Open letter to Steve Jobs: Please build the missing Mac

205 Comments

Apple Store“I have owned many Macs over the years including: LC, LC III, PowerMac 6100, 7200, iBook G3 15″, PowerBook G4 12″ (the best laptop form factor ever, btw) and Mac Mini G4, so let me share with you what I think is missing from Apple’s basically awesome Mac product line,” Michael Frager blogs in an open letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Frager asks for “A REGULAR MAC! – With no monitor and a full-height PCI-Express 16x slot! Price range: $600 – $1200. Dual-core, 1GB RAM. Nothing fancy!”

“Apple needs something that can compete with Dell, HP and Lenovo. This computer does not take a genius to design but it will sell like crazy! It can be priced at around $100 to $200 more than a same spec. Windows box due to the value of OS X (esp. 10.5),” Frager writes.

“I believe that while the all-in-one iMac is attractive to schools, it is not what the broader market wants. I have seen my friends buy too many gray boxes over the years. Now is the time for Apple to make one worth buying,” Frager writes.

Full article here.

205 Comments

  8. I disagree. Apple just needs to update the Mac mini. Apple is a leader and an innovator because it raises the bar of what consumers should expect. The “beige box” format for computers is so 90s. The oohs and ahhs that my office gets when people see the iMacs in the front office is almost worth the price of admission alone. Simply put, the “box” format commodity computer is not where the future lies and Apple knows this.

    Reply

  9. The difference between this and the powermac, which you probably meant mac pro, is it will be half the price. Mac needs a tower setup that doesn’t start at $2k. They can achieve this, at least partially, by using conroe not xeon and ddr not fb-dimm or whatever its called.

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  11. Yes ! An Extra Mac double dick Mac Mini .. yes ! Easy to configure an extra HD or add extra memory from the pc – store around the corner, a good enough 128 video card to play even pc games.

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  12. The difference would be PRICE and SIZE..

    I am a video editor/ producer and do work from home (in nyc) and would love something that I could expand upon but is not the price and size bohemeth that is the Power Mac! (one that will actually fit in to a standard computer desk. I dont need tons of slots – just enough to add a pro video card..

    And who needs 16 GB of ram?? Not the average person for sure..

    And I would love to be able to change/upgrade my monitor as needed.

    I am sure that Apple would find a way to make it cool too..

    Reply

  13. This is the unit I have been waiting for!

    I think a unit like this one would increase Apples market share by several percentage points.

    Apple really does not want to get into the commodity hardware like Dell, HP, etc….but I think they could make significant gains with a product like this.

    Also, add a ultra light weight laptop, sub 3 lbs! That should round out Apples product line.

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  14. Quote: “What exactly would be the difference between this and the Mac Pro?”

    Not a lot. What people are asking for is a MacPro at a commodity price. That said, I think Apple should do a Mac at around the size of a standard PC. Most computer desks have a compartment designed for a PC into which a MacPro won’t fit.

    Do a smaller one and they may well sell by the shed load to corporates who view the Mini as underpowered. Unless of course Apple will resurrect the dumb terminal.

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  15. “re:Simply put, the “box” format commodity computer is not where the future lies and Apple knows this.”

    I disagree. I am a teacher in a school system with 6,000 computers, mix of Windows and Mini’s.

    Mini’s need the kind of upgradeability he is talking about. Perception is often reality and when this system is faced with what will happen when they feel forced to upgrade to
    Vista requirements.

    RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY ( of course I think it’s wrong, so don’t waste my time by going there!) if the Mini’s that we have were upgradeable to what he is talking about, Apple could head off the hardware upgrade that our system will make to run Vista.

    Should the school system have gone all Mac so they would not be faced with a Vista upgrade ?

    ABSOLUTELY!
    BUT THAT IS NOT , REPEAT, IS NOT WHAT WE HAVE TO FACE.

    An upgradeable Mini could give school systems a better option. It is that simple.

    I cannot live in the world of “should” I have to live in the world of “is.” We all do whether we choose to recognize it or not.

    Customers need options. Hardware options like what he suggests will do it. Forget that “image” horsecrap!

    Your real image is based upon how customers can use your product!

    Reply

  16. The reason we are successful is that we don’t compete on this very level with Dell or HP. If we were to try to make a Mac like this, it would sell, and then cannibalize our more expensive computers (which would be better simply for the fact that they cost more so they get better engineering).

    When will you bozos realize that commodity computers are killing Dell? Get a grip. We don’t WANT the business of penny pinchers who choose medicrity over cool.

    Sheesh, when will you all stop with this nonsense?

    Reply

  19. I have the sneaking feeling that Apple is working on something like this. I think you could up-size the Mac Mini just a tad to fit a PCI slot and/or a better video card. I think Apple has heard the public on the Mini and it’s “integrated” video. I love the Mini but it is just shy of something I would purchase because I think it’s video is slightly under powered.

    They should come up with a lower cost monitor to go with it as well.

    Reply

  21. Several years ago SGI had a workstation that was probably no more than 15x6x12 inches. I really liked the form factor – a mini tower that could be upgraded with standard drives etc. I often wondered if Apple could do something like that.

    Still it probably wouldn’t be sexy enough for them. It certainly would be cheap to build.

    Reply

  22. I hope they do that upgrade to the Mini.

    It does not have to be cheap, Apple can and must make a profit on it. It can be higher priced than a comparable Dell or whatever, and it will sell because of OSX.

    Our schools WOULD buy it because they work well, not because of “image”

    Reply

  23. kenh is right. Now that Apple is GROWING in market share, they should offer Macs for the mass market. There will always be folks who want an iMac (like myself, I like the all in one) and there are the folks who want the POWER of the MacPro…and then there are the folks who want affordable, flexible machines, like businesses and schools.

    C’mon, Apple–you WERE a nitch player, but you have entered the big leagues now due to great OS.

    Reply

  24. To Kenh and others,
    Somehow, I am sure that Apple does a serious look at what machines will sell where.

    Apple sells the big box with plug in options but I do not see them trying to copy HP or Dell. Even if it means selling more computers. There are too many factors to go into here, but like the person who buys a car so he can tinker with it, people who do that do not really care if it just works, they will take it apart anyways. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />

    Apple, it always needs to “just work” — first and foremost.

    en

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  25. Isn’t one danger in this is the “upgradeability” will also lead to the gajillion 3rd party driver issues that Windows faces? When Apple cedes control of hardware configuration to an “upgradeable” box scheme with externally provided drivers, won’t OS X suffer as a result?

    Please, correct me if I’m wrong. I sort of hope I am, and I rather hope that if I am wrong, that Apple has plans to build such an item, because I think it’d be a much easier sell to potential “switcher” friends.

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  26. Thanks for the letter. (We get thousands like yours every day.)

    We appreciate your interest in Apple products. (Just leave us alone.)

    We will give your thoughts serious consideration. (… as letter is dropped into recycle bin.)

    Sincerely,

    Apple

    Reply

  27. I think it could be a hit, but what if Apple’s next iMac was a similar all-in-one albeit a slimmer design, but with a multi touch screen?! Then would you consider the “plain box” as important? I don’t think so.

    Reply

  29. He wants a cheap tower with low specs? So he can beef up the specs himself?

    Who cares. Get a Dell and play videogames, pal.

    “Apple, it always needs to “just work” — first and foremost”

    Yeah, which is the opposite of what these niche hobbyists want. They want to tinker and customize. Apple, don’t bother with these guys.

    Reply

  30. The problem is that the Mini works the day you have it installed, but it does need a limited upgradeability package, so that a school IT department does not have an excuse to dump the Mini’s the first chance they get.

    Yes, some will do it anyway because of ties to MS, which is true of us, don’t ask me to go into how that happened because it is out of my area, and happened before I got here.

    My point is: teachers and students love the Macs, but since the Mini’s we have don’t have any real possibility of upgrade, they will be phased out much sooner than their real 4-6 year life expectancy, and then we really will have NO ammunition to work with.

    Can’t fight the battle at that point, only choice is to surrender, carry on the battle with our personal Macs. We are good at that, but would like some help from Apple.

    Reply

  31. GOLDFISY

    NAW. Apple’s hardware and the 3rd party companies that make Apple video cards and so forth have to adhere to strict Apple guidelines…that is why Macs always work.

    I think to be more clear, some folks want a low to mid price “box” that they can customize to they’re needs. The Mac Mini is a winning form…maybe the the Mini could be that “box”.

    Reply

  32. I think Apple would open up greater flexibility once mac sales hit a certain threshold. The system they have is working, but at some point, to really accelerate sales, it might make sense for them to make things more customizable.

    Mac Pros are overkill for most people– those are work stations. But notice how customizable those are now? FAR, FAR more than ever before.

    Just like people thought Apple was somehow principled against dropping prices (proven wrong with iPod), I think people are mistaken that customizability isn’t on the horizon.

    Apple acts from strength. They don’t do things to “reach for” or “grasp at” potential success, which is what such customizability would be now. In time, though, when Macs start becoming more of an option for more people, Apple could develop an ecosystem like the Windows world where they largely control the degree to which things can be altered.

    Could be interesting… and very profitable.

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  35. Tacitus –
    “What people are asking for is a MacPro at a commodity price.”

    I don’t think so. I think a headless iMac with room for a second HD and more RAM, and maybe PCI and a replaceable graphics card, would fill the bill. A lot of people, like myself, don’t need cutting-edge processor speed but nevertheless need a minimum amount of upgrade/expansion capability. I opted for a used G5 rather than a Mac Pro because I couldn’t afford the latter but already had a top-quality LCD display and needed at least 4GB RAM and a second internal HD.

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  36. Mike

    I know of the “tinkerers” you speak. I’m not sure that is what ANY of us MAC lovers want or need.

