Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

Nonsuch · Apr 2, 2003, 10:40 AM

Some engineer in Minnesota is going into the Mac hardware biz, according to a Wired story.

A Minnesota man has plans to launch his own Macintosh-manufacturing business, building a low-cost, upgradeable Mac called the iBox.

John Fraser, a 21-year-old engineer from Chanhassen, Minnesota, is finalizing the design for his flat "pizzabox" Mac and hopes to go into production in three to four months. If successful, Fraser will be the first third party to make a Mac since Apple shut down its three-year experiment in clone licensing in 1997.

...

Fraser's iBox will be a low-cost, upgradeable machine. It will offer everything Mac customers expect: FireWire and USB ports, Airport connectivity, Gigabit Ethernet and so on -- for about a third of the price of comparable Apple machines.

Fraser plans to offer both bare-bones and complete systems.
For $250 to $350, the bare-bones iBox will feature a case, motherboard and power supply. Customers will add their own processor, memory, hard drive and operating system.

Fraser will build full-featured configurations to customers' specifications. A fully loaded iBox will cost between $650 and $2,000, depending on the speed of the chip, the size of the hard drive and other features. He plans to offer configurations with dual processors, just as Apple does in its current line of PowerMacs.

I've heard a lot of people say this is just the sort of system they're looking to buy. Assuming he doesn't get too badly eviscerated by Apple's legal department, this could be a pretty cool thing.

AB^2=BCxAC · 11:04 AM

Originally posted by Nonsuch:
Some engineer in Minnesota is going into the Mac hardware biz, according to a Wired story.

I've heard a lot of people say this is just the sort of system they're looking to buy. Assuming he doesn't get too badly eviscerated by Apple's legal department, this could be a pretty cool thing.

This is the first I've heard of this fellow. So I'm going to jump to conclusions.

Apple is going to kill him.

Edit: now I've read the article.

I suppose he can sell these, maybe to that small crowd who actually buy G3 iMac to rack mount conversions... but really, it seems a bit of a dull project to me. In reference to something below, yeah, I smell something under my shoe.

rjenkinson · Apr 2, 2003, 10:46 AM

so... it's just a motherboard and case? how much would an actualy working system cost?

-r.

PB2K · Apr 2, 2003, 10:53 AM

don't you guys smell something under your shoe?

maxelson · Apr 2, 2003, 10:54 AM

I dunno what Apple could possibly do to him.
He is not selling a box with an OS (which, in the end, is the mire of liscensing which kilt Power Computing). He is selling a package that would be compatible with the Mac OS.

Sounds ok to me. I mean, the fact that there is no RAM, Processor and OS suggests that he did his legal home work.

daimoni · 03:59 PM

.

maxelson · Apr 2, 2003, 11:08 AM

SOMEONE is not reading too carefully...
tsk

daimoni · 04:00 PM

.

maxelson · Apr 2, 2003, 11:22 AM

I'm here for ya, kid...
there, there...

Nonsuch · Apr 2, 2003, 11:29 AM

I don't think he could get away with the name iBox. Maybe mBox (for Mac) or else something completely removed from Apple's current naming schemes. (I got it--Banana Jr.! Think Berke Breathed would sue?) Other than that, I'd think he'd be in the clear.

The design isn't too bad either. If you're looking to buy a budget Mac, presumeably you're not going to be too hung up on styling anyway.

MacGorilla · Apr 2, 2003, 12:03 PM

What he is building is certainly within available technology---After all the new Amiga machines are PowerPC G3 machines. But I would think to make a profit he'd have to buy in bulk.

I don't think Apple would sue unless you he preinstalled the Mac OS on it or advertised it as Mac-compatiable.

The Placid Casual · Apr 2, 2003, 12:54 PM

"badly eviscerated"

This must be the understatement of the year as to what Apple will do!

They will utterly, utterly destroy this guy if he puts the project into production.

There are patents about how the tech an be used, be combined, you name it. If you even think about the parts the wrong way you could end up in court on IP grounds.

I wouldn't be surprised to Steve's personal 'Fedayeen Steve' go after him...

