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Miscellaneous Ramblings
Cube Hitting Its Stride?
Charles Moore - 2001.04.17 - Tip Jar
Is the Cube finally hitting its stride?
The G4 Cube got off to a bit of a
slow start, sales wise, and there were even rumors afoot a couple
of months back
at
Apple might even be fixing to pull the plug on the revolutionary
little powerhouse.
Fortunately, Steve Jobs has denied that there are any plans to scuttle the Cube, and I have been noticing signs that it may be finally building a following.
The price reduction announced at Macworld Tokyo didn't hurt, and at US$1,299, the entry-level 450 MHz DVD Cube is, if not a rip roaring bargain, at least now fairly attractively priced. Of course, being never satisfied, I wish Apple would offer a 500 MHz machine with DVD at, say, US$1,450.
I'm not that stoked on having an internal CD-RW drive. The one Apple installs is only 8x. Having experienced the Que Fire! 16x10x40x FireWire CD-RW drive, 8x seems kind of sluggish. I think a CD burner is something I would rather have as a freestanding peripheral that could be used with a variety of machines. An internal DVD drive makes more sense.
Anyway, Mac Web acquaintances who have Cubes, like my friends Eolake Stobblehouse and Chris Long, profess to love them, as have several readers who have written me on the topic. Both Chris and Eolake are professionals who use their Cubes for production work and find them very satisfactory for that purpose.
This is one reason I recently recommended a Cube to my friend, Bishop Robert Crawley. Robert publishes an excellent quarterly Christian journal called The Rock, which has been produced on Macs since its inception, first on a Performa 5200, and subsequently on a Motorola StarMax 3000 clone.
A month or so ago, Robert emailed to say that the StarMax was behaving erratically - sounded like possible motherboard problems - and he allowed that it was probably time to think about upgrading to a new Mac. He wanted my opinion on which one to get
Of course, the model that immediately comes to mind for tasks like magazine production is the Power Mac G4 tower, and that was my initial suggestion. However, on further reflection, it occurred to me that a Cube might be the ideal solution in this case. The Rock is essentially a text and line art graphics publication, with no color. It is a nonprofit labor of love of for Robert, and a more inexpensive machine than a G4 tower would help with the magazine's shoestring finances.
Consequently, I smiled when Robert emailed again to say that his local Mac guru had suggested that a Cube would be the ideal choice. I was very happy to second that motion. A telephone conversation confirmed that PCI slots are not likely to be required, so the Cube's relatively limited expansion support would not be a drawback in this case. I recommended the 450 MHz DVD machine with a 15" Apple LCD Studio Display and as much RAM as The Rock's upgrade budget can handle.
Actually, I am seriously considering a Cube for my own next system. I am a PowerBook guy, but my WallStreet rarely leaves my desktop workstation, and the 450 MHz Cube and Studio Display combo would offer substantially more bang for the buck than the 400 MHz TiBook, while still offering a portable - or at least luggable - package with a good-sized LCD screen. The screen issue is important. With a Cube, it will be possible to just upgrade the CPU from time to time without having to buy an expensive new flat screen monitor with each upgrade, as one is obliged to do with the PowerBook.
I think the Cube is in the vanguard of the future of desktop computing - compact, quiet, and attractively styled. It's probably a bit ahead of its time, but the world will eventually follow in its direction. If enough people make the same evaluation, Cube sales may finally hit their stride.
Charles Moore has been a freelance journalist since 1987 and began writing for Mac websites in May 1998. His The Road Warrior column is a regular feature on MacOpinion, and he is a news editor and columnist at Applelinks.com. If you find his articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Recent Miscellaneous Ramblings
- Refurb MacBook Pro Deal, Fastest Mac Browser, 256 MB Modules for WallStreet, and More, 07.01. Also more Safari 4 feedback, praise for Camino, MacBook cracks, looking for Craigslist software for Macs, and more.
- Bravo to Apple for Pulling the Plug on Porn, 06.29. Last week the developers of 'Hottest Girls' moved from lingerie and bikinis to topless images, so Apple pulled the plug.
- Importance of FireWire, Replacement Battery Advice, RAM for WallStreet PowerBooks, and More, 06.24. Also what is IrDA good for? And reflections on Kodachrome, digital photography, and medium format cameras.
- An Affectionate Farewell to Kodachrome, 06.23. After 74 years on the market, Kodak has discontinued its most famous brand of transparency film.
- More in the Miscellaneous Ramblings index.
Links for the Day
- Mac of the Day: 'Yikes!' Power Mac G4, Aug. 1999 - The only Power Mac G4 with PCI graphics was built on a modified G3 motherboard.
- Group of the Day: Tiger List is for anyone using Mac OS X 10.4.