    I think, what we are asking for is a less-expensive (not cheap as in quality) machine that fills the need and competes with the machines that IT departments purchase.

    The other day I was walking past the loading docs where I work, and sitting there was a STACK of new Dells (yeesh…the horror).

    I was asking myself why those aren’t MACS. I wonder Apple is not offering a machine that can IT guys want?

    I’m just asking the question. I think the Mac Mini IS or COULD be that machine.

    I dunno. Just asking the question.

    Dave

    Reply

  37. I’d just like to say that I’d like a Mac with the form factor of Vanessa Marcil or Josie Maran. It should have at least three slots, as well as be warm and a little fuzzy to the touch. Should obviously be bigger on top than bottom, and a darker case would be nice, since they’re all brunettes and everyone knows that brunettes rule. A Kate Beckinsale form factor would also work. Whichever one you do, make sure that there’s plenty of room for expansion, because these things are definitely gonna need room to grow — if you know what I mean.

    Oh, and Apple should institute a better trade-up plan for the newer, younger models that always come along because us geeks always get tired of the same-old-same-old after a while. Right guys?

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  41. The Mac Mini is a winning form…maybe the the Mini could be that “box”.

    Yeah, I want to use my RC Flight Simulator board (PCI) in my Mac. How exactly do I plug it into the “winning forum” Mini???

    I want to add a Protools board to my computer. Where on the mini does that plug in??

    Oh that’s right, pay $2000 more for a Mac Pro just so I can get a PCI slot, something 99% of every PC comes with!

    The machine the Open Letter refers to is absolutely what has been missing for a long, long, time.. The article is dead on!

    Reply

  45. ugggh.
    This lament has been going on for YEARS! And when the Mini finally came out, all everyone did was complain.

    As has been stated by others, a $1000ish “tower” would destroy both MacPro and iMac sales. Apple has distinguished itself as a niche player and is surviving quite well in that role. Apple does not need to compete with every computer offered by Dell/HP.

    I guess the best example I can think of is between Nordstrom’s and WalMart. They are both retailers, but I don’t see much similarity between them. What they offer is just different, like Apple.

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  46. Shoeman…I agree with you…I just don’t know what the freakin’ form would LOOK like…I was just wondering if the Mini could increase in size, maybe height to offer the space for the things you mentioned.

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  48. Shoeman…I agree with you…I just don’t know what the freakin’ form would LOOK like…I was just wondering if the Mini could increase in size, maybe height to offer the space for the things you mentioned.

    Sounds good to me. Make it “Apple Stylish” and pretty if that’s important to some, but at least let the user open the case without a crowbar and add RAM without disassembling the motherboard. Have one or two slots for third party add on boards, ie. RC Flight Sim, Pro Tools, Satellite TV and Tuner Cards, etc..

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  50. Look, I’m sure Apple knows better than I and the rest of us. I’m sure Apple has it all covered… but it KILLS me to hear stories like those of kenh above and to see STACKS of Dells being unloaded.

    The MINI has made a nice dent…maybe Apple can kick the whole door in.

    Just wonderin’.

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  52. It will be the Cube2 and Apple should build such a computer. That is exactly what I am in the market for right now. A lot of PC people I know would like to switch but the fact that there is no mid range Mac (sans the integrated display) is a primary reason why they are not buying. The Macmini is too low end and the MacPro is too high end.

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  53. Apple DEFINITELY needs to create something like this. This would NOT be for “tinkerers.” It also does NOT mean that Apple has to give up any profit whatsoever. This type of computer would be inexpensive for Apple to build, they could still add to it the same margin they make on the iMac, and it would still sell like hotcakes to educational institutions and business. Why? Because it would only be about $1K, not the $2K that you need to spend for a Mac Pro. Mac market share would jump a couple of percent almost immediately. Apple should give consumers what they want–the market share will then take care of itself.

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  55. Actually I too think the article is dead on. I had a G4 iBook that died just after the warranty (OK, I could have been more gentle – I blame myself) and when I was replacing it, a desktop between a mini and a full tower is exactly what I would have (and would if brought out now) bought. How about bringing back the cube? Call it the intel Mac Cube. Has 1 expansion slot, goes to 4 gig of ram (at least), and uses a 3.5″ hard disk to allow for large storage in one system. I have an 80 on my mini now and use a 300 gig external but it is nicer to have everything on one drive and then have a back up drive.

    Apple could do this. It would look like an double sized mini. feature a core2duo, 4 slots for ram (or 2 slots if 4 gig ram supported for the someday when it gets cheap), use a 3.5 inch sata 2 hard disk, and a single slot for expansion that would support high speed video card. It would cannibalize a very small number of sales from the MacPro low end but overall I think it would be a net gain for Apple.

    Hey, when we are born, we don’t go straight from being a kid to a full adult, so why should the Apple product line (mini to macpro)?

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  59. There is some validity about Apple competing in the affordable “generic box” category, especially if it wants to gobble some serious market share away from Windows. There are probably milllions out there who lust for the Mac OS, but for whom their wallet simply doesn’t allow it.

    It has been pointed out often that Macs are not more expensive than PCs if comparative models go head-to-head, and I must admit I am not knowledgeable enough in this area to comment. But it does seem to me that it is possible to pick up or build PCs at costs that seems to be less than Macs.

    Where I live, there are numerous small PC-building businesses that can put a PC and monitor in your hands at considerably less than $1,000 with features that, on paper at least, appear to be a big bang for the bucks.

    However, as many have pointed out, Apple also has built its reputation on classy hardware design, and the sales figures for the last five or six years indicate that Apple is doing a lot of things right.

    The solution, it appears to me, is for Apple to once again consider licensing the building of inexpensive Mac clones by third parties. It should be a tightly-controlled exercise – only a limited number of third parties that meet some stringent basic standards should be licensed, and perhaps the Mac OS licensed out to these clone builders should be without some features that you only find on authentic Macs.

    Some years ago, before Steve Jobs cancelled the clone program, a company that a friend of mine worked for threw out all their PCs and bought Mac clones because of their affordability. They had always wanted Macs, but being a relatively small community newspaper, they simply did not have the budget to buy the 15 or so Macs they needed. The clone supplier allowed them to run Macs within their budget.

    Obviously Apple is a very smart company and know what they are doing. But it seems like this is a good way to quickly grab a big chunk of market share for the Mac OS, especially now that the Mac seems to be creating the best-ever buzz in its history.

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  60. While what was described may be a decent business Mac, for personal use you might as well nut up and buy the 2.66 GHz PM. Best buy for the money. It’s what I’m about to do now that the Octo-Cores are out.

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  61. In a 1U rackmount please, with room inside for a standard serial ATA drive, a standard card slot and some RAM slots and a really quiet fan. It’d handle some bumps out in the field doing multitrack recording, live performance midi, broadcast, video, digital photography, mobile DJ — without the delicacy of a laptop or the size of a tower. It would make a nice little server back at home or studio.

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  62. I think, what we are asking for is a less-expensive (not cheap as in quality) machine that fills the need and competes with the machines that IT departments purchase.
    —

    First of all, IT guys want Windows. It breaks down and keeps them employed. Furthermore, businesses want vendor selection (hardware) and that keeps them Windows… lastly, Apple is NOT interested in the business market. It would fuck up their brand equity.
    Forget the enterprise market.

    Are we done here?

    Reply

  65. I think it’s a safe bet that this model is in the works as we speak. I didn’t realize the Mac Pros start at $2500. That’s a lot of dough. Worth every penny, yes, but if all you want is an expandable Mac…

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  67. Regardless of people who DO NOT want one of these, there are obviously plenty of people that do. Why do you need to judge people an tell them they are stupid for wanting one of these computers?

    apple needs an “intel cube” “mac mini pro” end of story. and it wont touch Mac Pro sales, and maybe a few of iMac sales, but in the end its still Apple Sales.

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  70. Frager asks for “A REGULAR MAC! – With no monitor and a full-height PCI-Express 16x slot! Price range: $600 – $1200. Dual-core, 1GB RAM. Nothing fancy!”

    That’s why my wife has now two PC’s, one for net and one for music, sharing the peripherals and display. There just was not a cheap Mac available that could accomodate her expensive PCI sound cards.

    Maybe it’s time to let HP build the bizboxes and some other the low end models.

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  71. “We could call it the Mac Maximus or just the Biggus Dickus.”

    Hey!
    I will not have my fwiends widiculed by the common soldiewy. – – Anybody else feel like a little… giggle… when I mention my fwiend… Biggus…

    Reply

  72. From Day One (Macintosh 128K), the Mac first and foremost was an integrated computer, and the iMac is its descendant. But as we all know, the Macintosh evolved. I, too, would like to see a desktop Mac to slot between the mini and the Mac Pro. My vision of a “Mac Cube” does not look like the classic PowerMac G4 Cube, but instead a smaller version of Jobs’ NeXT Cube, black in color and dimensions that are truly cube-like (same length, width, height). Call the thing simply, the Macintosh Cube. (I prefer the retro-sounding full name.) Now go to it, Apple. And thanks!

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  74. but at least let the user open the case without a crowbar

    Now this I can agree with.

    Apple, how about making your models outside of the Mac Pro more USER SERVICEABLE?!?

    Adding RAM is easy enough. PLEASE make emergency service items like disk drives, power supplies, and fans easier to replace. Stories of the surgery necessary to get inside, say, a current iMac speak for themselves.

    Reply

  76. I guess there would be no harm to offer that, but I don’t know who would buy that. All this expand this and stick that card into it, is so 90s.

    Perhaps you should read a few of the comments?

