Apple's Jetson Toaster- G4 Cube
Written: Jul 23 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Stylish, Elegant, Quiet
Cons: Pricey, Limited Expansion
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| cicibaxter's Full Review: Apple Power Macintosh G4 Base |
When Steve Job revealed the PowerMac G4 Cube at the MacWorld, some diehard fans instantly loved the appliance-look, while others hated it. Having a chance to talk with many attendants, I received many input which helped me make a decision to purchase one.
I ordered the 500 Mhz unit, which amounted to $2500 without the monitor. At the time of this writing, the G4 Cube 500Mhz can only be obtained from Apple's website, and it will ship out in August. For my order, I opted for 128MB RAM, an AirPort option (wireless connectivity) and maxed out on a 40GB 7200 rpm hard drive. The 22-inch all-digital Apple Cinema Display alone amounts to $3999. A cheaper monitor can be purchased for $499. The alternative is a 17-inch (16-inch viewable) Apple Studio Display, using a Natural Flat Diamondtron CRT.
People wonder why they should pay so much for a 500Mhz, when they can get a 1 Ghz Athlon for the same price. The Motorola RISC processors uses 128 bit (4 x 32 bit) technology, as opposed to the Intel's CISC 32 bit processors. The RISC cycle allows faster processing for high-end graphics handling, not noticeable for Office Suite usage. I have been told that it loads faster than the PC counterparts. Part of Apple's marketing campaign, it claims that its Velocity Engine makes over one billion calculations per second. Thus it is aptly a supercomputer.
I did not order the 450MHz Power Mac G4 Cube ($1799), which I felt was under-equipped for graphics handling: only 64MB RAM and a 5400rpm 20GB hard drive. All units come with a DVD ROM drive that pops up like a toaster and a built-in ethernet card.
What I like about the new design is that it is reminiscent of Job's black NEXT Cube workstation that never took off. This time the cube is a miniature (8 eight inches dimension) unit, which saves alot of desktop space. People in Japan will love this benefit. Other attendants, however, commented that it looks like a tissue box.
When you want to upgrade, you flip the cube over and pull its handle.
You can upgrade up to 1.5 GB RAM, but the ATI 128 Pro (16MB) graphics card is integrated into the motherboard, just like the 56K v.90 modem, 10/100BaseT Ethernet adapter and its CPU. Retaining its heritage, the G4 carries a pair each of FireWire and USB ports. The 400 Mbps FireWire becomes valuable when I transfer movies from my Sony Camcorder.
However, what's missing is a floppy drive and expansion, like a CD-RW.
I may have to use an USB external CD-RW. Although upgrade is limited,it still remains a status symbol to some designers and executives.
What is unique about the design is that it uses no fan, instead it uses a convection system, in which the air below the unit goes upward like a chimney. Warning: Just don't put anything on top of the unit. The benefit creates a quiet work area.
In addition, Apple reduced the wiring of the monitor to one cord, which enhances elegance combined with their engineering.
In response to many Apple users, who complained about the tiny mouse on the iMacs, Apple came out with an ergonomic optical mouse that resembles the Microsoft IntelliMouse. It eliminates dust-build-up and increases precision and sensitivity.
The clear keyboard has 108 keys, with 15 full-function keys. Left-handers will have no trouble with positioning their keyboards since the USB connections are on both sides.
Another cool peripheral that's included is the pair of clear globe-like Harman-Kardon speakers (10 watts per channel), which outputs about 80Hz to 20KHz of dynamic audio.
Overall, the G4 Cube is expensive, but elegant. Style comes at a premium. Unless you are a gadget afficiondo, iMac models are more affordable. Apple announced $200 price slashing on most iMacs.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2500.00
Operating System: Macintosh
Processor: Other
Processor speed: 401-500
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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Epinions.com ID:
cicibaxter
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Member: Cici Baxter
Location: San Francisco
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 10 members
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