- July 5 in LEM history: 98: iMac: First of a family? - iMac perfect for schools - 00: Apple is not your friend - 01: 75 Mac Advantages - Exploring the fractal universe - Do you trust me? - 02: The joy of X with Classic - 05: No Quartz Extreme for Pismo - Brief history of NeXT - 06: Education iMac - TopXNotes - Battery reset utility for WallStreet and Clamshell iBooks
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Recent Content on Low End Mac
- iPhone 3GS Overheating, Battery Life App, 240 GB Upgrade for 5G iPod, Total Baby App, and More, iNews Review, 07.02. Also low cost international calls, U-verse remote DVR control, Sync Blocker USB-to-Dock cable, Rocket Taxi improved, and more.
- MacBooks Top Amazon Sales, EFI 1.7 Problems, Pros and Cons of Built-in Batteries, and More, The 'Book Review, 07.02. Also make a bootable SD Card, Leopard on a 9" Dell netbook, MacBook Pro and Air reviews, triple WiFi range, bargain 'Books from $179 to $2,300, and more.
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- Amazon.com v. Interstate Sales Tax: Everyone Loses, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 07.01. Amazon.com is standing up to states that are trying to have it collect sales tax on interstate commerce, which most see as a violation of federal law.
- Introduction to Autofs in Mac OS X, Keith Winston, Linux to Mac, 07.01. "Autofs is often used in enterprise environments to set up network-based home directories and other network mounts for users at login."
- Optimized Software Builds Bring Out the Best in Your Mac, Dan Knight, Online Tech Journal, 06.30. Applications compiled for your Mac's CPU can load more quickly and run faster than ones compiled for universal use.
- Checking Out Safari 4 on an Old PowerBook, Charles W. Moore, 'Book Value, 06.30. Safari 4 is the fastest it's ever been, but it's not without some frustrating drawbacks.
- Intel's Promise Fulfilled: More Processing Power per Processor Cycle, Dan Knight, Mac Musings, 06.30. Apple promised improved CPU efficiencies when it announced the move to Intel in 2005. Three years of MacBooks show the progress.
- Is Steve Jobs' Health Essential to Apple's Future?, Frank Fox, Stop the Noiz, 06.30. Steve Jobs' health is an important thing, but Apple has demonstrated that it can be profitable without him.
- More links in our archive.
Recent Deals
- Best Mac Pro Deals, 07.02. Used 3 GHz 4-core, $2,000; 3.2 8-core, $2,900; refurb 2.8 8-core, $2,399; new 2.66 4-core, $2,290 a/r; 2.26 8-core, $3,070 a/r; 2.66, $4,499; more.
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- Best Xserve Deals, 07.02. Used 2 GHz single G5, $800; dual, $1,000; refurb 2.8 GHz 4-core Xeon, $2,100; new 2.26 4-core Nehalem, $2,888; 8-core, $3,449; 2.66, $4,799; 2.93, $5,999.
- Best iPod touch Deals, 07.01. Refurb 2G/8 GB, $179; 16 GB, $259; iG/32 GB, $279; new 2G/8 GB, $215; 1G 16 GB, $210; 2G, $275; 2G/32 GB, $369. Prices include shipping.
- Best 13" MacBook & MacBook Pro Deals, 07.01. Used 1.83 GHz, $595; 2.0, $629; new 2.0, $889; 2.13, $925 after rebate; refurb 2.0 Unibody, $949; 2.4, $1,099; new 2.26 MBP, $1,119 a/r; more.
- Best 12" PowerBook G4 Deals, 07.01. Used 867 MHz Combo, $400; 1.33 GHz, $448; 1.5 GHz, $599; 1 GHz SuperDrive, $509; 1.33 GHz, $599; 1.5 GHz SD, $679.
- Best Apple TV Deals, 07.01. Refurb 40 GB Apple TV, $199; new, $220; refurb 160 GB, $279; new, $320. Prices include ground shipping.
- Best G4 iBook Deals, 06.29. Used 12" 800 MHz Combo, $290; 1 GHz CD, $299; Combo, $370; 1.33 GHz, $428; 14" 1 GHz Combo, $399; 1.2, $465; 1.42 GHz, $500.
- Best Power Mac G3 and PCI Video Card Deals, 06.29. Used beige 300 MHz, $25; G4/366, $39; blue & white 350, $80; 400, $90; 450, $105; PCI video cards from $15; shipping additional.
- Best Mac OS X 10.0-10.3 Deals, 06.29. Mac OS X 10.0, $30; 10.1, $20; 10.2, $60; 10.3, $50; 10.3 Server, unlimited users, $130.
- Best Time Capsule and AirPort Deals, 06.29. Close-out 500 GB Time Capsule, $199; 1 TB, $350; AirPort Extreme Base Station, $130; refurb AirPort Express, $85.
- More deals in our archive.
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