    Reply

  77. I’m new to Apple, my first Mac being a MacBook that I bought a few months ago. I really love it, and I’ll never buy another PC again. My PC tower is starting to give me problems, and trying to deal with Windows in fixing systems issues has cost me many hours with no results, so I look forward to buying a Mac tower in the hopefully near future. That being said, the MacPro’s starting at $2500 is a bit of a turn off. I want more power than a MacMini, and I don’t want it all in one with an iMac because I already have two flat panel monitors, what I really want is a tower. I think that if Apple came out with a line of towers that were in the mid range price wise, like the prices of the iMac’s, they would be opening themselves up to more business, getting people who might buy a Dell or HP machine. While the tower they have is really great, the starting price is sure to drive some away. I’m already at the point of not buying a windows machine again, but I hope that when I’m ready to buy a Mac desktop machine, there will be more options in my price range.

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  78. It’s simple. This is not the answer to get IT guys to like Macs. IT guys don’t like Macs because Macs don’t need as many IT guys. It’s a matter of self preservation. What IT manager is going to say “Hey lets our high maintenance Dells with those Macs that don’t need as much IT support so my department can be downsized!”

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  79. I don’t follow the logic that a less expensive mac tower will cannibalize sales of other Macs.

    If this were true, the least expensive mac-mini would have killed the other mac models by now. So far this has not happened.

    Mostly because the mac mini does not compete with any of the other Apple products(laptops, High end Pro tower, or the iMac). A low to mid-range tower will not compete with any of Apple’s products either.

    I also, fail to see how having a lower end mac tower will make Apple compete with Dell, HP, and others strictly on price and somehow make Apple start loosing money.

    Let’s remember, that Apple would still make a higher quality box than Dell and HP, with similar features…like it does with all of its products. If Dell or HP charge $500 for a tower , Apple for sure could sale a similar tower for $650-700 with upgrade options for additional money.

    Also, OS X & iLife separates Apple boxes from Dell, HP, and all others.

    Apple will gain alot by offering a product in this space. Many of their existing customers will be among the first to buy such a product. Starting with me…and the guy who wrote the article.

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  81. People keep offering up this solution to Apple’s inability to break into the enterprise. But in my many years working in large hospitals, which use an awful lot of desktop machines, I’ve never once seen a significant upgrade applied to the the computers in the field. The logistics of doing so are a nightmare anyway, so they just get replaced every few years. And as most of them are used for basic office functions, along with intranet access or mainframe access few of them need any capabilities greater than offered by the Mini. People always think they need to be able to get something better, but they really don’t…

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  82. <bold> @Eddie Nakamura
    They already made a better one, ” AppleTV”.
    $299, I call “MacMINI without DVD slot”, Wait for the new soft upgarde, you will be able to do everything what you can do on your computer now.</b>

    Just as long as you can do it with 256 meg of RAM….

    Reply

  83. Once Apple sells discounted, expandable boxes, it goes on the cheap. And when a company like Apple goes on the cheap, we’re looking at another Dell or HP that just crashes less. Even if it was priced slightly higher than comparable PC boxes, the very *image* of a boring and dated PC box will infect the minds of buyers, and . . .BOOM, there goes the neighbourhood!

    As there is no cheap, tinker-tickling entry model Porsche, there will be no such Mac. Nor should there be.

    Apple has a winning combination here. Market share is not their goal (aprt from a few precentages more for penetration’s sake) – it’s grabbing the *cream* of the market, those buyers that demand more and are willing to pay for it.

    Apple = high margin, low volume. Keep it special, keep it *elite* – don’t water down the strength of the brand. Whether the “future” of stellar home computing is the iMac design remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure, it’s a damn successful one.

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  84. I agree 100% too.

    This would sell by the million. Trouble is they don’t want to compromise on the ‘great’.

    What we say is, it’s the SOFTWARE that will make this machine great. So, give the junior designers the opportunity to come up with soemthing that knocks HP, Dell, Lenovo, Gateway and the rest for six -or out the park even!

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  85. “If Dell or HP charge $500 for a tower , Apple for sure could sale[sic] a similar tower for $650-700 with upgrade options for additional money.”
    This is exactly what HP and Dell want Apple to do. Then they can point out that their almost identical machines are cheaper than Apple’s and clean up. Apple’s great strength right now is that, with the Mini and iMac, they have machines that the competition doesn’t (can’t?) emulate. So if they’re a little more expensive, it doesn’t matter. If they’re essentially the same machine, it matters a lot.

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  87. Apple, how about making your models outside of the Mac Pro more USER SERVICEABLE?!?

    Adding RAM is easy enough. PLEASE make emergency service items like disk drives, power supplies, and fans easier to replace. Stories of the surgery necessary to get inside, say, a current iMac speak for themselves.
    —
    Don’t you get it? Macs are for PEOPLE. People don’t want to open these fsckers. That’s what (ding ding) the Pro version is meant to be upgraded and tweaked.

    NO ONE WANTS THIS.

    Reply

  88. Well, I’ve just read through all these comments and I would be extremely surprised if Apple doesn’t take this seriously.

    Mac community for Apple! The most loyal customer base in the history of brands – any brand anywhere anytime…

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  90. They don’t have to go cheap to offer an expandable mac. My first mac was a beige G3 box. I upgarded the processor, RAM, hard drive, added USB and firepire ports. The thing still runs 10 years later without a hitch. It was $1200 bucks at that time. That’s iMac range.

    Apple could offer it is an “equivalent” to the iMac for those who don’t want the screen. There wouldn’t be any cannibalization there. In fact, it’d probably be more profitable without the screen.

    MDN “needs,” as in “I have them.”

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  91. Don’t you get it? Macs are for PEOPLE. People don’t want to open these fsckers.

    Yeah Sure, if a hard drive goes out, people don’t want to run out to Staples, get a new one, and install it in about 15 minutes.

    They want to ship it off to Apple and in a few weeks they’ll have it back as good as new…

    Guess I’m not a person.

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  92. @@Shinbi,

    I appreciate your point…that if all things being equal, it could look bad for apple if they sold an equivalent or near equivalent box to Dell for $150-200 dollars more.

    I believe that apple could still differentiate its boxes so that they would not be equivalent with the PC boxes.

    For example, there are similarly configured laptops from other PC vendors that compete with Apple laptops. The PC laptops are still somewhat cheaper than Apple’s…but Apple laptops are growing like crazy! The HP & Dells could say why pay more for an Apple laptop when you could buy ours. The answer is quality! Apple has a higher quality laptops from a hardware and software perspective.

    Why can’t Apple do that with a $650-$700 dollar tower? Why can’t Apple build a better quality desktop tower than HP and Dell in terms of appearance and features to distinguish Apple boxes from the PC towers just like with their laptops?

    I think they can…..but I understand your point.

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  93. @ bog,

    I doubt that many people interested in a High End 4 to 8 core Pro Tower would be interested purchasing in a lower end dual core tower as a substitute.

    Anyone wanting a 4 to 8 core machine would most likely not be able to meet their requirements on a much lower end tower and therefore are wiliing to pay the extra bucks for the extra performance.

    A lower end tower would legitmately be for all the customers and potential customers that can not meet their needs with a mac mini , iMac, or a Pro tower.

    A lower end mac tower is really in a different product space than all of Apples current products.

    It really should not be a problem for Apple….it should be an opportunity!

    Reply

  95. One of the key arguments for the mid level headless Mac is the fact that a lot of people have bought a Mac mini in order to try Macs out. Now they like what they see and want something more powerful, but don’t want to go all the way to the Mac Pro – just half way between the mini and the Pro. They are looking at a case size in between the two, a single processor (with options that could go to the quad) and room for the enhancements they want or need to Dump The Dell.

    A super low price isn’t critical and they are probably happy with their display, or they would move to the iMac.

    I’m sort of in that group – I have an iMac at home and an Al 15″ PB for business trips that is attached to the 23″ display in the office. I’d go with a mid Mac for the office, but not the Mac Pro (too big for me) or the mini (I want more power).

    The interesting factor today is that Apple can now use dual or quad cores in a single processor box, giving it a lot more power than the days of single cores. That might be sufficient reason to move into the market over time. Hope so.

    Reply

  97. Does anyone here remember the 1 processor 1.8GHz G5 at $1.800?
    I do, what i remember most was that most buyers eider went with the $2.300 two processors G5 or with the imacs.
    The only way of a mini tower would be a cube comeback but this time with a fan.

    Reply

  98. A Mac “midi” would be nice, but could hurt iMac sales. Anyway, for me it sould be like this:

    One Core 2 duo CPU
    2 RAM Slots
    a “real” graphic card
    3.5″ Disk drive
    2 FireWire ports
    WLAN&Bluetooth;
    Well, that’s essentially an iMac without the display, but why not for those who do not want an All-in-one Computer?

    Reply

  99. The worst period in Apple’s existence was when it was trying to build boxes like those offered by Dell or Gateway. The computers were uninspired and Apple almost went under. Moreover, Apple’s current business model would be compromised by a commodity computer. Apple is now in the business of creating tech ecosystems and cheap, open boxes are irrelevant in that world. As a user whose Apple experience began with a Lisa, and as a stockholder whose stock began at $9-and-change, I think the Mac products Apple now offers are about right, especially with the addition of the iPhone (which is just a very small tablet Mac) and the often rumored sub-notebook.

    Reply

  100. take a mac pro and cut it in half spec wise, one processor socket, 8gb max ram, 2 pci express slots, one internal optical drive bay, 2 hdd drive bays keep the ports the same optional wifi, bluetooth, keyboard, mouse

    spec to your pleasing

    i’d buy it fo sho

    Reply

  101. Honestly..

    I think Apple should stay out of this unprofitable segment of the PC market.

