[wlonh]

"Power Mac G4 Cube--Who's It For? Some web site columnists are asking. Well, me for one. As I stated earlier, I think it is targeted at the senior executive suite of businesses. People who compare it against the low end of the Power Mac G4 MPs are missing the point just as those who argue for iBook feature's that are in the PowerBook. The G4 Cube is another unnamed Apple product line, which I called the "executive" line, that is distinguished from the consumer and pro lines"

"Why an executive line? The iMac DV SE, despite the neat graphite, sage and snow colors, is still a $1499 consumer Mac with a fixed 15" CRT. The lower end of the non-cube Power Macs is a beautiful and expandable but BIG "box." If it's under the desktop, no one sees it's beauty and it's too big to be cool on an executive's desk. Most executives don't need expandability beyond RAM and what the FireWire and USB ports bring and most don't play many 3D games during the work day. The G4 Cube is functional art in visual design and engineering design for not a lot of bucks ($1799-2299) The G4 Cube fills the desktop cell in the "executive" line and will, in my opinion, be sold mostly with the 15" LCD but also a bunch with the 22" LCD display. It will be THE executive computer for 2000 and hopefully beyond. I don't see how any executive can resist."

"The real question is what about the second cell in the "executive" line? It didn't have question marks in the cell in the product matrix as did the iBook before it came out. But then, Steve Jobs had already committed publicly to the iBook when he killed the eMate. The other cell in the 2x3 product matrix had a white Apple logo on a black background. Still, a year ago last Spring, Steve Jobs hinted at a portable executive computer. Will it be a 2400c replacement? A PDA? An iPhone? Or is it just a design decision to show a 2x3 matrix as most commentators and columnists have surmised. I think the cell will be filled because I think Apple has a pincer strategy, i.e. working at the enterprise and consumer middle by making big inroads at the bottom with the iMac/iBook and at the top with the G4 Cube/?. Let's watch things unfold."

SOURCE

07/26/00

"Follow Up--Yesterday's G4 Cube Editorial: We received a fair amount of mail that was heavier on yeas than nays. Several pointed out two other selling points that I embarrassingly overlooked, i.e. portability and quietness. The latter is particularly important to the executive desk upon which I think many will sit. Other "yeas" pointed out that many people other than executives will buy the G4 Cube for all the reasons we mentioned. I am sure that is true. Dana Baggett reminded me that the original Mac was intended to be for "...the rest of us..." and not techies and that the Cube fits this vision. Maybe bosses will finally once again feel compelled to wrest control of their own desk from the tyranny of the CIO. One reader, a designer, thanked me for highlighting that the Cube is functional art. I think that is true of all of Apple's products today but the Cube is the current epitome of Apple's vision of being at the junction of art and technology."

"The "nays" mostly compared the Cube on a straight power/feature/value basis to a Power Mac non-cube G4, either not agreeing with my point or missing my point that the Cube is a different product line and should mostly appeal to a different group of people from those needing or attracted to a Power Mac non-cube G4. For example, "Not expandable and more expensive than the G4. I have to buy an adapter to use my monitor. What the hell were they thinking?" Actually, the Cube has a regular VGA port but it will need an L-shaped adapter to use an older Apple monitor--maybe the cube will come with one."

[This message has been edited by wlonh (edited 07-26-2000).]

[jaisun]

wlonh: Good find! The author basically said what I've been thinking all along about the new Cube...it's not really for the 'average' consumer (the high price point) or for the pro (not enough potential for expandability) but those are just two of many audiences to consider. Now, from a design standpoint the Cube is simply goreous...understated, unadorned (save the tasteful Apple logo), and way more powerful than it should be for its size. Honestly, I'd buy it to display it as a piece of utilitarian art...but I wouldn't buy it for use as my main system (unless I were a high-profile exec.).

my .02...for what it's worth

[iPaul UK]

Well, I don't know what "Goreous" means.. But I agree that the G4 Cube is a nice piece of design, but it's hardly great or ground breaking. It's just a box! So why should a computer in a box, sorry, CUBE be so expensive? Even if it is a Mac? At the end of the day, it's still a G4 Mac with very limited expandability. So why should it cost sigificantly MORE than the G4 (400Mhz) tower which is VASTLY more expandable!? I would still seriously consider buying a G4 Cube myself if it were not for the ridiculous price.

