When I saw that funky picture on Appleinsider's front page (a still pulled from the satellite feed or snapped during the keynote from an audience member, not sure which), I couldn't tell what the hell I was even looking at. I was mortified that Apple made a clear side where you could see the guts of the computer, just like some cheap modified PC case. But then, when I saw Apple's high-quality images where the internals and layout actually made sense, and when I found out there's a side panel that you can put on there, I was a happy boy
The case looks great from a three-quarter view The layout of the internals is fantastic. It looks extremely functional, and as always with Apple's designs, the new one makes the old one look silly
I was disappointed that you can only have two internal drives, until I realized you can get 250GB drives nowadays. Also, I thought it strange that they went back to one optical drive bay, but I'll bet money the reason they did that was because no one ever ordered two optical drives from Apple. I know I'd never use two optical drives when I've got a 4x Superdrive. Nice to see ports on the front finally, Although I expected Apple to find some clever way to hide them - thank God they didn't put a cheesy flip-open door over them like Compaq/Dell.
Yeah, um, little problem here. It's way too tall to fit in a 19" rack horizontally. I really hope that outer handle shell is completely removable. (It looks like it's one solid block of aluminum on the non-access-panel side.)
Also, TWO HD bays? Hello? Three might have been doable, but going from FOUR to TWO? And this is a Pro machine?!
To have Apple drop the fastest PC on the planet in our laps is a sweet victory in my mind. If your too much of a whiny bit¢h to savor that victory than shame on you.
Design is a subjective thing, and everyone is going to have their opinion. Clive, as long as you are bringing your design "credentials" to the table, I am a product designer and all I can say is... "gorgeous"
Regardless of the direction of the fan intake / outtake elevating the case off the table will undoubtably aid in cooling. But beyond that, it elevates the case psychologicaly as well. For a metal case, this is particularly thin and elegant looking. Lifting it off the table has a similar effect to a piece of modern furniture. Think of how clunky a solid bottomed chair can look. Letting the four legs of a chair float the sitting plane above the ground challenges your notion of stability vs. elegance. This case is no different. Contrasting very hard edges with graceful radiuses further pushes the paradox. The handles, whether comfortable or not, keep a unique feature of the previous model but gives them a more modern twist. How often do you need to carry it anyway...? you could always carry it like the 95% of the other PC's out there (by the body) if you have dainty hands . The thinness of the handles confidently displays the single bent sheet of aluminum. In fact the case looks as if it was made with only bending techniques and no expensive casting or deep molds. A very clever and simple form, that I am sure has some difficult engineering behind it.
This G5 is gorgeous and it sets a new standard. The metal makes it look like a serious player and the form keeps it approachable and familiar.
I hope the panels don't deflect like the TiBook did. I would love to see a glow or evenly disributed light eminating from the perferations on the front. maybe a dial would let you change the color frequency depending on your mood
That is a bad ass case. Can't wait to see it in person to really get a good feel for it. Well done front controls, minimalist design. It screams power. Unfortunately so does the price
I think it looks all right. My personal opinion is that the old towers had been getting crappier with each revision ever since the original G4 tower, so I'm glad that they've broken away from that.
I was hoping for a sleek, minimalist tower, and it looks like this is what we got. Unfortunately, I think there are a couple of areas where the mantra of minimalism was used as an excuse not to resolve issues.
One thing that bothers me is the way the front ports are stuck on there. I can think of a couple of solutions that I think would look better. For instance, I think it would look better if they were placed horizontally, lower down, and had more non-mesh space around them, so they could mimic the cd drive. One thing that is unclear is how much of that mesh is essential for cooling, and how much of it is there for the sake of consistency.
The other thing is the handles, as has been already remarked upon. I have noticed in recent Apple products that they like to have two rounded corners and two sharp corners on rectangles. I think the two best examples of this are the default OS window shape and the original ipods. This new powermac design seems to have those same style rectangles, but most apparently in the negative space. For instance, in the front view, between the top of the case and the handle, or in the side view, between the bottom of the case and the floor. It sounds cool in theory, but I just don't think it works (side view especially) and it really cuts down on the handles functionality, as these guys will not be comfortable to carry with one hand. I don't really have a solution to this one. One artificial limitation the designers seem set on is mirroring the top handles down at the bottom of the case. I don't think it is necessary. Then they could inset the handles into the case, and the side profile would be rounded at the top and flat at the bottom.