    This is EXACTLY the type of box that DELL, HP, etc are losing their shirts on. This is the no profit segment that is allowing the high market share numbers without any profits. Apple enters this and their margins will drop off a cliff, and will hurt their business.

    Sure they may sell more Macs in terms of numbers, but how are they going to make up for all the profits they won’t have?

    100-200 premium might not be enough to make it worth Apple’s while to do it. I’m no expert here on design and margins and what not, maybe Apple could do it, and maybe they will, but right now they are making bucketloads of money without this, so they seem to be smarter than me…

    I totally agree with updating the Mac Mini tho.

    Reply

  102. MattG has about the best spec list I’ve seen – half a Mac Pro for half the price – sounds like a great deal (and I have a Mac Pro already myself… but would like a smaller, but powerful box for other tasks I don’t want to do on the “big one”.)

    There definitely is a huge gap in the Apple line up by not having a mid-priced mini tower. iMacs just don’t cut it and Mac Mini’s are fine for a “starter” system.

    “IT guys don’t like Macs because Macs don’t need as many IT guys. It’s a matter of self preservation.”

    I see this kind of thing posted all of the time. I don’t believe it. Not one bit. If the company was smart, they’d put these people to work doing other IT tasks, i.e. tasks other than putting out fires via maintenance updates and so forth. They would probably have time to do what they are supposed to be doing as an IT person.

    Reply

  105. If apple made the successful Mac Mini, then Apple can Mac this computer.

    Maybe wih similar specs as the Mac Mini only that this will be in a much larger enclosure that allows easy expanability and Upgrades.

    About the style of the Mac Pro but a little smaller and a Cheaper Enclosure. Though apple quality and that it will look different than the competition. And that it would be $1000 to 1300 cheaper.

    A cheaper but Cool Apple Styled enclosure, an Apple styled system thats cool, innovative, and that will compete with other PC Manufacturers.

    Those of us with iMac and Mac Minis can’t expand much, other than Hard Drives and Memory.

    I also beleive it would sell.

    Reply

  107. Hi Guys,

    I would guess that although there is a low end (Mac mini) and high end (Mac Pro), people at Apple could argue that the iMac is their mid-range computer. If Apple came out with a headless mid-range machine, I would suggest that it isn’t the high end that would be cannibalized, but the iMac. People would prefer to buy their own monitor for cheep than get one of the Apple ones. If Apple makes an all in one computer, they can generate more profit per computer than if they would otherwise. In addition, the design of the iMac would be easier to play around with if there is a monitor attached. If there wasn’t a monitor, the kind of things one could do would be more limiting. This would affect the kind of product differentiation that Apple wants vs Dell etc. From a profitability point of view, I can’t really see Apple doing this. I wouldn’t complain if they did, but I can understand why they haven’t done this to date.

    Just my 2 cents.

    Reply

  109. Let’s just lay out Apple’s current product line right here for everyone to see…

    Mac mini – $600-1000
    (base 1.66Ghz model TO 1.83Ghz w/ 1GB RAM & 120GB drive)

    iMac – $1000-2500
    (base 17″ 1.83Ghz TO 2.33Ghz w/ 2GB RAM & 250GB drive, and you can spec them higher… READ: more expensively)

    Mac Pro – $2200-10000+
    (base 2.0Ghz model TO Octo-monster w/as much RAM and HD as you could ever want)

    Now I ask all of you “missing Mac” advocates: Where will this “missing” Mac go in this product line?

    Unofficial “Missing Mac” – $750ish-1500ish
    2.0Ghz-2.16Ghz Core 2
    1GB RAM
    250GB HD
    Nvidia 7300GT (perhaps upgradable to a 7600?)

    Where will it go so that it is not going to kill all the sales of another product? Most of you will say it should be priced in the $750-1500 range. So, when this machine comes out, who will buy a mini for $600 when this machine is offered at $750 with more power and more expansion? Ok, maybe move the price range to $1000-1500. Now you have nearly the exact same specs as an iMac less the screen, for perhaps $250 less than an equivalent iMac. Who will buy the iMac now? I certainly won’t. I can buy this “missing” Mac for $250 less and buy a decent $200 LCD screen from Costco that will last longer than the computer will, and pocket the $50, or spend it on more RAM. I would have bought an iMac before, with a much larger profit margin for Apple, and a minimal loss in “spec” to myself. However, I would clearly accept this as I want a Mac as my personal computer. Many, many other people would do the same thing as me. The ones who wouldn’t, Apple does not want as customers, and does not give a fsck about. Trust me.

    Clearly this concept will not work in this price range. Where else could it work? The iMac and Mac Pro already overlap in the low $2000 range. Anywhere with a 1 at the beginning of the price is not going to work, as Apple wants the iMac there. Anywhere with a 2 at the beginning of the price will not work either; Apple wants the Mac Pro there.

    I propose this: Discontinue the Mini. Size it up to a cube. Start it at $699 and make it so that you cannot spec it any higher than $1099. Put a decent Core 2 processor in it, and give it 2 user-accessible RAM slots. Give it a user-accessible PCI-Express slot and throw an adequate video card in from the factory. A slide-out HD completes the package. But, it cannot be priced higher than $1099, so upgrades from the factory will be extremely limited. Perhaps a decent RAM boost or double in HD size. No video card upgradability from the factory. This is perhaps more realistic than anything else I have read here. The margins on this machine could be higher than those of the mini, maybe. They might lose a few low-end sales though, but frankly, Apple appears to not want them anyway, as they have moved away from the $499 mini.

    Who disagrees? Show me where I’m wrong. Show me where this “missing” Mac could fit into the product line without causing another machine to disappear entirely. I’ll be waiting.

    –mAc

    Reply

  110. Sound like people just want an IntelPerforma type design. Slightly expandable yet not a PowerMac.

    that and they shouldn’t be a piece of shit like the Performas. My Performa 6300 went through 5 logic boards and 6 monitors in 1.5 years.

    Reply

  112. Stop. THINK!

    Why are Macs so much more better than IBM Cloned PC’s?

    Because alot of thought goes into the making of a Mac. A Mac is made by people who understand better than the users what the users needs were, are, & will be, thereby building units that are not only backward compatible but will also keep working and meeting your needs for at least 5, 10 even 15 years with little chance of a breakdown.

    IBM Cloned PC’s? well apart for Dell who cobble components together to order, all others are outdated & devalued the minute you take them away from the shop. That together with the fact that the operating system is not optimised to the specific PC hardware WHY should Apple Inc imitate such a flawed model just to shift what would be effectively boxes?

    This request as wishful thinking as it is suggests that the wishful thinker does not realise that all the other competitors are so busy scratching their bal** erm.. heads trying to figure out how to copy Apples model without seemingly doing so.

    I seem to remember reading a lament by a famous CEO to the effect that Apple Inc. have patented so many inventions that the competition is finding it impossible to innovate because Apple have nailed all the ideas they are coming up with. I bet he/she did not realise as they made that comment that the ideas they are coming up with are as aresult of seeing the end product by Apple.

    Don’t get me wrong, a number of technologies show cased by Apple were designed by other companies. Apple Inc. had the foresight to see the applications and therefor buy the technologies straight up.

    They learnt how to move swiftly in this direction after Microsoft bought Halo upon seeing their first demo demonstrated on a Mac, Microsoft then made sure that Quake was never going to platformed on the Mac again.

    Accept & appreciate what you have even though the GRASS seems GREENER over the fence.

    Reply

  114. The pompous and ignorant attitudes of some of you people amaze me. How dare someone wish for something that you yourselves don’t need or want!
    First of all, the Mac Pro is a friggin’ workstation. It isn’t meant for the average user or gamer. It holds two CPUs. It has eight RAM slots, which are for fully buffered RAM. This stuff is very expensive and is totally unnecessary for most people. The graphics cards offered are mediocre for gaming.
    As for the Mac Mini, it is worthless for what this guy (and myself) are in need of. Until they come out with external PCI-Express (which is being developed) and Apple puts in in the Mac Mini, then this is not an option. Possibly in the future Intel will have the graphics integrated into their multi-core CPUs and achieve acceptable performance. We will see.
    But until then, Apple can and should come out with a mid-tower rig that has some expandability for average computing and gaming purposes. This won’t be for the hardcore geeks and gamers. They will always prefer to roll their own.
    I was hoping Apple would come out with one of these this year. If not, then I will be building another PC myself. This will be about $ 2,000 that won’t be going to Cupertino. I have four Macs and two Windows rigs, and I was hoping to eliminate some of them. You know, one mac to rule them all. This makes a lot of sense when we can put most of the OSs on one Mac.
    Anyway, why don’t we all try to be a little more open minded to other people once and a while?

    Reply

  115. Will Leopard’s Time Machine require two drives? If so, we will be seeing a larger Mac Mini. I’d prefer a form to accommodate all of Apple’s new stuff like Apple TV with time shifting, Airport Extreme Base Station, media card connectors, iPod docks and anything else it has in the pipline in ONE container. A greener Apple can provide a smaller carbon foot print and save much table space with a real all in one.

    Reply

  117. Yes Yes YES!

    A Mac midi. Something with the kind of form factor of a Mac IIcx/ci.

    A quad-Core processor.
    One PCI slot for a high-end graphics card.
    One extra PCI slot for whatever.
    4 RAM slots.
    3 or 4 USB2.
    2 FireWire 400 and 1 or 2 FireWire 800 ports.
    Airport & Bluetooth.

    I use a PowerBook G4 in a dual-monitor setup, but I’d love an auxiliary desktop machine with a 23″ or maybe a 30″ monitor for CAD and 3D rendering, some gaming, Photoshop and such, but NOT a Mac mini (underpowered), an iMac (too limited) or a Mac Pro (too BIG, too much machine).

