ive been thinking over the design since the first day the pics were posted. i have been a product designer for years now, and in my professional opinion the case design is legit.
the holes on the front are vents, and here is why. you are supposed to put the tower on the floor, whether or not YOU do this is irrelevant. the vents face down to suck air up from the floor, where its nice and cool. i think its unlikely to find ports in the front because you "should" have four USB on your desk (2 on monitor,2 on keyboard). every mac has two firewire ports on it unless you have added more, even the new imac has two. if you need more get a nice hub, that's why i design them (ha, ha- just the cases by the way). but seriously, on average people don't have too many firewire devices. go ahead and count the toys around your desk, if you have ten devices and no hub your a dolt, or at least an exception.
the square metal fascia for the optical drives is brilliant, if your the kind of person that might rack mount your tower. the mac i have at work is a GVS 9000, but a year ago i had regular apple tower finagled in with a marathon bracket. one big problem, the optical drive that came with the tower wasn't capable of holding the disk's vertical. apple later solved this, but i had to buy some crappie piece of plastic from marathon. apple, now going all out for the "pro market" needs a tower that can be easily rack mounted. now i just pop open the tower, undo a screw or two and rotate the 5.25" drive bay 90 degrees. oh and the doors would likely open from the bottom like the current model.
speaker location, is moved up so its closer to your ears while sitting on the floor. nothing else could be more obvious.
why is it still the El Cap, sorry no G5 (or whatever) kids. you see when we get a snazzy new processor, then we will get a totally new case design. its a marketing thing, for little tech updates, little style updates. now this isn't always the scenario, sometimes the update is the styling, take the G3 B/W tower for instance. from a design and product development standpoint this is the kind of shit they teach at ID school.
so that's it, if ive repeated anything anyone has said its a huge thread, im not going to read the whole thing. the pics might be of an engineering mock up, until the final design is approved. i doubt it though, design is usually finalized on paper with no major revisions after it goes into prototyping. it strikes me as odd that they would place that speaker in that location for a mock up, or that we would get pics of such a thing so close to the probable release date. the way apple operates a mock up like that wouldn't see the light of day. i think this is what we will get come market day, you might not think its the great looker but i think it will be incredibly functional. the El Cap is a really well engineered case, it will be hard for them to do one better, even if its getting old.
It is called the xMac (note - doing the capitilization like Xserve makes it look to much like Xmas).
All of this has been a joke to throw a red herring into the mix, to drive the xMac further into secrecy.
My sources tell me that the xMac is designed by Steve himself, with the assistance of blind dwarves, so that only man (steve) knows exactly what it looks like. Ives has been demoted to 'Senior Prank Monkey' and amuses the little dwarves with his strange accent.
Steve finally found the ultimate solution to prevent leaks.
I leave you with one more tantalizing clue: Is it any COINCEDENCE that as Steve's hair get's whiter, that Apple products get whiter? I don't think so.
the holes on the front are vents, and here is why. you are supposed to put the tower on the floor, whether or not YOU do this is irrelevant. the vents face down to suck air up from the floor, where its nice and cool.
The problem with this logic is that you would also be sucking up significantly more dust.
Why do people keep going on about these things on the front as vents?
If these are inlets, and you stand your box under the desk, as many do, then these 'vents' are going to do a really nice job of hoovering all the crud up off the floor of the office, and into your machine. G4 vacuum cleaner? I don't think so.
If they are outlets and you stand your machine on the desk, as the rest of us do, then all your papers get gently blown off the desk by a nice warm jet.
The internal image shows a metal plate rivetted(?) over the back of these holes, which could easily be replaced on a production machine by a nice board with some sockets on it.
Plugs on the front of the machine would make perfect sense, and this downward scoop shape would be the ideal shape to make them visually less intrusive, without the necessity for a crappy Compaq style pop-up door.
most rack mount chassis have intake filters for dust, industry standard. the dust that gets sucked into your computer is suspended in the air not on the ground. every tower has to have some kind of intake, its proximity to the floor wouldn't cause a measurable increase in dust intake. i have three layers of dust filters between the room and the inside of my GVS, its damn dusty in that box. the air wouldn't be that much cooler, but it is a measurable difference. get out a good thermometer and check it out.