Come on.. Can all these complaining people be wrong? I doubt it..

The Apple design team obviously know what they are doing, because they have been coming out with some great products in recent months. But whoever is in charge of pricing Apples products, or the G4 Cube at least.. That person needs to be tied up and force fed thier own ear wax. As I said in an earlier post, people will buy the G4 Cube, but a whole load more people will buy them if the price is set right.

[Nr9]

i wouldn't buy a cube no matter what the price is.

Originally posted by Nr9:
i wouldn't buy a cube no matter what the price is.

Now that's a bizzare statement... ;c)

Honestly, I can get it that business and company execs buy a cube, but why limit it to those??!?! Or has Apple no need to sell computers anymore?

Greetings, Andreas.

I believe this is going to THE Hit APPLE Wish they had in the
TAM..Comparisons are relevant as they are both World Class Design 'Future"
Products!

Remember this is Cube 'One' can you imagine what these Cubes will include by
next year!!!!

I'm Chomping at the Bit, I can see Power Cubs that will really be Reactor
Cubes

The most freaking COOL design in a Decade, Apple has Guaranteed their future
now. I would Buy all the Apple I could Afford. I really feel strong about
the Cube just as it stands and I want One! I'm sure all complaints will be
addressed in the future revisions, as with all their prior designs...

Kudos to Apple!!! Sell a freakin Trillion of them, and send me
one!!!!!!!!

I want one, and will most likely get one. I just don't have room for the tower, and don't need the MP. I do, however, want the 500MHz, and would only like better video. If I could order with Voodoo5....

[MacOS761]

To iPaul and those with similar sentiments - it's not "just a cube" or "only a Mac-in-a-box". Do you realize how much engineering it took for Apple to cram all that stuff into such a small space? As if that wasn't enough, they managed to make it convection-cooled! There is a lot of R&D to pay for, which equates to convenience on the user's side. Notice how laptops are more expensive than desktops? Besides the LCD screen, that's because miniturization costs money!

The most important sector here is NOT just the home user here. Its a GREAT Corporate box. Small footprint, inexpensive and quiet. If you've ever worked as a support tech in a large company you will love the small foot print and the users will LOVE the quiet.

[wlonh]

wow, amazing... voices of reason amongst the noise!

(no sarcasm intended whatsoever)

i mean it ok? i am pleased that some can look past their own needs to see the value of the cube, ok? would i buy one? no. do i think they are ok, yes.

[This message has been edited by wlonh (edited 07-26-2000).]

[Evangellydonut]

lol were you being sarcastic when you said your post wasn't intended to be sarcastic? certainly seems that way to me

(btw, I was just kidding )

[This message has been edited by Evangellydonut (edited 07-26-2000).]

Will the low end 400Mhz G4 dissapear... to be replaced by a dual processor G4? Apple could then adjust its pricing leaving the G4 cube at a lower price point than the all multiprocessor professional line. The Imac's price point coming below that of the cube.

[yanokwa]

frankly, methinks the cube is one sweet machine. but then again, i have been know to buy stuff just cause it looks cool. maybe thats just me.

its built under the logic of an imac. simple. compact. unupgradable. thats what the people want--only with a g4.

didn't you want a monitorless-imac? well shoot, there you bloody go. they will drop the price soon, so quit your whining and trust s.j.--he's come this far, w/o screwing up....

Is the cube original? Is the cube different? Think again... http://www.qrium.com/qrium/qriumComputers.asp

All models are available (the website is not updated to reflect this). Pricing is much more reasonable than the cube, ranging from $800 - $1300

Just some food for thought

[wlonh]

without checking the link i assume you are referring to the Qube server?

not even in the same class of machine, sorry... nice try

ok i czech da link ok ... those are some butt-ugly machines... like the imac knockoffs were/are

[This message has been edited by wlonh (edited 07-26-2000).]

[Evangellydonut]

wlonh, I think ya outta check the link first

[iPaul UK]

To MacOS761. I appreciate your point about the engineering of the Cube. But to be honest, it's not the big deal you make it out to be.. After all.. The Cube is considerably larger overall than any modern laptop, including Apple's own laptops. Or to look at it another way, the G4 Cube has much more space internally to play with than a laptop. In fact, I think even the original iMac is a more impressive feat of design and packaging than the G4 Cube.

Now don't get me wrong, I really do like the G4 Cube. It's just that you don't actually get much for your money. And this whole situation is made considerably worse here in England... Apple has only just today posted the UK prices for the Cube.. �1468. Or in American U$ thats around $2230. Then you need to add at least another 64Mb or ram, lets face it, it needs at least 128Mb from the box, plus Ram is more costly here in the UK too, especially if it's from Apple. That brings the cost up to U$2397. Now who is going to tell me that it's still worth buying for that money? Even IF I could buy it at US prices, I still think it's over priced.

I'm sure it's a great machine. Just a shame about what Apple thinks we should pay for one.

I will buy one as soon as I can round up the scratch, My current box is getting a little long in the tooth. The 15" LCD, the little round speakers and "The Cube" will look great on my desk. I read email, play MP3s surf and dabble in Web devel, FB^3,C,C++, and ASM. I don't need to expand it beyond adding some ram. Can't wait.

[MacOS761]

True, the Cube has more volume. But motherboards are usually flat, not semi donut-shaped, right? The Cube also has a smaller footprint than any other computer out there...

With the exception of those ugly things WebHead left that link to. Besides bad looks (except maybe the yellow one), they are 500-600 MHz Celerons -- roadkill for a Cube. If that company puts a 900MHz or 1GHz Athlon in those things, THEN I'll be impressed (and keep the price down).

[PCTek]

Okay, i think we have proven that a single G4 processor clocked at 500MHz is roughly a 1.2GHz Pentium. A 450MHz G4 wouldnt be that far off. a 450MHz G4 easily beats any Celeron crap, and even probably a GHz Pentium.

I'm going to be a senior at my University next year, and I'm in the market for buying a new computer. We have to write theses in order to graduate at my school, and they give us this little room in the library called a "carrel" to store our books and have an isolated spot to write our theses. When I say little, I mean tiny ... like 5 feet by 8 feet AND we have to share it with someone else. So I need a computer that's small enough to fit in the carrel, but nice enough so I don't feel like I'm just tossing money out on junk. I was considering the iMac, but it's not exactly portable, and only has a G3. Then I considered an iBook ... but no FireWire port. Then a PowerBook - very portable, but again, only a G3, and a lot of $$$ for a G3, if you ask me. Then Apple releases the G4 Cube! Perfect! Since I really wasn't thinking about expandability with my two former options.

It's small, powerful, portable and stylish more than just for its looks (as in, I won't look like an idiot bringing it to my carrel in a generously sized satchel rather than lugging an iMac into the library). With the Apple 15" LCD display, and my academic discount it comes in just a bit more than the low end PowerBook. And it will make my friends jealous, no doubt . So I'm in the "consumer" demographic, but I'm going to buy a G4 Cube.

Peace,
Hladek

[PCTek]

I really hate to dis the Cube, but in your situation, you should really drop the cash on a PowerBook. Lugging an LCD, Computer, Keyboard and Mouse around to a small area is a pain in the ass. A PowerBook has all of that built-in, and then some. And, you can go ANYWHERE and use your PowerBook. You're not wired to a power outlet.

A PowerBook would be perfect for you. But, if you absolutely need the power of a G4, go ahead and get one. Have Fun

Cube is designer's indulgence of aesthetic and pricing blunder by the marketeer.