    A machine of this class is long overdue! Just do it Apple, you’ll sell a ton of them. Lots of switchers will take the plunge with a machine like that, too!

    Reply

  118. @JadisOne

    You’re right. You want a box? Buy a PC. Since 1984, the Mac has been something unique, something special. Apple markets the iMac as their mainstream machine for a reason, b/c it’s different

    Reply

  123. Hey Randy T.
    When the Mac Mini first came out in 2005, I beleive remebering the Mac Mini, eMac, and Power Mac were being sold at the same time. The eMac was out of the game becasue it had the CRT and that it was pointless to offer 2 all in one computers.

    It probably won’t hurt the Mac Mini or the iMac if Apple built this computer.

    Apple has many options.

    1. They can lower the price of the Mac Mini back down to $499 and $599 where it should of stayed.

    2. They can update the iMac to make it more user freindly in Expandability and keep it in the same prices like it is now.

    3. Apple can make an aditionall Mac Mini model that has ( APPLE TV BUILT IN ) with a highier performance Hard Drive and Graphics Card.

    This computer should be priced in between the Mac Mini and the iMac.

    Reply

  126. Apple needs a computer in the mid-range with an high-powered video card option—both for desktop and laptop.
    Plenty of power users (and switchers) would go for this option—audio pros, video editors, gamers, graphic pros, for example. Many pro users don’t need 3 extra PCI slots, 4 hard drives and 8 memory slots.
    for my purposes as an audio pro, I want a regular hard drive (not a laptop drive, like the mini), real graphics card and four memory slots. Extra drives can be outboard, especially if you have some Firewire 800 ports. But I want to mix and match monitors

    The current iMac goes a long way towards this end with the better video card options and the standard monitor spanning, which used to require a hack. But many switchers would like to BYO monitor to something more versatile than a mini.

    Notebooks are not so good. $999 for a notebook w/o video card but $1999 for a notebook with a true video card. Maybe they will come out with a 13 inch MacBook Pro and solve the huge price jump.

    Reply

  127. Commodity macs would ruin Apple. I will gladly pay the price for a Mac Pro because it is a well built quality item, and it probably subsidizes R&D. Think about it, the price and configurations make all the best Apple software, like Final Cut Studio 6, run perfectly and affordably.If Apple had everyone running ‘Express’ versions on cheap boxes, they would lose a lot of the high end, and would have to raise higher-tier prices. Final Cut Studio 6, with Logic Pro 7, on a Quad Mac Pro, is an outstanding, integrated, creative value that can’t be had anywhere else for the price. The mac mini is for whiners, so now they should be happy with that.

    Reply

  128. Don’t you get it? Macs are for PEOPLE. People don’t want to open these fsckers. That’s what (ding ding) the Pro version is meant to be upgraded and tweaked.

    NO ONE WANTS THIS.

    I find it somewhat funny that, even though about every other comment is saying “yes” to a mid-range, upgradable, head-less Mac, there are still people with their head stuck so far up their ass, that they somehow believe that “NO ONE WANTS THIS”. For your information, I, for one, “WANTS THIS”. Thank you, that is all.

    Reply

  131. OK, now I’m going to chime in. I think Apple should build the ‘missing mac’. And the reason is the HDTV. At this moment I have a G4 MDD with 4 internal hard drives hooked up to a 42″ LCD TV through a DVI to HDMI cable. It’s my “Wall Mac”. I use to view video download from the internet in all formats – even the ones that iTunes does not support. It’s a great setup, but it’s showing it’s limitations.

    I will buy a new mac this year to take it’s place. The mini is capable, of course, but I’d like to run PC Games in Boot Camp. And that means a decent video card is important.

    I’d also like to have a Mac with room for two 3.5″ HDs inside. I will end up filling them full so I want the largest capacity drive I can get. Notebook drives in the mini just don’t have the GBs I want.

    The Mac Pro can do all this for me but the thing is so freekin huge. I have one at the office and I think it’s an amazing machine. Just too big for my needs at home.

    So a Mac Mini is too small, a Mac Pro is too big and the iMac locks me into a display I’d rather not use. There is a Mac missing in the current line up and I think Apple should make it and not worry about losing sales on it’s other lines.

    Reply

  135. If they give me a mac that can handle a quad core, and a Nvidia 8xxx series card, I’m there in a minute! It’s a big leap to go from my mini and macbook to a Pro, just to get video expansion.

    Reply

  136. The readers of this site really make may laugh. All those voices mocking the idea of a – shock! horror! – affordable, expandable mid-range Mac are exactly those who mocked the idea of using Intel processors, providing support for Windows, use of USB, video on an iPod, etc. Always defending Apple’s current line-up and never daring to “Think Different” until Steve Jobs and his merry men have done it for them. Very sad.

    Reply

  137. I was reading about the Cube on Wikipedia. It says Apple never officially discontinued the model:

    In July 2001 Apple issued a short and slightly unusual press release announcing the product was to be put “on ice.” Although not “officially discontinued,” this was seen as a way to quietly terminate the Cube product line.

    Apple’s previous statement indicated that there was a slim possibility of Cube production being resumed in the future, and it would appear that the Mac mini has succeeded the Cube as a small, screenless computer.

    In 2003, the Apple 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 (coupled with Apple’s switch to G5 processors and eventually Intel Core based processors) the Cube again faded into the background.

    Apple’s original press release:

    http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2001/jul/03cube.html

    Reply

  140. To Ron: Maybe I should have written “A superior product compared to an IBM clone”.

    My guess is that the day when alot of IT consultants and PC unit & component mongers can start making serious money from Apple products the way they do with IBM cloned PC’s, that is the day when seemingly everyone will be singing from the same song sheet.

    What a grey world that would be!

    Without variety there is no need
    without a need there is no evolvement
    without evolvement there is no adaptation
    without adaptation there is no life!
    Choose life!
    Apple users/owners have time to live
    PC users/owners live most of their time crashing, fixing, upgrading & reloading.

    Reply

  141. “I think Apple should stay out of this unprofitable segment of the PC market.”

    The Mac market share grows mainly by word of mouth, Apple stores and the successful new TV campaign.

    People buying this Mac ‘Midi’ add to the overall market and I firmly belive that this Midi would be a huge seller for corporates.

    The iMac is not an ideal business workstation, its too good, too well designed, too smart, too trendy.

    Business and teenage computer enthusiasts should have access to a good, basic, expandable Mac.

    OK. the margin on this product does not need to be 30%, but hell, why should they turn down 20%? And what numbers would also buy laptops? Or sell the platform to others?

    I can see Ballmer, Dell and others reading things like this and throwing a few more chairs.

    Reply

  142. I would love to be a fly on the wall to see how Apple, and Jobs in particular react to reading this stuff, assumiong they do sometimes. I’d refer him to it or give him a precis if I knew him for sure.

    Of the possible reactions I would like to know which they take:

    1. Who do they think they are criticising us? Telling us what to do? Suggesting our strategy isn’t right?

    or

    2. Perhaps they have something here. Let’s explore this. Maybe we could indeed do something with this…

    We can’t make judgements for Apple, and thinking about this for an hour is not exactly thorough. But hell, there are a lot of people on this board who do see this as a good thing for Apple and its customers.

    I expect to see more about this in the future. If Apple wants to go bigtime into the mainstream and take serious lumps of marketshare from Windows, then this could just make a contribution.

    Let’s wait and see..!

    Reply

  144. Gee guys its happing lets not sh*t a surprise

    Ha: Thought about this ages ago a Mac for business ,
    Slim cheap with basic components Called Office Killer though on iWork and kill windows,

    yeahhh.

    But any real mac fans will know what the form factor will be,

    ~Apple TV, Gee

    PSS:
    *I hate Binary, when are we going to move to a Better system mayby base 4, comon People.

    Also I want

    new macbook.

    and a coffe cup made by apple
    and a wife and come to usa,

    as Aussies media is CRAP.

    Here, PS I have not money anyone want to order a pizza , online and have it sent to me,
    Using Pizzahut.com.au

    Thanks Heaps,

    Reply

  145. No. The un-upgradeability is a feature. You don’t ‘upgrade’ your TV. You don’t ‘upgrade’ your VCR. You don’t ‘upgrade’ your fridge.

    People still don’t get Apple’s philosophy and business model.

    Reply

  146. Since I was perhaps the earliest to use the phrase “Missing Mac” two years ago, let me clarify why Apple’s current desktop line remains incomplete.

    The Mini is neither a great design, nor a decent value proposition. It lacks an integrated power supply, supports only a single, notebook class drive, and a single RAM slot. It lacks a dedicated video processor and has limited I/O. The iMac is a better value proposition, but not all of us want an All-in-One.

    The Mac Pro is too frickin’ big and too frickin’ expensive, and is more than many of us really need. And most of us don’t want no stinkin’ tower!

    The “just right” solution for many of us would resemble a Shuttle. Its small form factor still offers an integrated power supply, room for two full-size drives plus a full-size optical, an ATX and PCI card slot, and plenty of I/O. Apple’s designers could shrink it further by providing a slot-loaded optical. Offer it in iPod white or black at $999 and Apple will have a mega winner.

    Reply

  149. No. The un-upgradeability is a feature. You don’t ‘upgrade’ your TV. You don’t ‘upgrade’ your VCR. You don’t ‘upgrade’ your fridge.

    Most people don’t upgrade or even service their own cars. Yet you don’t see vehicles with non-removable tires or sealed-shut hoods.

    Do I see a disconnect in how things are designed for the consumer? At what dollar point should things be sealed and disposable?