Anyways, only Apple could do this, and I admire that. What's inside makes up for any external shortcomings.
Ok, my last two points on this, the second one most of you won't get, but perhaps you can do some research and learn something.
One: I think it's hilarious that all of the pictures we're looking at appear to be computer generated, in the dark (have they really not got one of these things worth photographing?).
Two: they are going to regret that grill pattern every time they print it - moire-a-go-go (you can even see it really coming through in some of the images online).
And no, I don't do "urinal cakes" - I think I proved my point with the car anyway.
The handles, whether comfortable or not, keep a unique feature of the previous model but gives them a more modern twist. How often do you need to carry it anyway...? you could always carry it like the 95% of the other PC's out there (by the body) if you have dainty hands .
Well, actually, I shift a fair amount of them around, I don't do it every day, but I've shifted sets down three floors on several ocassions, and carried them around several installations.
It's not what everyone does, but that's what makes them unique. I can carry two El Capitan's at once (though the later ones are *heavy*), I couldn't carry two of these G5s very far (without gloves) and with a standard PC I could usually only carry one.
So, like I say, an unusual thing to do, but if the handles aren't functional, then they're disfunctional.
It does look like the "don't ask" picture. Put them side to side and there are some similarities. This one's way better, tho. This one doesn't look like a portable BBQ grill.
The design is too minimalist, but I think that's fine. It's the direction in which Apple is going. Forget the curves, welcome the simple, elegant AL designs.
Then again, as many of you have said, I'm sure it's way better "in person." I remember when I bought my TiBook, where I thought the design was a bit boring -- boy was I wrong! It's the sexiest laptop I've ever bought. You just need to pull it out of the box and it takes about one second to fall in love with it. I'm sure this Apple product is no exception.
>perhaps you can do some research and learn something.
>...regret that grill pattern every time they print it
Learn what?
That, when doing industrial design, one should put printer friendlyness above functionality???
The design is not a showstopper-"must have" look.
It shouldn't be.
It's a: Sleek-Strong-Sexy-Supercomputer design (although it actually looks like a kitchen tool in some "photos").
The Mac has always been ridiculed for its looks (from the 1984 toaster and onwards). Now, when introducing a killer machine (targeting the industry) they have been wise to go in the other direction.
The handles add to both looks and functionality - and I *don't* think they will hurt anyones palms.
As for not matching the monitors/keyboards etc.
On their G5 page Apple describes the present monitors as "the first family of all-digital flat-panel displays" - i.e. there will be a second (alu) generation soon.
the case is ugly. it's a glorfiied cheese grater but one day i will have to buy one or maybe by next year they will have a new design. is Ives drunk at the wheel?
Hmm. I've been looking at the case for awhile now and I think the implication of its design are more profound than I originally thought. I think, until now, the basic paradigm for looking at a computer case was that the front served as the "face" of the computer. Designers spent most of their time crafting this area of the case and I think most people judged the look of a design by how much they liked the front. The sides of the computer held less prominence and the backs of computers were afterthoughts at best (in fact, the sides of computers were afterthoughts as well until Apple started putting their logo on the sides of their towers).
When Ive and co. were designing the G5 case, I imagine they started off trying to design the most functional case they could with little consideration for the actual form of the case (which would come later, after they solved the problem of function). Given that the 970 was running very hot and that the new enclosure had to be more quiet than its predecessor, Ive realized that the front of this machine would be required to have a significant amount of air flow through it. Of course, there could have been a lot of ways he could have solved this functional requirement without having the entire front side be a huge air grate. There were probably ways of making the "face" of this case look more conventional and familiar to consumers. But, if you watch the G5 video they played during the keynote, he mentions how he wanted the design to be honest. And I think in that regard, he's succeeded. The design is essential and candid.
In terms of its aesthetic, however, I think it requires a shift in seeing to actually appreciate it. As I said before, people judge a computer by what the front of it looks like, and I don't think that's how you can judge this case. The "face" of this computer isn't really it's front side anymore. I'm not sure that it has a "face", but has to be taken in holistically, kind of like the Cube. People appreciated the design of the Cube, despite it not having a side that particularly stood out as the "front" of the computer. People judged it in it's entirety. Likewise, I think the same thing is happening in the design of the G5, but it's bit harder to look at this way because the overall shape and dimensions seem so "tower" and we're so used to looking at (and judging) the fronts of these things.
Anyway, I still don't know what to make of these cases. I'll probably have to stare a little longer. I just wanted to add my two cents.