<strong>Why do people keep going on about these things on the front as vents?
If these are inlets, and you stand your box under the desk, as many do, then these 'vents' are going to do a really nice job of hoovering all the crud up off the floor of the office, and into your machine. G4 vacuum cleaner? I don't think so.
If they are outlets and you stand your machine on the desk, as the rest of us do, then all your papers get gently blown off the desk by a nice warm jet.
The internal image shows a metal plate rivetted(?) over the back of these holes, which could easily be replaced on a production machine by a nice board with some sockets on it.
Plugs on the front of the machine would make perfect sense, and this downward scoop shape would be the ideal shape to make them visually less intrusive, without the necessity for a crappy Compaq style pop-up door.
Nuf said</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'm not sure I agree with you mr. fish.
I think Apple would balk at putting any ports on the front of the machine. They look silly. I agree, with the downward facing vents to disguise them, they would look Less Silly. But how would they look if there were cables attached?
All together now... : "silly"
I'm not entirely convinced that they're air inlets either. I wouldn't be surprised if they're just an invention of Mr. Ives to dress up the front. I don't like them. I hope they go away. But as for them sucking up crud off your floor or desk, what happens now? Your Power Supply fan collects a fair amount of dust as is, and any PowerMac with an el capitan case will get plenty dusty over time.
I think its better to have vents on the front of the machine sucking crud in where it can be easily filtered out, than the power supply sucking it in where it can't be filtered.
<strong>hey, I just wrote a seriously long ass reply to the question of whether or not the pics in question were real and when I went to post the whole F-ING thread was gone.
In my opinion they are real and the letter, the pics and other net sources prove it (to my mind) conclusively.
Furthermore, I believe that the units in question are already being mass produced and that the pictures had to come from someone working on the assembly or on final quality control/packaging (due to the poor/hasty quality) It follows reasonably that enough people are now daily seeing these macs that it is impossible to pinpoint the source from the picture, many would have had similar opportunity to leak this photo by now, which is why someone did.
TO ANYONE CONSIDERING BUYING AN OLD POWERMAC (QUICKSILVER) DO NOT BUY ANY POWERMAC PRODUCT UNTILL THE MACHINES ARE UPDATED. I BELIEVE A MAJOR UPDATE IS EMMINENT.
This letter is on behalf of our client, Apple Computer, Inc. ("Apple"), and relates to the public postings and display of photos and files purporting to be depictions of future Apple products ("Material") on your web site at .
Pursuant to Apple internal policies, this type of Material is not permitted to be disclosed or published to any unauthorized persons. By continuing to publish, display, or link to the Material, you and your company may be disclosing Apple confidential business information and/or Apple trade secrets and also may be held liable for infringing Apple's rights under various federal and state laws.
Therefore, we request that you cease and desist from displaying the Material on all web sites and servers under your control, including any hyperlinks to other locations where the Material may be available.
Because this is a matter we take very seriously, we ask that you immediately confirm in writing that you have removed the Material from your web site.
Notice the passive voice? This is legal speak for we haven't any actual power but we'll try our best to sound authoritative. "...is not permitted?" Really? Not permitted by whom? What law? Which state? Where the law and remedy are clear, the cease and desist is also equally clear. In this case it's just carefully worded to sound that way.
You mean not permitted by Apple? Well yes. You have the right to your secrets. But look also to the state and federal laws alluded to in the letter. More legal gobbledygook. Yes, apple has remedy against those that 'disclose' private information in violation of contracts (not I, you, AI, or Macbidouille have any such contract). Furthermore, the publisher of the information is not disclosing a trade secret, which has by the very admission implicit in this letter already been disclosed. It is now a news item that Apple has no ability to control outside of legal intimidation. Any recourse Apple has is against the individual who made the disclosure in violation of some contract or agreement. I had cited examples as diverse as Ford Motor Company and the Pam and Tommy Lee sex tape, but I'm too lazy to type it again.
