The G4 Cube: Ten Years Later

[Moose Tracks]

In case you didn't know, Apple released a computer called the Power Mac G4 Cube around the year 2000. This was a precursor to what we now know as the Mac Mini--a small pretty looking item that was capable of doing what the towers could do at the expense of not having PCI ports. Unlike the Mac Mini, it came with a $1,000 US price tag (which meant it was about 1,000,000 EUR because of high prices in Europe ).

 

Apple didn't sell many of these little monsters. It was deemed a flop and in some cases, people actually said the clear plastic on the Cube would crack (Apple called them mold lines). So with all good failures, it only lasted a year before Apple pulled them off the shelves.

 

But don't tell Apple there is still a G4 Cube society running about ten years later (companies tend to bury their failures). From processor upgrades to fan installs to new graphics cards to larger clear cubes and even a Macquarium. There is still a die hard Cube group ten years later who will only let you take their cubes from their cold, dead hands.

 

In all likelihood, the G4 Cube was a lesson for Apple--build a smaller machine and find a way to slash the price so people will buy it. This was finally accomplished in Cube II, better known as the Mac Mini.

[bluedragon1971]

You are about $600 off on the initial price, it was $1599, not $1000.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Cube

[Moose Tracks]

You're right. Confirmed on Mactracker.

[terramir]

I wish I had one of these to but my hack in it would look so cool

and yes that thing was an expensive little bugger, and well it wasn't the fastest little bugger either.

But if anyone got an old one laying around plz dun abuse it as an aquarium, give it to me . Yeah PPL actually made an aquarium out of a mac sacrilege!!!

my $.02

terramir

[neil43]

Okay I ran across one yesterday on CraigsList for $120 and purchased it.

 

The Cube is a little scuffed but could be polished out. I had to stick a new (old) IDE hard drive in it and reload the OS X 10.3.2 but it came right up and I ran Apple S/W updates all okay. The system is complete with 17" ACD, Keyboard, mouse and speakers. Missing is the USB Audio Driver/Amp thing. It appears to be completely original system with 500MHz G4 CPU with 384MB memory and no Airport card.

 

Who would have thought that a 10 year old box would be so attractive and run so well.

 

I had intended to hack it into a current technology SL machine with an i5 or i7. But may just keep it as is and look for another project.