At first sight of fuzzy stills i was disapointed but this ugly duckling has grown into a beautiful swan. By repeated views of the QT movie and also watching the keynote. i now that think to see this machine on your desk , munching silently through whatever you throw at it , will be an incredible experience.
>perhaps you can do some research and learn something.
>...regret that grill pattern every time they print it
Learn what?
That, when doing industrial design, one should put printer friendlyness above functionality???
Come on! The one thing this box lacks is functionality. On the functional side it fails on nearly all the tests.
Well, for you, learn what moire is if you don't already know. And yes, of course bear that in mind if you're going to promote your product in print. And like I already noted, that moire shows up, badly, in the shots they have on their site.
They've have to spend fortunes retouching all their product shots to get rid of that, seems that they forgot it somehow so far.
Quote:
Originally posted by Kendoka
>The design is not a showstopper-"must have" look.
It shouldn't be.
It's a: Sleek-Strong-Sexy-Supercomputer design (although it actually looks like a kitchen tool in some "photos").
That's aesthetics rather than function.
Quote:
Originally posted by Kendoka
>The Mac has always been ridiculed for its looks (from the 1984 toaster and onwards). Now, when introducing a killer machine (targeting the industry) they have been wise to go in the other direction.
That's nonsense, Apple has always been lauded for its design - Ive has won awards for the work he's done at Apple.
Quote:
Originally posted by Kendoka
The handles add to both looks and functionality - and I *don't* think they will hurt anyones palms.
I think you're probably a lumberjack then.
You could not carry two of those things for any distance. If you grab one of the corner handles the box is going to tilt at approx 45 degrees, that puts all the weight/pressure on a fairly narrow, and square looking edge, it can't be much more than 3mm across.
Did you ever carry an El Capitan with one hand, two at once?
Quote:
Originally posted by Kendoka
As for not matching the monitors/keyboards etc.
On their G5 page Apple describes the present monitors as "the first family of all-digital flat-panel displays" - i.e. there will be a second (alu) generation soon.
Even though Apple says that, it's wrong, there was a 15" LCD which preceeded the current range, making them the second generation.
Hmm. I've been looking at the case for awhile now and I think the implication of its design are more profound than I originally thought. I think, until now, the basic paradigm for looking at a computer case was that the front served as the "face" of the computer. Designers spent most of their time crafting this area of the case and I think most people judged the look of a design by how much they liked the front.
I think you're wrong here. It seems to me that Apple started taking real notice of the functional "inside" aspects of the case with the PowerMac 8600. Which was pretty much the first Mac that was easy to get into and out of. They continued this with the beige G3 tower, which moved the standard forward again.
The apex of this effort, IMO, is the El Capitan, open it up and everthing is there in front of you.
This G5 case looks to be a step backwards - as far as maintenance goes. And that should be a big consideration in the function of any case.
For those with longer memories, ever try putting RAM in an 8100?
you can always use a yellow duster wrapped around the top handles to soften the edges which may or not be sharp it's cheap, and it might remind you to dust your new and sexy machine more often than most of us do ...
i understand this concern but hey, how often do you have to move your tower? once a month, once every 3 months? i used to have to move my yosemite around more than i do now, and the handles are, well, just handles. functional. so's the duster solution :P
i'm not sure about being able to put removable drives on top of the tower. i used an acrylic block on top of my el capitan case for my old lacie scsi cdr and it worked fine, but i found leaning under the desk to fiddle with the power button on the back annoying. since then removable drives are a bit more functionally designed (power buttons on the front ) but i have learned that its often easier to have them stacked on the desk, so you can swap cables and power on stuff more easily. i'm sure any good designer out there appreciates a good ergonomic workspace and if they want to pony up for a good G5 they should consider a broad wide desk and a nice work chair. (personally i love my aeron). so you should have enough space for printer, external drives, tablet, scanner etc oh, and your cutting mat so whether for ease and ergonomic reasons (don't have to reach under and suchlike to access something set above and behind the frontplate of the G5), aesthetic reasons (most 3rd party boxes will look sh1te on that puppy, under a desk or not) or operational concerns (the case might get as hot as my PB12"
i initially balked at the idea of the single optical drive, but i have been looking at adding a second drive to my tower (a modded yosemite) and these days firewire (and as of today USB 2.0 devices) are cheap, plentiful and competitive. i guess the comment about apple not making much on 2nd drives is also true ... i would have bought a £40 lite-on 52x cdr rather than a more expensive apple cdr as well you can also buy external cases.