Rest assured, it is the opinion of this poster, that those pics are both real and in production, and that the models they depict are due soon, probably being stock-piled for immeadiate availability of at least some models once they are announced. Furthermore, the Aug 5 date mentioned in the old thread makes sense in that it gives enough time for Apple to invite people to a special event and debut the new machines.
I WOULD ADVISE YOU NOT TO BUY ANY CURRENT POWERMAC UNTILL SUBSTANTIAL UPDATES ARE RELEASED.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Cinder, please don't force me to repost this again. Apple is just posturing, they're in the wrong for a host of reasons.
However, as for the rest of you, I can hardly blame anyone on AI for not wanting to risk any sort of legal tangle with the legal dept of a multi-billion dollar corp. And if keeping said images and links off this site is going to make their lives easier, then people should just respect that. Steve and company are the a$$holes, not Jonathan, Jamie, Amorph et al. They did a good job editing without a whole-sale deletion. They just messed up the lines of communication a bit.
Back to pic postage, you can certainly flame Apple without posting the pics. Just look up, it ain't that hard.
I think Apple would balk at putting any ports on the front of the machine. They look silly. I agree, with the downward facing vents to disguise them, they would look Less Silly. But how would they look if there were cables attached?
All together now... : "silly"</strong><hr></blockquote>
You know, these boxes are not all about looks. Looks are definitely a consideration, but you seem to imply that they trump everything else.
It would be pretty damn handy for someone with a firewire or USB camera to hook it up in the front of the machine.
I think Apple would balk at putting any ports on the front of the machine. They look silly. I agree, with the downward facing vents to disguise them, they would look Less Silly. But how would they look if there were cables attached?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Apple have already put a Firewire port on the front of the Xserve, and for those users who have for example plug DV cameras, sound in/out boxes, or their iPod into their machines on a temporary basis, a front port would be a godsend. You don't have to leave the cable attached, and if you did, it would look no worse in amogst all the cable-spaghetti you get creeping around any desk with lots of gear on it.
[quote]<strong>I think its better to have vents on the front of the machine sucking crud in where it can be easily filtered out, than the power supply sucking it in where it can't be filtered.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Filtered vents.. surely a dust bag that can be periodically emptied would be much better.
You know, these boxes are not all about looks. Looks are definitely a consideration, but you seem to imply that they trump everything else.
It would be pretty damn handy for someone with a firewire or USB camera to hook it up in the front of the machine.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I agree that these machines are not just about looks, but Apple is obsessed with image and appearance. And, mac-users are more image conscious than others. Apple has made a reputation for itself as a leader in industrial design. I think the reason they put a firewire port on the front of the Xserve is obvious - If its rack mounted as it is intended to be, then getting to the back of the machine would be more than a hassle.
Apple has done what it can to eliminate Cable clutter in and around the computer - one of the miracles of the original iMac design - and I stand by my observation that they would not put ports on the front of the Powermac case.
But, Hey, if they do decide to put ports on the front of the machine, i'll be surprised not dissapointed And I'll definetly still buy one.
I don't think they're front mounted ports, if the ports were angled downward you'd have to have tremendous manual dexterity to plug anything into them with the machine on the floor (as the vast majority will be).
One thing I'm confused about , tho. I understand the pictures being banned, but what about the artist's concepts or mock-ups done by folks since the pictures came out. Can Apple forbid people from posting those? PLEASE DON"T POST PICS in reply to this.
if the ports were angled downward you'd have to have tremendous manual dexterity to plug anything into them with the machine on the floor (as the vast majority will be).</strong><hr></blockquote>
No more dexterity than you would need to get a plug into the back of a machine that is under the desk. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />
Comments
Failure to comply with this guideline will result in the termination of your account here.