    Reply

  150. Since this new Mac would fall in between the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro the logical name for this box would be the Mac Midi. All you misguided Gray PC box cosumers break out that very tight wad of bills in your pocket! ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”cool grin” style=”border:0;” />

    Reply

  153. That will never happen, it’s more confusing and it’ll eat away sales of the imacs.

    Might be a great idea, but company like Apple isn’t stupid to not notice this.

    Reply

  156. I have been wanting this mac for a few years now, you have the ‘MacPro’ now make the ‘Mac’ !!!

    like the G4 Cube was, small expandible.. it doesnt have to be as small as the cube, or the same form factor.. they could use a similiar MacPro tower, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!@!@

    I want to upgrade my VGA card.. Apple wants to break into all market segments, and the gaming segment is an important one, DOIT DOIT!!!

    I want full size Hard Drive Bays (at least 2) full size 5 1/4″ bays (at least 1, 2 would be nice) and say one PCI eXpress 16, and one or 2 PCI X-1s….. PLEASE??!!?!??!?!?!?!? We are begging you Apple! (Steve)

    MDN magic word: MAKE (I cant make this stuff up) MAKE IT!

    Reply

  157. in responce to: “What exactly would be the difference between this and the PowerMac?”

    Well #1 it would be like 60% the cost
    IT would have a consumer grade chipset instead of a dual socket workstation/server class Zeon chipset, it only needs 1 x16 slot (instead of 4) we dont need 4 HDD bays.. Did I mention it would be ~60% the cost??

    MDN magic word: should

    Reply

  158. I absolutely agree! I like to replace or upgrade my computer every 3 years or so but it makes no sense to replace the LCD monitor if my computer is an all in one iMac. It would be wasteful and not so ‘green”. I don’t need a hard core pro Mac either and that’s why I’m still waiting for the right Mac!!

    Reply

  159. Then, Apple should jut upscale the Mac Mini with a Beefier Graphics card and hard drive, that way it is user upgradable.

    Then add an Apple TV Built in, add more options to it, Blue Ray or HD DVD Optical Drive, with more posts on the back. But still add aome extra space for addtional hardware and easy access to the internal components.

    This would be the Ultimate TV SET Top Box. The Combination of Apple TV, Mac OS X, Front Row. How can any surpass that.

    Apple would have to Make this Machine Bigger, or just taller.

    And that this will be under $1000

    That would be a Great ( ONE MORE THING ) surprise at Steve Jos nest Keynote. Along with Updated Mac Mini’s, iMacs, and iPods, and a surprize release or Leopard.

    Reply

  160. in responce to: “When will you bozos realize that commodity computers are killing Dell? Get a grip. We don’t WANT the business of penny pinchers who choose medicrity over cool.

    Sheesh, when will you all stop with this nonsense?”

    Untill this happens I and most of my friends will be running 2 comptuers, one for gaming (a PC go figure) and one for everything else, our beloved MAcs wich we prefer in every way, you can get a good PC gaming machine for around $1000, it costs $2500 from Apple and the VGA card isnt as good!, whats wrong with this picture??? and we are not talking commodity $299 machines, we are talking machines roughly the same price as the iMac but without the LCD, Apple should be scrambling to accomplish this. speaking of LCDs, where are the new ones with integrated isight?? how long has it been since the isight was available?? and they are going for like $300 used on ebay..

    Reply

  161. Here’s the problem with you guys. A computer’s ability to expand is not “tinkering” any more, it is a basic requirement for several applications people enjoy…

    For instance, I enjoy FTA Satellite TV. I have a nice receiver but I am thinking of installing a computer based system in the shack here. It just so happens, they make several boards for this type of application.

    http://www.kusat.com/go.php?path=/mpeg2/vision-pci.php

    Where my going to plug this thing into on my Mini or iMac? And PLEASE don’t say spend $2500 for a Pro. That’s just plain silly and overkill. You guys want to bitch and moan when software developers won’t develop for the Mac, but have no problem calling on Apple to develop an expandable consumer machine that will allow us to use some of the great “Hardware Applications” that are out there. IMO, a Plug in PCI board is just like a piece of software, it allows you to run programs on your PC (and hopefully Mac).

    There are thousands of applications that require a combination of hardware and software. I mentioned, RC Airplane Simulators, Pro Audio, and TV, … but there are thousands of others that people want and use… Why would you blindly turn you back of this market?

    This is a computer that Apple needs and hopefully will offer for ~ $699. It would be a winner – – – – for Apple and consumers.

    Reply

  162. For schools, at least ones with a significant number of machines (~20 or more) I’d say that the Mini would be ideal. However, they should boot over the network, or at least have the local drive be refreshed from a read-only network server on each boot. And user accounts/files should be stored on the network server.

    That said, I think that the headless ‘Maxi’ mac would be an excellent system. Something on the order of a Shuttle: 1 or 2 slots, a minimum of 2 drive bays, low-end to ‘decent’ on-board video. I say a minimum of two drives so that the system can use a raid-1 (mirror) to keep the home user’s data safer.

    Reply

  163. allright, its not like we want an ATX form factor, and its not like we want OSX available on a $299 Dell.. WE WANT A BETTER FREAKING VIDEO CARD! allright dont make the missing Mac, that would likeely be more profitable than the imac.. but at least give us better video options!, for christs sake the best VGA you can get in the laptops is an ATI 1600! WHAT A JOKE! and the iMAcs arent any better, what you have to get the 24″ to even get a decent 7600.. and I am sorry the 7600 is an ENTRY LEVEL GAMING CARD.. if you dont want to make the missing mac, give us at LEAST a Nvidia 8600 option thruought the entire line, and an 8800 in the MacPro.

    having the ability to upgrade the card would be nice.. but you cant hardly find any good Mac VGA cards anyway, so for now, JUST GIVE US BETTER FREAKING VIDEO.. I work with a guy that has $2500 burning a hole in his pocket for a new laptop, but he has to have somehting better than a GD 1600!

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  164. My sister wants to switch. She’s HAD IT with Windows instability and fussing and never getting the thing to work right. She’s got a brand new 21″ LCD monitor and a bunch of peripherals that she could continue to use. She uses Photoshop quite a bit.

    So, which Mac do I recommend?

    The MacPro is waaay out of the question, size-wise/price-wise.
    The Mac mini is kind of a joke if you’re looking for a reasonably powered machine with a decent video card.
    If you’ve got a monitor you like, why dump it for an iMac?

    So, why not chop the X-Serve in half and you’ve got what we want in a cool form factor.

    How about a Mac LC or Mac IIcx/ci for the oughts.

    Or, a new Cube! We all know Steve Jobs just LOVES his cubes!

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  165. “If you’ve got a monitor you like, why dump it for an iMac?”

    Or, for now, you could get an iMac and have an extended desktop.
    Work Photoshop full screen on the 21″ and keep the built in going for surfing, email, EyeTV, yada yada….

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  166. The iMac is an icon at Apple. If Apple were to eliminate the iMac then Apple would have to add the video capture capacity of the iSight to all or most of its cinema displays. Adding another product line would require new contracts with suppliers and manufacturers. It may take years to iron out the details of offering a new line of products.

    One should also think how a multi-core machine might be used. It is feasible that a machine with four or more cores could work dynamically to integrate processing characteristics and optimize data processing. A multi-core machine would adapt to a variety of data inputs, process these data faster, and essentially merge the functions of a single or multiple CPUs and video card into one desegregated multi-core processor. Therefore, many machines in the coming decade will not have a separate CPU and video card. This would eliminate the need for a separate PCI slot, albeit some machines with multi-cores may be designed with more than one socket or sockets of different sizes.

    Maybe by 2008 the “headless iMac” be a reality. Personally, I like the notion of a “mini Mac Pro”, smaller than a Mac Pro (i.e. no more than 3GB RAM, one or two internal storage drives, one SuperDrive) with dual monitor function. I just don’t think that I’ll see a “mini Mac Pro” until CPUs with four or more cores a generally available (i.e. affordable). I would hope that by 2008 machines with four or more cores are commonplace, and that the video card and the PCI slot become relics of history. The loss of the iMac would be a sentimental moment, but a mini Mac Pro with 4-cores and no video card relieve any pangs of sorrow.

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  167. Apple should be able to do this. You could either consider this a repackaged Mac mini or a repackaged iMac. I’m thinking that the repackaged $1200 iMac actually makes more sense – just put the iMac motherboard with a low end Core 2 Duo processor and a midrange dedicated graphics card in a minitower chassis. Make the display optional and you have more or less what people are looking for. Ideally, the motherboard would have a couple of additional RAM slots and PCIe slots.

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  168. I forgot to add that Apple had a low-end PowerMac back when there was a single/dual CPU break – the 1.6GHz PPC G5. As I recall, it differed from the more expensive PowerMacs in several ways, and sold for $1599. Given the price/performance improvements in recent years, Apple should be able to deliver a credible minitower in the $800-$1000 range.

    When I saw the title of this article, I was expecting a plea for an ultraportable Mac. The praise for the PowerMac G4 12″ (which I am using right now) was a hint at that issue. The 12″ combined portability (size/weight) with a full-featured configuration including ehternet, wireless, bluetooth and Superdrive that provides credible battery life.

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  170. You know what, I want a new BMW! Would BMW please start making a car that does everything that makes a BMW a BMW, except for half the price? It’s OK, I don’t need the big brakes (those are just overkill), or the finely-tuned suspension (just use something off the shelf) — and a 125 HP 4-banger is really more in my price range, so maybe they could go that way?

    Those moron BMW engineers, they’re missing so many potential customers.

    Magic word: “Think,” as in “Different,” or in your case, “at all.”

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  171. People, seriously, like Jobs really gives a rats about what some forum THINKS Apple should sell.

    If Apple lived off public consensus, the iPod and iPhone would never have happened, Newton would still be around, and Macs would still have the PowerPC.

    While I’d love to see Apple take over the computer and electronics industries, sometimes you have to trust Apple’s vision and what they’re doing. They’ve certainly surprised us before. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />

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  172. Get real. People who buy grey boxes fall into two categories: companies who have standardized on Wintel, want the cheapest price and will NEVER change and consumers who either want what they use in the office or want the cheapest price or both.

    These are not people who are going to buy Macs and Apple prides itself on high-margin machines. Apple is not going to get into the cheap grey box business. Apple doesn’t want to be Ford. They want to be BMW.

    As far as schools are concerned, they might need to upgrade memory, but to think that a school with a tight budget (and they all have tight budgets) is going to have a need to upgrade graphics cards or anything else is absurd. Schools are perfectly fine with iMacs and the like. They just want it to work and not give them any hassles.

    While the MacPro towers are great machines, they actually comprise only a tiny portion of Apple’s overall sales. You’re not going to see new variants on those machines. While the idea of separating an iMac from its monitor is not necessarily a bad idea, it would be a much more expensive proposition for consumers and it would fail for that reason.

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  173. You know what, I want a new BMW! Would BMW please start making a car that does everything that makes a BMW a BMW, except for half the price? It’s OK, I don’t need the big brakes (those are just overkill), or the finely-tuned suspension (just use something off the shelf) — and a 125 HP 4-banger is really more in my price range, so maybe they could go that way?

    What an idiotic post..

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  174. Would BMW please start making a car that does everything that makes a BMW a BMW, except for half the price? It’s OK, I don’t need the big brakes (those are just overkill), or the finely-tuned suspension (just use something off the shelf) — and a 125 HP 4-banger is really more in my price range, so maybe they could go that way?

    Mini Cooper?

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  175. “what would be the difference between this and a Mac Pro?”

    A lot. Most consumers dont need Server processors. Most people dont need ECC RAM. What they need is a “pro-sumer” model with desktop Core 2 Duo processors (not laptop ones) that is upgradeable.

    I also think a move into this market would hit some of the gaming market that the PC dominates. For all this talk of Apple getting the “right” end of the PC market, they have missed probably the most profitable of them all – gamers who upgrade parts every 6 months.

    At the moment you either have to have a server or a laptop (portable or not). Seems like an obvious gap to me

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  177. The guy who compared the request for a cheap Mac Pro to a cheap BMW was exactly right. BMW doesn’t make a cheap car; Apple doesn’t make a cheap computer. BMW is a hugely successful company with a 1% market share; Apple is hugely successful with a 5% market share. If you want a cheap computer — and all the crap that entails — call up Dell or Gateway. But don’t expect Apple to do all the engineering necessary to create a Mac and give it away with slim margins.

    The guy who mentioned Mini Cooper also has a point. For those who don’t know, Mini is now engineered and sold by BMW. But BMW keeps the two brands VERY separate; where possible, they are not to be sold out of the same building. Why? Because to closely connect the two would be damaging to the BMW brand.

    A generic approach to Mac boxes almost killed Apple in the early/mid 1990s. Steve rescued the company by slashing the number of versions, creating the iMac and refining the PowerBook. I have no desire to go back to Proformas.

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  179. OK, forgive me if someone made this comment already, I’m too lazy to read every post in the thread.

    The problem is not Apple, it is these “IT guys” and more importantly their bosses. The guys with the money need to go to economics 101. A 5-yeard-old Mac mini is four times the computer of a 5-yeard-old Dell. Just ask these IT guys how many freak’n fans they replace in that stack o Dells. How many of them need RAM/videa/storage upgrades out of the box. Not to mention the viruses and malware. Now, I’m not saying Dell doesnt’ make some sweet machines, but their good machines start at 2 grand – just like Apple. Their sub $1,000 hardware is crap. Apple knows what we need more than we do. They know that 95 percent of us can do without our gadaammed PCI slot security blanket, and the ones who actually need expansion (past firewire and usb) need to shell out the cash for a Mac Pro.

    This headless iMac, or white box Mac, or whatever the kids are callin git this year WILL NEVER HAPPEN, and SHOULDN’T HAPPEN. It is a step backward into the 90s. I’ll offer something similar to the Wal-Mart – Nordstrom metaphor posted earlier. Apple is like BMW, not everyone has them, but that’s what makes them elite. If there were as many BMWs ont he road as [insert popular car coompany here] what would be the big deal with Apple. We love Apple because everyone thinks they are the underdog. Wrong. Apple is doing just what they want, and making a fist full fo cash doing it. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />

    that came off flamier than I meant, but you get the picture.

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  180. “Yeah Sure, if a hard drive goes out, people don’t want to run out to Staples, get a new one, and install it in about 15 minutes. “

    What do you mean ‘goes out’… Apple isn’t designing computers expecting them to break.

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  181. I don’t understand why people are using the word ‘canibalizing’. A sale is a sale. If a different system would sell well, then that is perhaps the system Apple should sell. Apple gets their margin regardless.

    I work for a small video post production company that has close to a hundred Macs in use. Ever since the G4 tower was replaced with the G5 Powermac, I have been waiting for the machines that sat both just below and just above it. The Intel towers have addressed most of my wants at the top: 4 drive bays (5 would be best), 3 expansion slots that don’t get covered by the video card (4 would be better), dual ethernet paths (that takes pressure off of one of the expansion slots), more USB ports. If only I didn’t have to replace or upgrade all of my software to make use of it. What is still missing: something I can fit into an equipment rack. For a decent comparison, look at HPs top workstation class machines (the XW 8200 is what I’m most familiar with). In one box I’ve got 5 HD bays, 2 5 1/4 in bays, PCI, PCI-X and PCIe slots, dual channel SCSI 320 all in an easy to open, easy to change rack mountable case.

    Below the Tower and above the mini would be a machine with: most importantly dual HD capability, a standard and upgradable graphics card, at last one expansion slot, single CPU with dual cores (which at this point would offer a path to four cores), firewire 800. Form factor would ideally be either pizza box style or half rack width with the power supply built in. Make it out of plastic. This is the lower end workstation or high end consumer machine. this is the machine that goes on thousand of desks at corporate and government offices across the world.

    The other missing machine is a render node. The G4 and G5 Xserves offered a stripped down model that, even though it unnecessarily ran OS X Server, we use as rack mounted render machines. The Intel version has no such option and is more expensive overall, yet still wont do hardware RAID on the built in drives. The industry still needs this machine. Basic and ugly is fine, just make it fast. A single hard drive, doesn’t need firewire. I realize this is a very narrow market and the above ‘middle’ machine could possibly fill this need. I’ll take ten, please.

    The mini is for children and people who like cute. It is underpowered and overpriced. I would not want to put this machine in a business environment. It’s overpriced due to the engineering required to achieve it’s size. It’s too easy to steal. The external power supply and tiny size makes it sloppy and awkward to integrate.

    I like the iMac as a consumer or office type machine. I would buy one for my parents or recommend it for friends that didn’t want a portable. I would never consider it for a graphics or editing system due to it’s constricted I/O and second rate LCD panel and the form factor makes it a ridiculous choice for a render node.

    This isn’t about building a ‘commodity’ box that struggles to compete at the bottom. Besides for Apple, that’s what the iMac is. It would still be at least $1000. It would still be an Apple Macintosh. I don’t want a ‘cheaper’ Mac. I want the right Mac for the job.

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  183. wow, what a reaction. when I suggested this very thing (a new LC Mac) 5 years ago, everyone said I was an idiot!

    http://lowendmac.com/myturn/02/1209.html

    Ironically, lack of PCI/PCIe slots is less of an issue now than it was back then… nowadays there are plenty of great firewire audio interfaces. I actually think my new iMac is a great unit and very good value. Still, a Super Mac Mini, headless iMac or decaffeinated Mac Pro would help fill a big hole in Apple’s lineup.

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  184. “@ Mike, What do you mean ‘goes out’… Apple isn’t designing computers expecting them to break.”

    Ahhh, I see, So Apple uses “Special” Hard Drives that don’t ever fail? Cool! I didn’t realize that PC manufactures “designed” theirs to fail. A cool trick considering that many times, they use the exact same hardware….

    Thank you for your well thought out and informative post.

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  186. Ahhh, I see, So Apple uses “Special” Hard Drives that don’t ever fail? Cool! I didn’t realize that PC manufactures “designed” theirs to fail. A cool trick considering that many times, they use the exact same hardware….

    Thank you for your well thought out and informative post

    I’ve used apple macs for 19 years (since I was born…) and not once have I ever had the hardware fail on me, or my family, (Apart from when a power cable got yanked out of an old powerbook and killed the screen). All the macs we ever owned are either still running or in the attic because they’re too obsolete.

    8 out of 10 of my mates who own beige boxes have had hardware fail on them (hard drive, keyboard etc.). Apple may occasionally use the same hardware as the rest of them, but they sure seem to put it together better than them!

    As for the “maxi mac” debate…
    Apple shouldn’t make this computer… if you’re a professional, wanting to do heavy photoshop/avid/qubase work, get a MacPro, or a MacBookPro if you want a portable.
    If you want to play games, get a PS3/360/Wii.
    You want to do the rest, get an iMac/macbook. If you’ve got a screen left over, sell it.
    If you don’t use your computer for more than web browsing/mail etc. and you don’t want a PC, get a mac mini.

    Just my opinion.

    MDN magic word: “thought” as in <b>think about apple’s marketing strategy<b>

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  188. A High performance Mini would sell great at $1000-1200. Apple should look at what percentage of their Mini’s are selling for $1100 already. At $799 it has priced itself out of the low end market already. The buyer’s are buying it because they like the form factor. If they simply created a premium mini with better video, it would sell like crazy.