this also leads onto concerns about hard drive space. apple want BIG users to be running a external RAID system such as the xserve and raid combo (no arguments about how right now no one is thinking of buying xserves til they go G5 .. hehe). pro users at home or working solo can now pick up fast cheap LARGE external drives, and they compare very favourably in price to the current premium one pays for serial ATA. so i think the 2 internal slots are enough for most users, and there are good choices for those looking for more storage. guess it's the end of the line for 3rd party IDE cards tho
i think the case is a very good piece of industrial design. the aesthetics of such a powerful (and hot machine) are always going to run parallel to the concerns about running such a beast. personally, i know if i had this on or under my desk it would look and feel more more 'pro', more powerful, physically stronger and more robust than any other.
clive, i feel you may warm to the design when you see it in the flesh. i was funny about the quicksilvers, lcd imacs and the ipod when i saw the rather stilted and plain shots apple release. the qtvrs never really give away the tactile and functional presence of the recent ive designs. i'll wager you a couple of pints up here in manchester or down in london if 12 months go by and ive & co don't pick up some kind of high profile design award. you game?
finally, when will we see the first clear acrylic replacement case doors on sale
they will be a popular mod, i suspect, and will make most custom pc casings look cack!
ps i write my posts in textedit ... os x has a nice spell checker. maybe it is helping americans spell better but it always tries to force me to use american english spellings. ne'er the less, if safari, textedit et al help us spell better, that's good news
The G5 is still quite easy to access, although the side is removable instead of hinged. It may be a step back, but a very very minor one if you ask me.
Comments
The case looks great from a three-quarter view
I was disappointed that you can only have two internal drives, until I realized you can get 250GB drives nowadays. Also, I thought it strange that they went back to one optical drive bay, but I'll bet money the reason they did that was because no one ever ordered two optical drives from Apple. I know I'd never use two optical drives when I've got a 4x Superdrive. Nice to see ports on the front finally, Although I expected Apple to find some clever way to hide them - thank God they didn't put a cheesy flip-open door over them like Compaq/Dell.
Also, TWO HD bays? Hello? Three might have been doable, but going from FOUR to TWO? And this is a Pro machine?!
Design is a subjective thing, and everyone is going to have their opinion. Clive, as long as you are bringing your design "credentials" to the table, I am a product designer and all I can say is... "gorgeous"
Regardless of the direction of the fan intake / outtake elevating the case off the table will undoubtably aid in cooling. But beyond that, it elevates the case psychologicaly as well. For a metal case, this is particularly thin and elegant looking. Lifting it off the table has a similar effect to a piece of modern furniture. Think of how clunky a solid bottomed chair can look. Letting the four legs of a chair float the sitting plane above the ground challenges your notion of stability vs. elegance. This case is no different. Contrasting very hard edges with graceful radiuses further pushes the paradox. The handles, whether comfortable or not, keep a unique feature of the previous model but gives them a more modern twist. How often do you need to carry it anyway...? you could always carry it like the 95% of the other PC's out there (by the body) if you have dainty hands
This G5 is gorgeous and it sets a new standard. The metal makes it look like a serious player and the form keeps it approachable and familiar.
I hope the panels don't deflect like the TiBook did. I would love to see a glow or evenly disributed light eminating from the perferations on the front. maybe a dial would let you change the color frequency depending on your mood
I was hoping for a sleek, minimalist tower, and it looks like this is what we got. Unfortunately, I think there are a couple of areas where the mantra of minimalism was used as an excuse not to resolve issues.
One thing that bothers me is the way the front ports are stuck on there. I can think of a couple of solutions that I think would look better. For instance, I think it would look better if they were placed horizontally, lower down, and had more non-mesh space around them, so they could mimic the cd drive. One thing that is unclear is how much of that mesh is essential for cooling, and how much of it is there for the sake of consistency.
The other thing is the handles, as has been already remarked upon. I have noticed in recent Apple products that they like to have two rounded corners and two sharp corners on rectangles. I think the two best examples of this are the default OS window shape and the original ipods. This new powermac design seems to have those same style rectangles, but most apparently in the negative space. For instance, in the front view, between the top of the case and the handle, or in the side view, between the bottom of the case and the floor. It sounds cool in theory, but I just don't think it works (side view especially) and it really cuts down on the handles functionality, as these guys will not be comfortable to carry with one hand. I don't really have a solution to this one. One artificial limitation the designers seem set on is mirroring the top handles down at the bottom of the case. I don't think it is necessary. Then they could inset the handles into the case, and the side profile would be rounded at the top and flat at the bottom.
Anyways, only Apple could do this, and I admire that. What's inside makes up for any external shortcomings.
One: I think it's hilarious that all of the pictures we're looking at appear to be computer generated, in the dark (have they really not got one of these things worth photographing?).
Two: they are going to regret that grill pattern every time they print it - moire-a-go-go (you can even see it really coming through in some of the images online).
And no, I don't do "urinal cakes" - I think I proved my point with the car anyway.
Originally posted by corbu
The handles, whether comfortable or not, keep a unique feature of the previous model but gives them a more modern twist. How often do you need to carry it anyway...? you could always carry it like the 95% of the other PC's out there (by the body) if you have dainty hands
Well, actually, I shift a fair amount of them around, I don't do it every day, but I've shifted sets down three floors on several ocassions, and carried them around several installations.
It's not what everyone does, but that's what makes them unique. I can carry two El Capitan's at once (though the later ones are *heavy*), I couldn't carry two of these G5s very far (without gloves) and with a standard PC I could usually only carry one.
So, like I say, an unusual thing to do, but if the handles aren't functional, then they're disfunctional.
It's quiet! does that mean we have also lost the internal speaker??
Dissapointed
The design is too minimalist, but I think that's fine. It's the direction in which Apple is going. Forget the curves, welcome the simple, elegant AL designs.
Then again, as many of you have said, I'm sure it's way better "in person." I remember when I bought my TiBook, where I thought the design was a bit boring -- boy was I wrong! It's the sexiest laptop I've ever bought. You just need to pull it out of the box and it takes about one second to fall in love with it. I'm sure this Apple product is no exception.
>...regret that grill pattern every time they print it
Learn what?
That, when doing industrial design, one should put printer friendlyness above functionality???
The design is not a showstopper-"must have" look.
It shouldn't be.
It's a: Sleek-Strong-Sexy-Supercomputer design (although it actually looks like a kitchen tool in some "photos").
The Mac has always been ridiculed for its looks (from the 1984 toaster and onwards). Now, when introducing a killer machine (targeting the industry) they have been wise to go in the other direction.
The handles add to both looks and functionality - and I *don't* think they will hurt anyones palms.
As for not matching the monitors/keyboards etc.
On their G5 page Apple describes the present monitors as "the first family of all-digital flat-panel displays" - i.e. there will be a second (alu) generation soon.
To quote the Man:
Bang! So cool!
yum
it looks good from the side
When Ive and co. were designing the G5 case, I imagine they started off trying to design the most functional case they could with little consideration for the actual form of the case (which would come later, after they solved the problem of function). Given that the 970 was running very hot and that the new enclosure had to be more quiet than its predecessor, Ive realized that the front of this machine would be required to have a significant amount of air flow through it. Of course, there could have been a lot of ways he could have solved this functional requirement without having the entire front side be a huge air grate. There were probably ways of making the "face" of this case look more conventional and familiar to consumers. But, if you watch the G5 video they played during the keynote, he mentions how he wanted the design to be honest. And I think in that regard, he's succeeded. The design is essential and candid.
In terms of its aesthetic, however, I think it requires a shift in seeing to actually appreciate it. As I said before, people judge a computer by what the front of it looks like, and I don't think that's how you can judge this case. The "face" of this computer isn't really it's front side anymore. I'm not sure that it has a "face", but has to be taken in holistically, kind of like the Cube. People appreciated the design of the Cube, despite it not having a side that particularly stood out as the "front" of the computer. People judged it in it's entirety. Likewise, I think the same thing is happening in the design of the G5, but it's bit harder to look at this way because the overall shape and dimensions seem so "tower" and we're so used to looking at (and judging) the fronts of these things.
Anyway, I still don't know what to make of these cases. I'll probably have to stare a little longer. I just wanted to add my two cents.
Originally posted by Kendoka
>perhaps you can do some research and learn something.
>...regret that grill pattern every time they print it
Learn what?
That, when doing industrial design, one should put printer friendlyness above functionality???
Come on! The one thing this box lacks is functionality. On the functional side it fails on nearly all the tests.