We're not joking.
the holes on the front are vents, and here is why. you are supposed to put the tower on the floor, whether or not YOU do this is irrelevant. the vents face down to suck air up from the floor, where its nice and cool. i think its unlikely to find ports in the front because you "should" have four USB on your desk (2 on monitor,2 on keyboard). every mac has two firewire ports on it unless you have added more, even the new imac has two. if you need more get a nice hub, that's why i design them (ha, ha- just the cases by the way). but seriously, on average people don't have too many firewire devices. go ahead and count the toys around your desk, if you have ten devices and no hub your a dolt, or at least an exception.
the square metal fascia for the optical drives is brilliant, if your the kind of person that might rack mount your tower. the mac i have at work is a GVS 9000, but a year ago i had regular apple tower finagled in with a marathon bracket. one big problem, the optical drive that came with the tower wasn't capable of holding the disk's vertical. apple later solved this, but i had to buy some crappie piece of plastic from marathon. apple, now going all out for the "pro market" needs a tower that can be easily rack mounted. now i just pop open the tower, undo a screw or two and rotate the 5.25" drive bay 90 degrees. oh and the doors would likely open from the bottom like the current model.
speaker location, is moved up so its closer to your ears while sitting on the floor. nothing else could be more obvious.
why is it still the El Cap, sorry no G5 (or whatever) kids. you see when we get a snazzy new processor, then we will get a totally new case design. its a marketing thing, for little tech updates, little style updates. now this isn't always the scenario, sometimes the update is the styling, take the G3 B/W tower for instance. from a design and product development standpoint this is the kind of shit they teach at ID school.
so that's it, if ive repeated anything anyone has said its a huge thread, im not going to read the whole thing. the pics might be of an engineering mock up, until the final design is approved. i doubt it though, design is usually finalized on paper with no major revisions after it goes into prototyping. it strikes me as odd that they would place that speaker in that location for a mock up, or that we would get pics of such a thing so close to the probable release date. the way apple operates a mock up like that wouldn't see the light of day. i think this is what we will get come market day, you might not think its the great looker but i think it will be incredibly functional. the El Cap is a really well engineered case, it will be hard for them to do one better, even if its getting old.
It is called the xMac (note - doing the capitilization like Xserve makes it look to much like Xmas).
All of this has been a joke to throw a red herring into the mix, to drive the xMac further into secrecy.
My sources tell me that the xMac is designed by Steve himself, with the assistance of blind dwarves, so that only man (steve) knows exactly what it looks like. Ives has been demoted to 'Senior Prank Monkey' and amuses the little dwarves with his strange accent.
Steve finally found the ultimate solution to prevent leaks.
I leave you with one more tantalizing clue: Is it any COINCEDENCE that as Steve's hair get's whiter, that Apple products get whiter? I don't think so.
I'll post more later.
ting5
The problem with this logic is that you would also be sucking up significantly more dust.
<strong>
I'll post more later.
ting5</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'm waiting with baited breath.
(or something like that)
If these are inlets, and you stand your box under the desk, as many do, then these 'vents' are going to do a really nice job of hoovering all the crud up off the floor of the office, and into your machine. G4 vacuum cleaner? I don't think so.
If they are outlets and you stand your machine on the desk, as the rest of us do, then all your papers get gently blown off the desk by a nice warm jet.
The internal image shows a metal plate rivetted(?) over the back of these holes, which could easily be replaced on a production machine by a nice board with some sockets on it.
Plugs on the front of the machine would make perfect sense, and this downward scoop shape would be the ideal shape to make them visually less intrusive, without the necessity for a crappy Compaq style pop-up door.
Nuf said
<strong>Why do people keep going on about these things on the front as vents?
If these are inlets, and you stand your box under the desk, as many do, then these 'vents' are going to do a really nice job of hoovering all the crud up off the floor of the office, and into your machine. G4 vacuum cleaner? I don't think so.
If they are outlets and you stand your machine on the desk, as the rest of us do, then all your papers get gently blown off the desk by a nice warm jet.
The internal image shows a metal plate rivetted(?) over the back of these holes, which could easily be replaced on a production machine by a nice board with some sockets on it.
Plugs on the front of the machine would make perfect sense, and this downward scoop shape would be the ideal shape to make them visually less intrusive, without the necessity for a crappy Compaq style pop-up door.
Nuf said</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'm not sure I agree with you mr. fish.