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  189. I’m going to replace my Mac mini with a another Mac Mini when the time comes but I can see the need for a “Mac”

    All they would have to do is add maybe 2 more inches to the height of the Mini…A faster and bigger hard drive (which would probably be cheaper since it will not have to be the laptop drives they use with the mini).

    Double the the Ram to 4 and call it a day.

    I’d still get a Mac mini but I can see a “Mac” being very popular.

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  190. I’m still waiting for a mac the size of a G4 tower to replace mine wich is 7 years old (but still kicking..slowly). Mac pros are too big (so are used G5), too expensive and too powerful. Mac mini is pretty but I want to be able to upgrade it easily when I feel the need. The Imac is not even upgradable at all and I already have a good screen…
    Am I the only one ?

    Reply

  191. Buy an iMac and you have to trash, sell, or give away the whole thing if you want to upgrade. With a component system, you can generally extend the life of your original purchases. As far as Apple is concerned, the only customers who can do this are those who buy a mini (too little computer with minimal upgrade potential) or a Mac Pro (too much computer for general home enthusiasts).

    Sure, I could buy a notebook and hook it up to another monitor, but I don’t want to do that. Notebooks aren’t as robust as desktops, generally cost more than a comparable desktop, and I couldn’t care less that my desktop isn’t portable (that should be obvious given that these Macs are labeled desktop computers). I’m stuck with an iMac because this is the best computer that I can afford, not because this is the design that I prefer.

    I would buy a short-tower Mac, but Apple doesn’t want to sell me or anyone else a short-tower. Apple is scared that by offering a short-tower Mac, people wouldn’t choose their higher priced monitors, that that they would lose revenue, and they’re probably right. Apple isn’t entirely stupid. There is no technological reason why Apple couldn’t design a short-tower Mac, it’s more basic and fundamental than that. It’s all about the Benjamins.

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  192. I don’t think the fear of not selling their screens (which are not bestsellers anyway) is the reason for apple’s reluctance for making a midsize tower mac. This kind of machine, that doesn’t have to be cheap, would be a huge profit maker and would widely compensate the loss in screen sellings.
    No, the main reason could be Steve Jobs himself. Kind of stubborn sometimes… Remember the one button mouse ?

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  193. What do you mean ‘goes out’… Apple isn’t designing computers expecting them to break.

    Then why is “What if your Mac or iPod needs to be repaired?” on Apple’s Genius Bar web page?

    (Insert auto company name here) doesn’t design their cars to break either, yet all of their vehicles’ hoods open easily, and all of their dealerships have parts and service departments. Surely, truly reliable cars shouldn’t need parts or service….

    Because something shouldn’t break, doesn’t mean it should be impossible for us mere mortals to service. Nobody likes being at the dealer’s mercy. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”raspberry” style=”border:0;” />

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  194. The Imac is the solution most people go with in this tight sqeeze, and if you already have a nice monitor its nto a bad deal because you can run dual monitors on the imac, its cool, BUT the graphics are not any where close enough to handle high end gaming… so whats the solution??

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  195. I agree with everything said here, but I think we have missed one important point–apple is not interested in pleasing the “unwashed masses”–I mean this sincerely btw, no tongue in cheek. Macs are for people who appreciate good workmanship and quality. The “unwashed masses” do not understand or see the need for this kind of machine. All that seems to interest them is, “can I play games on it?”
    BTW I had my first experience with Vista today and now your gonna see my femine side! What a slow, bloated pig–she didn’t know how to get rid of the shareware so it just pops up everytime she uses it. I had to shut it down 3 times before I could get it to connect to a wireless server, that it kept asking me if I wanted to connect but clicking “OK” obviously wasn’t the right answer–but guess what? you can play stupid, frickin’ games on it!

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  196. Tacitus –
    “What people are asking for is a MacPro at a commodity price.”

    Agreed. What we have are a lot of folks that want all of the ‘good stuff’ of the MacPro (power, expandability) without having to pay for it.

    What they forget is that this product has already existed in Apple’s product line many times already. If it were truely successful, it would still be around.

    Plus, what they forget is that the “MISSING” Mac has traditionally been the replacement for the IIfx, which was the last Mac with 6 expansion slots (NuBus). Those that followed only had 3.

    Of course, today, we’re looking as much at HD expansion for an internal RAID more than we are for a ton of PCI slots.

    My personal take on that is a dedicated external RAID is that its easier to maintain, and after it gets old, you can reconfigure it to effectively become Network Attached Storage (NAS) via a file server.

    -hh

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  197. I’m sorry but the missing Mac is a 17″ MacBook Pro with an extended keyboard so many of my keycommands just won’t translate to a usb number pad (those always think that they are the numbers at the top of the keyboard) and they rarely work with Modifier keys (“+1” “+Option+1” etc) makes it really tough to be a true power user

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  198. I don’t think Apple will build such a machine, because it would be too PC-like. However, that’s not the missing computer. The missing computer is the Macintosh. Hasn’t anyone noticed that you can’t buy a “Macintosh” any more? The closest you can get is a Mac.

    If Apple does come out with a new model that doesn’t fit in the iMac, MacBook, or Mac Pro lines, I hope they call it a “Macintosh.”

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  199. I might add that “Macintosh” is classier than “Mac.”

    MacBook sounds either like a guy from Glasgow or reading material you get at the hamburger joint with the clown. All this “Mac” stuff is beginning to sound like hamburgers to me. (Do people who have Big Mac attacks buy a Mac Pro?)

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  200. or just make an iMac that has an upgradeable graphics card like a few laptops have then in the next models of mini and macbook you can have options to what card you want hopefully this’ll make enough of a market for the real card makers to take notice and build more

    you know just for those picky people talking about dell and ferrari.

    apple is not going to have a serious games market until something happens regarding graphics cards and until then a lot of the personal computing world isn’t going to take notice. i would like to have games on my computer again, and might show the rest of the world another potential benefit of the mac

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  201. I think what one is asking for is a one-slot mac with the power of the iMac, but w/o built in display. Heck, I would be willing to settle for one without the slot, just a smaller box without the integrated display. I would like to see apple do this, at about the same price point as the iMac.

    But if you look at the dollar figures, for a single cpu Mac Pro, it’s not much more to get that expandability yet not be tied to their built-in display. So as much as I like to see a model between the iMac and the Pro, I doubt we will see one.

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  202. Sorry if this is repeating, but has this question been answered?

    Isn’t one danger in this that the “upgradeability” will could also lead to the gajillion 3rd party driver issues that Windows faces? When Apple cedes control of hardware configuration to an upgradeable box scheme with externally provided drivers, wouldn’t OS X suffer as a result?

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  203. Does Mac Pro allow users to install third party hardware and software? If so, why would there be a problen with users adding third-part hardware and software to a short-tower? Both run the same OS, right?

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  204. I believe there’s ample room for either 2 new Macs and or a better Mini Design without really hurting total sales of their product line up. It’ll work since they’re already gaining market share and that’s without new offerings that will fill the gap or the missing link, so to speak. So, I truly believe it would very much increase total Mac sales.
    All of the following suggestions should come equipped with at least: a single CPU equal to the 20″ iMac in power at the low end, room for one HDD SATA, one Super Drive , a decent high end video card and up to 4GB of ram and oh yes FireWire 800! Or just equal to the best 20″ or 24″ iMac offers in it’s basic configuration. Possibly at the top of the BTO would be: Blue Ray Drive, a single 4 core processor maybe or maybe not a Xeon depending on the final price point.
    Resurrected & All New:
    1) As others have mentioned “bring back the Cube”! A new revamped sweet design by Jobs, Ive and team would be a very welcomed addition to their current offerings. Again, a much improved Cube would rock as it was originally underpowered and overpriced but the design was freakin’ awesome! It could be priced very reasonably now with current and easily available technology. The main difference between the old and new versions is that it couldn’t be fan less anymore but hey, it should still be pretty quiet to nearly silent and very stylish to have on display for all your friends and family to see & enjoy.
    2) Or make, as someone else called it a: “Mac Pro Mini.” Same or similar industrial design of the Mac Pro but just smaller. That would still be cool even by Apple’s tough standards!
    All New Mac Mini Pro:
    If that’s not an option how about an improved Mini AKA: Mac Mini Pro? Maybe a bit larger to meet the minimum specs above but it would have two high speed connection/docking ports that’s accessible on both the top and the bottom of the unit. Why? No big headaches over cable management if you want to have 2, 4, 6 or more connected together just stack and connect! What could be added once that proprietary(?) connector was added to other Apple Hardware? How about an AppleTV? AirPort? Typical accessories: Optical or HD Drive(s) w/built in hubs. Designed for Horizontal stack or vertical connection. Hmm, I wonder if a modified iPod dock connector or a double wide one would be fast enough? This new Mac Mini Pro could be thought of as a Mini-Xserve, or a poor man’s I mean less fortunate man’s Xserve. ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”wink” style=”border:0;” /> Heck they could make a pretty good profit on these babies! Make them extremely versatile by adding 2 more of those high speed modified dock connectors to the sides and then you could go artistic with the setup! The optical drive on the front and the rear remain easily accessible for common tasks and connections.
    Price?
    Apple has always had a very tight pricing structure but as of late they’re slowly creeping down, in spite of the weak American dollar. So how would these guys be priced? A no-brainer would be less than a Mac Pro, more than a Mini but equal or slightly more than an iMac? Like some folks I would’ve preferred a Mac Pro but the iMac’s pricing is so attractive & comes with everything you need it’s easier to just pick up one of them. I was upgrading my system from an old iBook and I didn’t have the BYODKM for the other 2 choices.

    Reply

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