It could have been a runaway success if only it is future pricing to be the successor of the ever popular iMac.

[petex]

Originally posted by iPaul UK:

Now don't get me wrong, I really do like the G4 Cube. It's just that you don't actually get much for your money. And this whole situation is made considerably worse here in England... Apple has only just today posted the UK prices for the Cube.. �1468. Or in American U$ thats around $2230. Then you need to add at least another 64Mb or ram, lets face it, it needs at least 128Mb from the box, plus Ram is more costly here in the UK too, especially if it's from Apple. That brings the cost up to U$2397. Now who is going to tell me that it's still worth buying for that money? Even IF I could buy it at US prices, I still think it's over priced.

Correct me if I am wrong but the cube would be subject to the UK VAT tax, which is around 21%. Based on the $2300 you said above, and the VAT, that makes the American equivalent of about $1850, or $50 more than it sells for in the U.S. Also remeber U.S. prices are without sales tax, which many computer buyer pay (Depending on the State).

The cube is a great computer, beautiful, powerful, and well designed. I would love to have one, I could put extra RAM in, and slip in a RADEON when they're available. It's the perfect computer for those seeking a headless iMac.

Uhhh, wait a minute......what's that--it costs 1800!!!!!!!!!! Um, yeah, ok..

Apple must think consumers are all totally loaded and have run out of ways to spend money. This isn't a headless iMac (imac - monitor = 1000-1200 + G4 = 1200-1400). This is a slightly discounted powermac G4 450-500.

Does this make good business sense? NO. All Jobs had to do was surf the net a little and he would have seen that the market is clamoring for a headless iMac, not a stripped-down powermac. I predict the cube is an abysmal failure, and that if Jobs maintains this course, he may get canned again.

As for the size and quietness, that's nice, but I think I'll just turn off my computer before going to bed and live with a slightly smaller desk area. If someone came to your door and offered you several hundred dollars to put a fan in your computer, wouldn't you take them up on it? I sure would--that's why I'm going to get a used powermac G4.

Cube schmoob--executives are mostley into wintel. Why would an executive want a mac, when all of their workers and networks are PC based? Apple doesn't do very well in business markets (well, duhh, Apples are overpriced). I think that the only market the cube will penetrate is composed of the Sharper Image clientel.

[roders]

In enland the G4 Cube is �400 CHEAPER thab the old 450 + it seems the RADEON was ging to be at least a BTO option which would make this little box the bomb that gamers have been cryin out for (screenless/17inch iMac with cool vid card)) + exces will like it , famalies with a bit of eccess mular ($$) will like it, design profesionals, cuyl studes the list goes on & on.
Let's stop slating Apple & let the wintel world do that , Apple is doing the best it can under the cicumastances (beyond it's control) & is actually doing quite well at it too I think!

this is the idea, if one was going to decide... "oh yes! i would like a laptop because they are lightweight and don't take up much deskspace" then they would obviously buy a laptop. Now what if, say that person had another option... instead of purchasing a $3500 500mhz G3 laptop; buy a 500mhz G4 and monitor for the same price & about the same size! You might be thinking,"well that isn't a fair comparison, people buy laptops because of 'portability' and 'get-up-and-go computing'" But you must realize that people also purchase a laptop because it won't take up much space on a desk. Thus making the Cube an alternative for a person who needs the small footprint. (the G4 power in something that might as well be a notebook)

What I think, is that the G4 cube is made more for a "new" and inovative design... In fact, it almost seems like Mac is making a transition into more "net appliances" than that of a tower pc. I believe that once a person suits the cube with a flatscreen monitor and gets accustomed using a computer and monitor with such a small footprint they won't look at "normal" towers the same. (thinking that "towers" are too big and say sh*t with a ****y a$$ attitude like, "my computer at home is sooo much smaller than your 'PC'!!")

Finally! I would like to say to Apple, "Why don't you friggin scrap the 'cube' idea and work on sticking a faster processor in the already popular PowerBook, huh?" and (unrelated, but just as important of a question) "You (Apple) are using the BSD kernel...Why the F can't you help BSD port the G4 @ 128-bits?!"

-and a note to everyone who thinks a "PC" is tooooo noisy with fans; I know the 350mhz G3 runs hot... since I have heard many a story about melted iMacs. Yeah, and just imagine how hot the 500mhz G4 runs, and without a fan.... "You melt dat cube -like it a piece o' ice."

sorry, that was a waste of your time reading my grips.... and leave you with this:

DON'T BUY A RISC WITHOUT A FAN!

iPaul,

Earlier you wrote:

--------------------------
Well, I don't know what "Goreous" means.. But I agree that the G4 Cube is a nice piece of design, but it's hardly great or ground breaking. It's just a box!
--------------------------

I have to disagree. A beige Compaq tower is "just a box." A brown shipping carton is "just a box." The G4 Cube really is "gorgeous" in a way that speaks to those who love good industrial design.

It's the same as an iMac sitting next to one of those PC imitators (Compaq, HP). Night and day! The iMac looks like a cool, well-engineered, yes gorgeous, machine. The others look like slapped together, cheap boxes.

--------------------------
Come on.. Can all these complaining people be wrong? I doubt it.."
--------------------------

Of course they can all be wrong. Who says might makes right?

The cube seems to be aimed at a completely new market. People in the old market are scratching their heads and wondering, "Why should I buy this?" Perhaps they shouldn't. In the meantime, those for whom the cube was designed are going to snap them up like crazy.

So are those who buy the cube right? Or are those who complain about the cube right? That's the wrong question to ask. The correct way to view the cube is:

"De gustibus non disputandum est" -- There's no disputing taste.

If the cube appeals, buy it. If it doesn't, don't. There is no right or wrong, just a new market, with a new design.

[rgruber]

A few thoughts on the cube:

1) I think that the single processor G4 is going to be phased out and the cube will drop right into the missing price point, probably around $1400-$1500. I honestly don't think Apple will move many of these cubes at the current price points and they WILL drop the prices. I believe they did it on the iMacs.

2) The lack of dual monitor support makes it hard to consider for graphics professionals which I would think would be part of their core market. Honestly most "executives" are going to be using PC's. It' creative professionals who are are Apple's core market. But there is no reason they couldn't drop in a graphics card that supports dual monitors. The one in my G3 Powerbook does (Rage Mobility).

3) Beyond the graphics card, I don't think expansion is such a big issue with more firewire and usb products coming out all the time.

4) Given a price drop, dual monitor support, and some sort of deal involving extra RAM and a monitor, all coming in around $2000, I could certainly see replacing my ageing desktop with one of these.

I would wait a few months, maybe till the begining of next year to see what the next rev. brings. I bet alot of this will be addressed by say the SF MacWorld.

At the moment though, if I needed something like this, I'd pick up a G4 tower single procesor. Good deals now.

Rob

I remember buying an i-Mac only two years ago. It seems like much longer because of how hopelessly outdated the machine is already. RAM is low, and my graphics accelerator is now nearly useless. As a result, I am once again facing the expense of buying a new computer. While a G4 cube at $1700 would be much more affordable to me than a dual processor 450 MHz G4 tower, I am still trying for the tower, because upgrades and expansions tend to be cheaper than buying new. If the G4 cube is anything like my iMac, and the reviews are saying that it is, then I shall be forced to buy yet another computer within two years because nothing can be upgraded.

[camiltoe]

i ordered a cube because i want to have sex with it. when i ordered it from apple, they quoted me a 30 day lag time already. sounds like they have a few orders. BTW a computer (or any object) is much more than just the sum of its parts.

snip...On Friday, one of the retailers told us they already had 20 orders for the machine. This is a limited barometer from Apple resellers giving us an early peek into how successful the Cube might be...snip

[wlonh]

Apple has a suit on its hands... late breaking report by Eli Udell, an ace of the MacNN staff, broke the story just moments ago... see the frontpage of MacNN for more details... Cobalt the makers of the Qube server has gotten upset and is taking Apple to task!

shipping dates have slipped dramatically... no one may be buying a Cube for awhile yet...

[This message has been edited by wlonh (edited 07-28-2000).]

Pros, cons; dollars, design....

The bottom line is: the cube, with an accompanying flat panel display, is just too cool and too elegant to pass up

[ggirton]

G4 cube ship dates have slipped? Not according to the apple store, still pegged right in there at 21 days, just like last week. One of these days my mouse is going to slip and I'll skip right through and order a cube. Then I'll have the new improved mouse too, and presumably it won't slip anymore.

US$ 2300 still seems like a chunk of change (for the 128 ram and the larger and faster drive), and in the constrained space available I'd want a flat panel, which makes it $US 3300. (BTW the new apple monitors including the flat panel carry their USB connection in the new single connector, so that other USB plug someone was mentioning on the cube should be available)

But Yikes! the last time I paid that much (and actually, it was less) for a computer I got 256M of RAM and 70G of drive space. Aren't these the two most important factors for speed and convenience, and not having to upgrade ever again? There's no point in arguing about CPU or operating system, but I did get more screen real estate too. And that was six months ago.

I still want a cube but if I'm going to pay that much for it I want it to have OSX pre-installed. Maybe Apple will drop the price a little by then, but I suspect their main challenge will be in making enough of the little cubies.

The most encouraging thing about the cube is
the lack of a fan. If Apple can actually make
this work, I can't think of anything that would improve my working environment more. We have three computers going all day long in the office (2 G4s and a souped up 8500) and the noise can really wear one down. I would love to see a silent G4 (or G5 or whatever's next)

Active wrote:
The Cube doesn't have a fan - this will, at least in theory, allow you to 'leave' it to go into sleep mode (rather than turning it off) and come back to it later without having to reboot.

This is the part that worries me aout the Cube and anyother Mac that just "sleeps" instead of powering off. Do you leave it turned ON in sleep mode during Electrical storms? Many parts of the country have them year'round.

Maybe we will eventually read -- "G4 Cube died in its sleep." :-)

snip
--------------------------
Come on.. Can all these complaining people be wrong? I doubt it.."
--------------------------

Of course they can all be wrong. Who says might makes right?

snip.

good point. just look at the number of windoze users out there...

"The most encouraging thing about the cube is the lack of a fan."

That's why I'm interested in the Cube, too. I just switched from an old Lime iMac (with fan) to a PowerBook and my office became so much more .. peaceful. It's awesome. And the day when hard drives get magnetical bearings, it'll be just great - my PowerBook's disk is already getting more noisy

So, although Apple's definition of 'Design' seems to more slated towards 'Form' than 'Function', noiselessness and small footprint are great achievements in my mind. On towards ubiquitousity!

joN * http://www.mlab.uiah.fi/~jon

[MacNZ]

I love the design of the cube + the accompanying speakers and screen you get or can order it with. I think it would look great on my desktop. However, I have been working non-stop the last four days from 7-30 till 8-30 and still ain't anywhwere near affording one. Apple's prices are just too high for some students but that is not to say that the cube is a rip-off. It would be the best mac system for me if I could afford it. Anyways, I was thinking the lack of a fan wouldn't matter to me. I ALWAYS listen to music when working on computers and this cuts out the sound of fans!

Well,

I think that the cube is the perfect machine. It's small, it's powerful, and it can basically do everything a G4 tower can do.

For example, you can capture video with firewire, burn CD's with firewire or USB, use external hard drives with firewire.

Now obviously it is more expensive to buy new components to replace old SCSI ones, but I think that firewire is far superior to SCSI, and with the new developments of firewire hard drives, SCSI will be obsolete.

I am a student and have been a long time user of mac products. I recently had a G3 450 tower and a G4 400 tower. For college students that don't want an iMac who need power the cube is perfect. It's small, it's stylish and "elegant". Plus, it comes with cool speakers. I think it is a no-brainer.

It never fails to amuse me when Apple releases a product targeted at the non-power users, and the power users proceed to slam it because they can see absolutely no use for it. "But it's not good for MEEEE" they cry, "and if I can't use it, how could anyone else?"

The simple truth, as some have pointed out, is that this is the iMac for those who want a G4 and real style - it's kind of the BMW of computers. Who needs a BMW? No one but those with much disposable income and the desire to own something stylish and extremely fun to drive. You don't see the upscale new Beamer owners tricking out their cars, do you? It's because they don't want to or need to - just like Cube owners don't want or need to have 3 PCI slots, more drive bays, or the ability to stick in a Voodoo 5. They want the style and cache of the Cube's design coupled with speed of the G4 and the flexibility to buy an LCD monitor that, let's face it, we all want regardless. (For that matter, who needs an LCD display? Why? They're more expensive than CRTs, less compatible with other hardware, and -- wait, these are starting to sound like arguments against the Cube...)

If you value PCI slots and raw processing speed, that's easy - buy a G4 MP for less money. But if you don't care about specs or expandability (the majority of Mac owners) and don't mind spending an extra few bucks (as Mac owners, that's pretty much a built in fact) then the Cube is for you. And I'd be willing to bet that there will be a lot of people in the second category come September.

[iPaul UK]

The comparison between Apple and BMW is an interesting one. Although i'd argue it's a flawed opinion. After all, most modern day computers are built with expansion of one form or another in mind.. Be it extra ram, better graphics/sound cards, printers and scanners etc, the list goes on! Cars however, are generally not expandable (Yes they can be modified, but a relatively few owners actually do much at all to their own cars).

Of course you can still argue that Macs are better than PC's like BMW's are better than say, Ford or whatever. But the G4 Cube doesn't really have much to be compared with, and many would say thats a good thing. However.. The G4 Cube is still a virtually non-expandable computer. Which would not be such a bad thing if only for that unforgivable sky high price.

Style needn't be this costly. So it makes little sense that the vastly more upgradable G4 tower should cost less than the G4 Cube. Yes I realise there is a 50Mhz discrepansy between the standard G4 Cube and G4 tower, but I don't think this even nearly justifies the cost difference. Generally speaking, it's the technology a computer uses that tells you whether it should be expensive or not, not what the computer looks like.

And just in case anyone is wondering why I have such a strong opinion on this topic.. I am in the market to buy a new Mac, and the G4 Cube looked like a great machine that would have suited my needs well. But i'm not so impressed by it that i'm going to blow well over �1500 (UKP) on one. So i'll be buying the better machine that also happens to cost less, and fortunately is still a top notch Apple computer.

Just my 2 pence worth

Ok...
How many have worked in design departments that never add a thing to a mac?
Most places I have been, the 'designers' get macs, and they stay basically untouched, at least at the PCI bus. This cube is perfect for small cubicles and truly is stylish...
Money is not an issue for many of the people who will purchase this computer...
I would request a cube just to keep my mac off the floor, this way I wont kick the damn thing so much... :-)
MG
MG

[The Godfather]

Maybe the people in these fora actually care about expandability and processing power. Maybe the people who buy the Cube are the people who have never come to MacNN.

The Godfather

[MiniMan]

It interests me how much discussion there is about the price of the Cube. People will always charge more for good / cool design. Design sells in it's own right.
Look at Alessi. They make a kettle that is over $100. All it does is boil water, but when it's not boiling water it looks way cool. You could buy a kettle for $20 but it would look like you paid $20. There are always people out there who are perpared to pay for good design. I'd have thought that the Mac community would have understood that. And if there are people out there, Apple are going to price it at them. Sure they could probably sell more if it cost $900, but would they sell twice as many...? For the people the Cube is aimed at, the price is not a significant factor.