I think Apple would balk at putting any ports on the front of the machine. They look silly. I agree, with the downward facing vents to disguise them, they would look Less Silly. But how would they look if there were cables attached?
All together now... : "silly"
I'm not entirely convinced that they're air inlets either. I wouldn't be surprised if they're just an invention of Mr. Ives to dress up the front. I don't like them. I hope they go away. But as for them sucking up crud off your floor or desk, what happens now? Your Power Supply fan collects a fair amount of dust as is, and any PowerMac with an el capitan case will get plenty dusty over time.
I think its better to have vents on the front of the machine sucking crud in where it can be easily filtered out, than the power supply sucking it in where it can't be filtered.
[ 07-24-2002: Message edited by: Addison ]</p>
<strong>hey, I just wrote a seriously long ass reply to the question of whether or not the pics in question were real and when I went to post the whole F-ING thread was gone.
In my opinion they are real and the letter, the pics and other net sources prove it (to my mind) conclusively.
Furthermore, I believe that the units in question are already being mass produced and that the pictures had to come from someone working on the assembly or on final quality control/packaging (due to the poor/hasty quality) It follows reasonably that enough people are now daily seeing these macs that it is impossible to pinpoint the source from the picture, many would have had similar opportunity to leak this photo by now, which is why someone did.
TO ANYONE CONSIDERING BUYING AN OLD POWERMAC (QUICKSILVER) DO NOT BUY ANY POWERMAC PRODUCT UNTILL THE MACHINES ARE UPDATED. I BELIEVE A MAJOR UPDATE IS EMMINENT.
Further evidence the cease and dissist as it appears on <a href="http://www.macbidouille.com/niouzcontenu.php?date=2002-07-21#3087"; target="_blank">this Macbidouille page</a>:
This letter is on behalf of our client, Apple Computer, Inc. ("Apple"), and relates to the public postings and display of photos and files purporting to be depictions of future Apple products ("Material") on your web site at .
Pursuant to Apple internal policies, this type of Material is not permitted to be disclosed or published to any unauthorized persons. By continuing to publish, display, or link to the Material, you and your company may be disclosing Apple confidential business information and/or Apple trade secrets and also may be held liable for infringing Apple's rights under various federal and state laws.
Therefore, we request that you cease and desist from displaying the Material on all web sites and servers under your control, including any hyperlinks to other locations where the Material may be available.
Because this is a matter we take very seriously, we ask that you immediately confirm in writing that you have removed the Material from your web site.
Sincerely,
*****
Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036-5339
Phone 202/857-6000
Fax 202/857-6395
<a href="http://www.arentfox.com"; target="_blank">www.arentfox.com</a>
Notice the passive voice? This is legal speak for we haven't any actual power but we'll try our best to sound authoritative. "...is not permitted?" Really? Not permitted by whom? What law? Which state? Where the law and remedy are clear, the cease and desist is also equally clear. In this case it's just carefully worded to sound that way.
You mean not permitted by Apple? Well yes. You have the right to your secrets. But look also to the state and federal laws alluded to in the letter. More legal gobbledygook. Yes, apple has remedy against those that 'disclose' private information in violation of contracts (not I, you, AI, or Macbidouille have any such contract). Furthermore, the publisher of the information is not disclosing a trade secret, which has by the very admission implicit in this letter already been disclosed. It is now a news item that Apple has no ability to control outside of legal intimidation. Any recourse Apple has is against the individual who made the disclosure in violation of some contract or agreement. I had cited examples as diverse as Ford Motor Company and the Pam and Tommy Lee sex tape, but I'm too lazy to type it again.
Rest assured, it is the opinion of this poster, that those pics are both real and in production, and that the models they depict are due soon, probably being stock-piled for immeadiate availability of at least some models once they are announced. Furthermore, the Aug 5 date mentioned in the old thread makes sense in that it gives enough time for Apple to invite people to a special event and debut the new machines.
I WOULD ADVISE YOU NOT TO BUY ANY CURRENT POWERMAC UNTILL SUBSTANTIAL UPDATES ARE RELEASED.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Cinder, please don't force me to repost this again. Apple is just posturing, they're in the wrong for a host of reasons.