Peace,

Marc

Vanquish · Apr 2, 2003, 01:16 PM

nice idea, but I'm afraid that Apple would begin a Jihad against this guy.

bradoesch · Apr 2, 2003, 01:42 PM

I'd buy one for my parents next computer.

gumby5647 · Apr 2, 2003, 03:44 PM

There is no way that this will ever even begin to get off the ground. NO way will Apple let it happen. He'll probaby end up selling x86/Linux boxes....and be successful with that. The only good thing that will come out of this is Apple might (might) realize that they need an inexpensive upgradable or barebones Mac.

of course, the Cube comes to mind here, but that's another thread i suppose....

imaxxedout69 · Apr 2, 2003, 04:17 PM

What I don't get is how the PCI slots and AGP cards fit in there. They mount perpindicularly to apple motherboards, so I'm just not seeing how they 'fit'.

- Ca$h

gumby5647 · Apr 2, 2003, 04:49 PM

Ca$h is right. If he is using gigabit motherboards the only way to use a AGP and PCI are with risers that would allow vertical mounting. Question is.....does anyone make them that will work?

olePigeon · Apr 2, 2003, 05:01 PM

Originally posted by MacGorilla:
What he is building is certainly within available technology---After all the new Amiga machines are PowerPC G3 machines. But I would think to make a profit he'd have to buy in bulk.

The new Amigas are based off the POP (PowerPC Open Platform.) They can be anything that's PowerPC, including the new 970.

Cipher13 · Apr 2, 2003, 05:14 PM

Originally posted by gumby5647:
Ca$h is right. If he is using gigabit motherboards the only way to use a AGP and PCI are with risers that would allow vertical mounting. Question is.....does anyone make them that will work?

Just like Apple did with the 5xx0's and 6x00's. Used a PCI riser to allow the cards to sit horizontally.

AB^2=BCxAC · Apr 2, 2003, 05:28 PM

Originally posted by Cipher13:
Just like Apple did with the 5xx0's and 6x00's. Used a PCI riser to allow the cards to sit horizontally.

Exactly. If you look at his website, the 3-D rendered pictures seem to indicate risers.

But I have to say, I don't think this will get off the ground unless he starts to do his homework on possible infringements. And retains the services of Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe.

gumby5647 · Apr 2, 2003, 05:39 PM

thought about this more.....

I think the only way this guy stands a chance is if it uses a G3 Processor. And I'm sure Apple would prefer him to use the 750cxe series to start. By using the G3, it would make the box,cheaper to make cooler (smaller heatsink), and more importantly, it would turn off any "pro" users thinking about getting one. Without altivec, the machine is pretty much useless to them.

Zimmerman · Apr 2, 2003, 05:42 PM

He is looking for help, so if any of us in the Mac Community who want to see this thing get off the ground have valuable skills he can use, it'd be a great thing to donate those skills in any way you can.

I'd LOVE to see this materialize. He wouldn't be able to meet production. If you have any real expertise analyzing patents or have experience in law pertaining to this type of operation, help out!

boardsurfer · Apr 2, 2003, 08:38 PM

Originally posted by Marc2211:
I wouldn't be surprised to Steve's personal 'Fedayeen Steve' go after him...

Peace,

Marc

freakin hilarious. Fedayeen Steve... ROFL

Ver de Terre · Apr 2, 2003, 09:05 PM

Anybody remember the first commericial Macintosh portable? Hint: it wasn't made by Apple. Basically, the Outbound laptop was a cleverly repackaged Plus/SE. Apple didn't go after them legally, though with the Mac Portable released not long afterwards, it was only a matter of time before the competition took them down. Apple might take a different attitude now, since the situation is not exactly the same, but who knows.

olePigeon · Apr 2, 2003, 09:19 PM

There were also some repackaged Apple ][ clones. Of course, don't know if Apple was big enough back then to sue anybody.

There's also Marathon which will sell rackmount G3s and G4s too.

Doesn't the XServe use risers?

King Bob On The Cob · Apr 3, 2003, 12:56 AM

Hello?!? People are you home? The makers of Yellow Dog Linux have been making the briQ for awhile now, this just seems to be a consumer level briQ.

Zimmerman · Apr 3, 2003, 03:27 AM

Originally posted by King Bob On The Cob:
Hello?!? People are you home? The makers of Yellow Dog Linux have been making the briQ for awhile now, this just seems to be a consumer level briQ.

Ah, but you can't put OSX on the Briq! This puppy is made with Apple Gigabit mobo's.