Well, the laptop area has been making a lot of money for Apple. Volume there has been increasing. There are people with PC's at work who use apple laptops, because they like their speed, battery life, quality, stability (when compared to '98) and just plain good looks. They are willing to pay extra for this. MS office means no compatability problems, so why not?

I think a lot of these people will buy the cube. They have the cash, and they don't like to be boring if they don't have to. Why get a PC that looks like every other PC (no matter how much you spent for it), when you can have something to talk about (and people know you spent for it). People like status. Why do you think SUV's just keep getting bigger and bigger? Because they are more efficient that way? Of course not. Status. It will be like owning a Mercedes. And best of all, if he can sell macs to corporate managers, the managers just might force macs down IT's throat for the rest of the company. And a lot of IT managers will like the new mac OS because it is unix based. So more Macs will be sold. Steve is brilliant. He understands how things really work.

Well, the laptop area has been making a lot of money for Apple. Volume there has been increasing. There are people with PC's at work who use apple laptops, because they like their speed, battery life, quality, stability (when compared to '98) and just plain good looks. They are willing to pay extra for this. MS office means no compatability problems, so why not?

I think a lot of these people will buy the cube. They have the cash, and they don't like to be boring if they don't have to. Why get a PC that looks like every other PC (no matter how much you spent for it), when you can have something to talk about (and people know you spent for it). People like status. Why do you think SUV's just keep getting bigger and bigger? Because they are more efficient that way? Of course not. Status. It will be like owning a Mercedes. And best of all, if he can sell macs to corporate managers, the managers just might force macs down IT's throat for the rest of the company. And a lot of IT managers will like the new mac OS because it is unix based. So more Macs will be sold. Steve is brilliant. He understands how things really work.

pplz realize that price is not arbitrary. Cube couldn't cost 900USD any more than they could cost 9000USD. A business has to decide how they can sell the most and still recoup R&D (which no matter what anyone says, was a LOT for this sweet machine), marketing, production, advertising, etc.

I think Apple's looking to the future with these new designs. Imagine a house with 1Cube(or similar device) and 4 or 5 LCDs around the house. Domestic computing. Terminals are comin back!

I don't think I've seen it mentioned, but IMO, another good use for this machine is as a server.

Sure, for heavy-duty database/ERP work and whatnot I'd opt for a G4/MP Tower, but for smaller stuff - file/print sharing, e-mail, web, Netboot... etc. I think this machine would do well.

In the last three months I was at my last job, the corporate office, as part of their network plan, decreed that every location had to purchase two additional servers - one for email and one for a backup domain controller. These are exactly the kind of machines that you hopefully turn on and never look at again, let alone expand. Had it been a Mac shop, I think I would've looked at the Cube, they're powerful and don't take up obscene amounts of space in a glorified wiring closet.

I also think these would be viable as executive machines, even in a largely Windows network, with something like Dave to allow access to the SMB file shares. Most of the execs I've come across mostly deal with MS Office & the Internet, and leave the mucking around in the proprietary Windows-based business systems to their subordinates. It's small, it's quiet, and it 'd look cooler than anything with an LCD display... ideal. IF the CIO doesn't throw a tantrum, that is.

Just my USD$.02

[rgruber]

I think it's funny that people think this is going to be a real big seller for corporate execs. For one thing, I bet these guys don't choose their own computers and for another almost by definition if you are corporate exec you toe the line and conform to the dominant system, ie Windows. Going against the grain here and creating problems for your IS department probably isn't a big priority.

As far as the lack of upgradeability I think it's just stupid for Apple to focus the market for these things so narrowly. They already address the general "never going to upgrade my computer market" with the iMac. They also target the people who need big time expansion with the G4 tower (although there are those who still complain about a lack of additional slots on those). However just by adding one PCI slot they could expand the market for this machine to professionals who need say a SCSI card or a video card or whatever.

We'll see how it plays out but I bet you see a price drop by X-Mas and some type of expandibility either via a slot or another box with a bunch of slots, by the next Rev. Otherwise these are going to be another 20th aniversary model.