However, as for the rest of you, I can hardly blame anyone on AI for not wanting to risk any sort of legal tangle with the legal dept of a multi-billion dollar corp. And if keeping said images and links off this site is going to make their lives easier, then people should just respect that. Steve and company are the a$$holes, not Jonathan, Jamie, Amorph et al. They did a good job editing without a whole-sale deletion. They just messed up the lines of communication a bit.
Back to pic postage, you can certainly flame Apple without posting the pics. Just look up, it ain't that hard.
[ 07-24-2002: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>
The Apple54 guy that made the PDF says their Air Vents for the new 4" Fan
The site (forgot which one) that posted the pics along with some really wild "specs" say that the new G4 will have front USB/Firewire ports.
personally i regarded those so called "specs" to be nothing more than some kids fantasy mac machine and thought that Apple54 was much more convincing.
I will spread these pictures so fast tonight...
Apple never should have started with me....
(PS, got my C&D letter too)
[ 07-24-2002: Message edited by: Jonathan Brisby ]</p>
<strong>
I'm not sure I agree with you mr. fish.
I think Apple would balk at putting any ports on the front of the machine. They look silly. I agree, with the downward facing vents to disguise them, they would look Less Silly. But how would they look if there were cables attached?
All together now... : "silly"</strong><hr></blockquote>
You know, these boxes are not all about looks. Looks are definitely a consideration, but you seem to imply that they trump everything else.
It would be pretty damn handy for someone with a firewire or USB camera to hook it up in the front of the machine.
<strong>
I think Apple would balk at putting any ports on the front of the machine. They look silly. I agree, with the downward facing vents to disguise them, they would look Less Silly. But how would they look if there were cables attached?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Apple have already put a Firewire port on the front of the Xserve, and for those users who have for example plug DV cameras, sound in/out boxes, or their iPod into their machines on a temporary basis, a front port would be a godsend. You don't have to leave the cable attached, and if you did, it would look no worse in amogst all the cable-spaghetti you get creeping around any desk with lots of gear on it.
[quote]<strong>I think its better to have vents on the front of the machine sucking crud in where it can be easily filtered out, than the power supply sucking it in where it can't be filtered.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Filtered vents.. surely a dust bag that can be periodically emptied would be much better.
<strong>You are supposed to put the tower on the floor, whether or not YOU do this is irrelevant.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Tower computers are meant to be put wherever you damn well feel like it.
<strong>
You know, these boxes are not all about looks. Looks are definitely a consideration, but you seem to imply that they trump everything else.
It would be pretty damn handy for someone with a firewire or USB camera to hook it up in the front of the machine.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I agree that these machines are not just about looks, but Apple is obsessed with image and appearance. And, mac-users are more image conscious than others. Apple has made a reputation for itself as a leader in industrial design. I think the reason they put a firewire port on the front of the Xserve is obvious - If its rack mounted as it is intended to be, then getting to the back of the machine would be more than a hassle.
Apple has done what it can to eliminate Cable clutter in and around the computer - one of the miracles of the original iMac design - and I stand by my observation that they would not put ports on the front of the Powermac case.
But, Hey, if they do decide to put ports on the front of the machine, i'll be surprised not dissapointed And I'll definetly still buy one.
We'll know for sure next month.
One thing I'm confused about , tho. I understand the pictures being banned, but what about the artist's concepts or mock-ups done by folks since the pictures came out. Can Apple forbid people from posting those? PLEASE DON"T POST PICS in reply to this.
<strong>There is some F*CKED up $hit going on. To hell with NDA etc.
I will spread these pictures so fast tonight...
Apple never should have started with me....
(PS, got my C&D letter too)
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Didn't you say "I can't wait to get my letter from Apple Legal" before posting those pix to your site? Maybe I'm thinking of somebody else....
<strong>
if the ports were angled downward you'd have to have tremendous manual dexterity to plug anything into them with the machine on the floor (as the vast majority will be).</strong><hr></blockquote>
No more dexterity than you would need to get a plug into the back of a machine that is under the desk. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />