk.

The really cool thing about the later cases with the clear plastic is that they are painted. I can't wait until my MDD is out of warranty so that I can strip the paint off of it and either have a clear case or repaint it black or some other color.

Quick note on the QS.... the drive doors (at least on mine) are the same color as the sides, which is a "whiter" gray than the front panel....so it DOES break up the color a bit.

mnkeybsness · Feb 12, 2003

quicksilver all the way...

the MDD looks too much like a custom mod on a wondows box or something...i like the simplicity and elegance of the quicksilver...it's apple at their best

etoiles · Feb 12, 2003

Is this one of those 'spot the five differences' contests ?

Subtle changes indeed. To me, less is more (vs. less is a bore), I really dig the QS case. And littlejim, excellent point about the G3 logo...it kind of reminds me of those huge cold-war era propaganda posters. Ah, the glorious days

jayscheuerle · Feb 12, 2003

Great functionality in all these cases, but I HATE the cheap plastic sound when you rap on the top or the front with your knuckles.

Das · Feb 12, 2003

Quicksilver definitely. It was simple, it was elegant, it was Apple.

The MDD has to be my least fav out of all of the models (well, maybe except the G3...blue...ugh). It just has too much going. I hope the next incarnation is completely different from the other models.

Moxiemike · Feb 12, 2003

Originally posted by Das
Quicksilver definitely. It was simple, it was elegant, it was Apple.

The MDD has to be my least fav out of all of the models (well, maybe except the G3...blue...ugh). It just has too much going. I hope the next incarnation is completely different from the other models.

Notice too that the MDD is a return to the drive doors functioning as a unit, or design element. They were such in the G3, Graphite G4 but not in the QS (separate... two design elements)

but yea

jrv3034 · Feb 12, 2003

Originally posted by Das
Quicksilver definitely. It was simple, it was elegant, it was Apple.

The MDD has to be my least fav out of all of the models (well, maybe except the G3...blue...ugh). It just has too much going. I hope the next incarnation is completely different from the other models.

I definitely agree... Quicksilver was the best. Clean, elegant, and just plain classy. MDD case looks like an XP box from the front.

I really hope the next generation of PowerMacs change the look of the thing

gotohamish · Feb 12, 2003

Originally posted by jrv3034

I definitely agree... Quicksilver was the best. Clean, elegant, and just plain classy. MDD case looks like an XP box from the front.

I really hope the next generation of PowerMacs change the look of the thing

QS looks nice, but I think it would look better with the cool windtunnel holes from the MDD.

However, the Cube is still the best!

Moxiemike · Feb 12, 2003

Originally posted by gotohamish

QS looks nice, but I think it would look better with the cool windtunnel holes from the MDD.

However, the Cube is still the best!

interesting. though the strong horizontal of the drive bay and the vents makes for some weird tension in the design.

what if you rotated the holes 90° and made them smaller:

gotohamish · Feb 12, 2003

Originally posted by Moxiemike

interesting. though the strong horizontal of the drive bay and the vents makes for some weird tension in the design.

what if you rotated the holes 90° and made them smaller:

That could work too... why dont we make this a thread for making our own cool towers, using the 'open minded' case that's still in use by apple? Any takers?

Mr. Anderson · Feb 12, 2003

Definitely the Quicksilver, classic, simple and very clean. The MDD looks like its a bastard step child of the QS - sort of like that afterthought designs on the old beige Quadras that we started seeing at the end before the G3s came along.

I'm hoping for a nice new design when the next gen processor comes out.

D

gotohamish · Feb 12, 2003

Originally posted by dukestreet
Definitely the Quicksilver, classic, simple and very clean. The MDD looks like its a bastard step child of the QS - sort of like that afterthought designs on the old beige Quadras that we started seeing at the end before the G3s came along.

I'm hoping for a nice new design when the next gen processor comes out.

D

and I'm sure it will come. I think it will be less curves, and more matte rather than the glossy we have now.

Interesting that the QS are so popular here in the boards, as I remember everyone being so disappointed with the design when they came out. Still, they do look better in the flesh...

there's a thought, a g5 made out of flesh... I need a lie down... actually the smell of burning would be horrific!

garzy · Feb 12, 2003

if you want to include notebooks in this discussion, my favorite casing would be the powerbook g3 pismo

Moxiemike · Feb 12, 2003

Originally posted by totalr0xx0r
if you want to include notebooks in this discussion, my favorite casing would be the powerbook g3 pismo

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