Well, for you, learn what moire is if you don't already know. And yes, of course bear that in mind if you're going to promote your product in print. And like I already noted, that moire shows up, badly, in the shots they have on their site.
They've have to spend fortunes retouching all their product shots to get rid of that, seems that they forgot it somehow so far.
Originally posted by Kendoka
>The design is not a showstopper-"must have" look.
It shouldn't be.
It's a: Sleek-Strong-Sexy-Supercomputer design (although it actually looks like a kitchen tool in some "photos").
That's aesthetics rather than function.
Originally posted by Kendoka
>The Mac has always been ridiculed for its looks (from the 1984 toaster and onwards). Now, when introducing a killer machine (targeting the industry) they have been wise to go in the other direction.
That's nonsense, Apple has always been lauded for its design - Ive has won awards for the work he's done at Apple.
Originally posted by Kendoka
The handles add to both looks and functionality - and I *don't* think they will hurt anyones palms.
I think you're probably a lumberjack then.
You could not carry two of those things for any distance. If you grab one of the corner handles the box is going to tilt at approx 45 degrees, that puts all the weight/pressure on a fairly narrow, and square looking edge, it can't be much more than 3mm across.
Did you ever carry an El Capitan with one hand, two at once?
Originally posted by Kendoka
As for not matching the monitors/keyboards etc.
On their G5 page Apple describes the present monitors as "the first family of all-digital flat-panel displays" - i.e. there will be a second (alu) generation soon.
Even though Apple says that, it's wrong, there was a 15" LCD which preceeded the current range, making them the second generation.
Originally posted by giantsuper
Hmm. I've been looking at the case for awhile now and I think the implication of its design are more profound than I originally thought. I think, until now, the basic paradigm for looking at a computer case was that the front served as the "face" of the computer. Designers spent most of their time crafting this area of the case and I think most people judged the look of a design by how much they liked the front.
I think you're wrong here. It seems to me that Apple started taking real notice of the functional "inside" aspects of the case with the PowerMac 8600. Which was pretty much the first Mac that was easy to get into and out of. They continued this with the beige G3 tower, which moved the standard forward again.
The apex of this effort, IMO, is the El Capitan, open it up and everthing is there in front of you.
This G5 case looks to be a step backwards - as far as maintenance goes. And that should be a big consideration in the function of any case.
For those with longer memories, ever try putting RAM in an 8100?
i understand this concern but hey, how often do you have to move your tower? once a month, once every 3 months? i used to have to move my yosemite around more than i do now, and the handles are, well, just handles. functional. so's the duster solution :P
i'm not sure about being able to put removable drives on top of the tower. i used an acrylic block on top of my el capitan case for my old lacie scsi cdr and it worked fine, but i found leaning under the desk to fiddle with the power button on the back annoying. since then removable drives are a bit more functionally designed (power buttons on the front
i initially balked at the idea of the single optical drive, but i have been looking at adding a second drive to my tower (a modded yosemite) and these days firewire (and as of today USB 2.0 devices) are cheap, plentiful and competitive. i guess the comment about apple not making much on 2nd drives is also true ... i would have bought a £40 lite-on 52x cdr rather than a more expensive apple cdr as well
this also leads onto concerns about hard drive space. apple want BIG users to be running a external RAID system such as the xserve and raid combo (no arguments about how right now no one is thinking of buying xserves til they go G5 .. hehe). pro users at home or working solo can now pick up fast cheap LARGE external drives, and they compare very favourably in price to the current premium one pays for serial ATA. so i think the 2 internal slots are enough for most users, and there are good choices for those looking for more storage. guess it's the end of the line for 3rd party IDE cards tho
i think the case is a very good piece of industrial design. the aesthetics of such a powerful (and hot machine) are always going to run parallel to the concerns about running such a beast. personally, i know if i had this on or under my desk it would look and feel more more 'pro', more powerful, physically stronger and more robust than any other.
clive, i feel you may warm to the design when you see it in the flesh. i was funny about the quicksilvers, lcd imacs and the ipod when i saw the rather stilted and plain shots apple release. the qtvrs never really give away the tactile and functional presence of the recent ive designs. i'll wager you a couple of pints up here in manchester or down in london if 12 months go by and ive & co don't pick up some kind of high profile design award. you game?
finally, when will we see the first clear acrylic replacement case doors on sale
they will be a popular mod, i suspect, and will make most custom pc casings look cack!
ps i write my posts in textedit ... os x has a nice spell checker. maybe it is helping americans spell better