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!style="background:#ffdead;width:10%;"|'''Model'''
!style="background:#ffdead;width:10%;"|'''Model'''
!style="background:#ffdead;width:15%;"|'''January 1999'''
!style="background:#ffdead;width:15%;"|'''July 2000'''
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|style="width:10%"|'''Model #s'''
|style="width:10%"|'''Model #s'''
|M6670LL/A (300 MHz), M6668LL/A or M6666LL/A (350 MHz), M6665LL/A (400 MHz)
|M7642LL/A (450 MHz) Configure to order only (500 MHz)
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Revision as of 21:48, 15 December 2009

Power Mac G4 Cube
Power Mac G4 Cube
The Power Mac G4 Cube.
DeveloperApple Inc.
TypeDesktop
Introductory price$1599
DiscontinuedJuly 2001
CPUPowerPC G4, 450–500 MHz

The Power Mac G4 Cube (or, as Steve Jobs put it, "more affectionately, the G4 Cube") was a small form factor Macintosh personal computer from Apple Inc. It was sold from 2000 to 2001. Its cube shape is reminiscent of the NeXTcube from NeXT, acquired by Apple in 1996.

Features

The diminutive 8" x 8" x 8" cube, suspended in a 10" tall Acrylic (PMMA) enclosure, housed a PowerPC G4 processor running at 450 or 500 megahertz, and had an unconventional vertical slot-loading DVD-ROM or CD-RW drive. A separate monitor — with either an ADC or VGA connection — was required for the Cube, in contrast to the all-in-one iMac series. Also unlike the iMacs, it had an upgradeable video card in a standard AGP slot. However, there was not enough space for full-length cards. The Cube also featured two FireWire ports and two USB ports for connecting peripherals. Sound was provided by an external USB amplifier and a pair of Harman Kardon speakers. Although the USB amplifier had a standard mini-plug headphone output, it lacked any audio input. The Cube also used a silent, fanless, convection-based cooling system like the iMacs of the time.

History and sales

Apple targeted the Cube at the market between the iMac G3 and the Power Macintosh G4. Despite its innovative design, critics complained that it was too expensive. It was initially priced US$200 higher than the comparably-equipped and more-expandable base Power Mac G4 of the time (450 MHz CPU, 64 MB RAM, 20 GB hard drive) and did not include a monitor, thus leading to slow sales. Additionally, early Cubes suffered from a manufacturing issue that led to faint lines (referred to as "cracks" or "mold lines") in the clear plastic case. This was often considered damaging to the aesthetic quality of the computer.[1]

After seeing low profits, Apple attempted to increase sales by bundling more software with the Cube,[citation needed] lowering the price of the base model, incorporating a CD-RW drive standard for the 500 MHz version, and offering an improved NVIDIA graphics card as an option. These efforts could not offset the earlier perception of reduced value compared to the iMac and Power Mac G4 lineup. In July 2001 Apple issued a short and slightly unusual press release announcing the product was to be put "on ice".[2]

In 2003, the G4 Cube received a brief return to the spotlight after a series of articles in Wired magazine charted its cult popularity. The articles, focusing on upgrades installed by individual users and retailers such as Kemplar, led to a sharp rise in the Cube's resale value. Nevertheless, with the release of the relatively inexpensive Mac mini (seen by some[3] as a replacement), coupled with Apple's switch to G5 processors and eventually Intel Core-based processors, the Cube again faded into the background.

Models

Component PowerPC G4
Model July 2000
Model #s M7642LL/A (450 MHz) Configure to order only (500 MHz)
Dimensions 14 lbs (6.4 kgs), 8.9" (24.8 cm) H × 7.7" (19.5 cm) W × 7.7" (19.5 cm) D
Processor PowerPC G4 clocked at 450 MHz or 500 MHz with a 100 MHz system bus and 1 MB L2 Cache.
Memory 128 MB, 256 MB, 384 MB, 512 MB, 768 MB, 1 GB, or 1.5 GB of PC-100 SDRAM clocked at 100 MHz
Graphics Card ATI Rage 128 Pro with 16 MB of SDRAM, nVidia GeForce2 MX with 32 MB of SDRAM, or ATI Radeon with 32 MB of DDR SDRAM
Hard drive 20 GB, 30, or 40 GB Ultra ATA hard disk drive @ 5400 RPM, or 60 GB Ultra ATA hard disk drive @ 7200 RPM
Optical Drive 24X or 32X CD-ROM, 5X DVD-ROM drive or CD-RW
Operating System Mac OS 9.0.4 or 9.1

Modifications and upgrades

Since the Cube's demise, a number of Cube enthusiasts have made modifications to their machines. Some of the more popular upgrades are high performance video cards (complete with ductwork to allow the GPU fan to work correctly in the small Cube case) and third-party CPU upgrade cards (up to 1.8 GHz per August 2005); a few people have even modified their Cubes to take a dual-processor upgrade. A popular upgrade is the Geforce 2 MX, which exists in a version specially created for the Cube. Other popular changes include case modifications such as lighting and extra cooling. The Cube uses the same memory and hard drive components as a traditional desktop machine and these upgrades were common. Although the Cube uses a fanless convection-based cooling system, the mounting points for a standard desktop cooling fan are already in place. Upgraders of the Cube often take advantage of this to add a cooling fan to the system.

References in culture

The Power Mac G4 Cube with power supply, mouse, keyboard, speakers, and a Studio Display.

Apple designer Jonathan Ive won several international awards for the Cube's design. The Cube can be found in many publications related to design and some technology museums. In addition, the computer has been featured in other forms of media. The G4 Cube was used a prop on shows such as Absolutely Fabulous, Curb Your Enthusiasm and 24. The computer was parodied in The Simpsons episode "Mypods and Boomsticks". The Cube is also seen in films such as Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, About a Boy, August and The Royal Tenenbaums. In William Gibson's 2003 novel Pattern Recognition, the character Cayce uses her film producer friend's Cube while staying in his anti-designer London flat. The character "L", is first seen using a Power Mac G4 Cube complete with speakers and an Apple Studio Display in the popular Japanese manga and anime series, Death Note.

G4 Cube as an art piece

The G4 Cube and its peripherals were showcased in The Museum of Modern Art,[4][5] as well as in Digital Design Museum (a division of Design Museum).[6]

G4 Cubes are also a popular candidate for "MacQuariums", fishtanks made out of outdated Apple computers.

Initial production of G4 Cube cases have 'crack'-like mold lines which does not affect the reliability of the machine, but it had a negative impact on the artistic design that Apple had marketed.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b http://arstechnica.com/reviews/4q00/g4cube_cd/g4-cube-3.html
  2. ^ http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2001/jul/03cube.html
  3. ^ Toporek, Chuck. Mac mini: Steve Jobs gets his Cube Back, O'Reilly Mac Dev Center, January 2005.
  4. ^ http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/news/2003/07/59764
  5. ^ http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A7237&page_number=1&template_id=6&sort_order=1
  6. ^ http://www.designmuseum.org/digital/jonathan-ive-on-apple/powermac-g4-cube-pro-mouse
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