Introducing the G5 Mini (?)

outsideroutsider
Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
The PowerMac G5 Mini



PowerPC G5 processor 1.5GHz & 1.7GHz

System Bus speed is 750MHz or 850MHz respectively

4 DIMM slots (installed in pairs) For a max of 4GB RAM

AGP 8X with Radeon 9600 and 64MB VRAM

1 S-ATA bay with an 80GB or 120GB HDD

Combo drive or SuperDrive

1 PCI-X slot



G5 1.5GHz, 256MB RAM, 80GB, and Combo drive - $1299



G5 1.7GHz, 512MB RAM, 120GB, and Superdrive - $1699



Low end G5 Tower (1.6GHz) dropped from line up.





(I'm no photoshop wiz so spare me the comments on the quality )











Would people go for this?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 53
    placeboplacebo Posts: 5,767member
    Apple doesn't do this kind of thing. They stopped doing 'special-edition' things 2 years ago, and this kind of thing confuses customers. The Powerbooks are an exception, but that's because screen size is an option.
  • Reply 2 of 53
    shetlineshetline Posts: 4,695member
    Looks even more like a cheese grater at that size.
  • Reply 3 of 53
    outsideroutsider Posts: 6,008member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Placebo

    Apple doesn't do this kind of thing. They stopped doing 'special-edition' things 2 years ago, and this kind of thing confuses customers. The Powerbooks are an exception, but that's because screen size is an option.



    I would give 'customers' a little more credit than that. I mean they have 2 consumer oriented machines, eMac and iMac, hitting different pricepoints. Why not apply this in the business market. The cube tried and failed, here is a compromise solution.
  • Reply 4 of 53
    outsideroutsider Posts: 6,008member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by shetline

    Looks even more like a cheese grater at that size.



    I'd worry about what happens to the cheese when you grate it. No way of getting it out
  • Reply 5 of 53
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Outsider

    Would people go for this?



    I have been tempted to order myself a low-end PowerMac G5 system finally to replace my moribund Bondi iMac. So far, I have resisted the temptation (mostly for budget reasons). Even though the new low pricing on the G4s is attractive, I have decided that I want a G5 for maximum longevity. Given those considerations, a less expensive "G5 Mini" would be perfect for me.



    Escher
  • Reply 6 of 53
    the wizthe wiz Posts: 28member
    I would think that Apple would want to wait untill it gets a decent sized market-share before it pulls any G4 Cube-type marketing tactics again....Maybe after the G5 has been out for awhile and market share goes up to 40% we'll see something like this
  • Reply 7 of 53
    lemon bon bonlemon bon bon Posts: 2,383member
    Looks alright...



    Hmmm.



    I think a 'Shredder-Mini-Me-Tower' could do some business...



    Lemon Bon Bon
  • Reply 8 of 53
    jcgjcg Posts: 777member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by The Wiz

    I would think that Apple would want to wait untill it gets a decent sized market-share before it pulls any G4 Cube-type marketing tactics again....Maybe after the G5 has been out for awhile and market share goes up to 40% we'll see something like this



    They arn't going to gain much more market share with the products that they have today. The only computers that they have that are competative are the PowerBooks. They are ignoring a large part of the market by limiting consumer computers to AIO units. And the G4 does not compete well agenst Windows/Intel computers when it comes to price and performance. Sure the OS is great to us Mac users, the design is the best on the market, and they have great quality, but is it worth it to your average computer buyer (ie. someone who has been using Windows for years) to spend an extra $600+ for a slower computer with less expansion than the competition for the pleasure of switching (buying all new software on top of the computer, and learning a new OS) to a Mac. Steve's RDF isnt large enough to make reality distort that much for Apple to be successfull with that strategy. They will have to come up with hardware at the consumer level that is as compelling as their OS is to grow their market share. Sure we will see a slight upswing with the release of the G5 buisnesses upgrade their Mac users, but what Apple needs is the momentum that they gained when they released the orignial iMac.
  • Reply 9 of 53
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    I think Escher would go for any Apple product dubbed "mini" or "sub."
  • Reply 10 of 53
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    That looks really good to me. Nice and clean. I could see them shrinking it down to 3 zones -- CPU/AGP, PS, and drives -- by rejuggling the insides and stripping out the PCI. .



    Nice...



    Apple did do two different Mobo's, 4 and 8 RAM slot versions.



    I'd take one.
  • Reply 11 of 53
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    That's actually quite cute, and, IMO, looks better than the G4 Cube...cheese-grater characteristics aside.







    G5 power in a smaller, less expandable body (honestly, someone tell me: with a 160GB hard drive and the option to add another or different one, who in the hell needs a bunch of drive bays? And if you've got the SuperDrive, why do you need another optical drive bay? Are you, honestly, THAT much of a "power user" that you've got to have two disks burning at once and rendering one project while submitting a budget proposal for the other and ripping your CDs at the same time?).



    Bullshit. You just want geeky bragging rights, and you know it.







    A mini G5 would be THE THING to about 88% of the people how there, assuming it's got a SuperDrive and 100+ GB of storage and the ability to go to say, 4GB RAM.
  • Reply 12 of 53
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    The name wouldn't fly though. The 'G5 mini' would do as well as IBM's "PC Jr."



    I'm all for the idea (I'd buy two right now!) but the naming scheme would have to be G5 and G5 Pro, or something similar.
  • Reply 13 of 53
    wrong robotwrong robot Posts: 3,907member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Outsider

    I'd worry about what happens to the cheese when you grate it. No way of getting it out



    It mixes with a special liquid and becomes cooling goo.
  • Reply 14 of 53
    matsumatsu Posts: 6,558member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by pscates

    That's actually quite cute, and, IMO, looks better than the G4 Cube...cheese-grater characteristics aside.







    G5 power in a smaller, less expandable body (honestly, someone tell me: with a 160GB hard drive and the option to add another or different one, who in the hell needs a bunch of drive bays? And if you've got the SuperDrive, why do you need another optical drive bay? Are you, honestly, THAT much of a "power user" that you've got to have two disks burning at once and rendering one project while submitting a budget proposal for the other and ripping your CDs at the same time?).



    Bullshit. You just want geeky bragging rights, and you know it.







    A mini G5 would be THE THING to about 88% of the people how there, assuming it's got a SuperDrive and 100+ GB of storage and the ability to go to say, 4GB RAM.



    Interesting, cause the 4Gb version of the Mobo is already here, just delete the PCI.



    I could go for one. I do however think that there has been plenty of legitmate call for a second optical bay, for direct disc to disc dupes. However, with CDR speeds moving to 16X for the superdrives, they're nearly at that good enough level where they don't need to be paired off with faster standalone units. You can alway rip to RAM! ha, what with 4-8GB and copy back in as long as it takes to read once switch disc and write. Might take you 30 sec longer than disc to disc.



    not bad.



    I think that right now Apple is using the PMG4 in the space where this product would naturally fit, 1299-1599 machine. Once G5 supplies and board/CPU prices improve, I'd look for something EXACTLY like this. Certainly over an iMac. I could buy a nice big 3rd party display, or an Apple one, depending on prices... Lovely, I think it ties in so nicely with the taller tower, has a brand identity yet is small and just nice enough to drop on a desk in totally friendly space efficient (yet modular) non threatening way.
  • Reply 15 of 53
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member




  • Reply 16 of 53
    @homenow@homenow Posts: 998member
    I like the looks than the full size tower, and would buy one a the price points and specs that you listed. Honestly though, I think Apple needs to get the price of their entry "tower" Cube, as well as the iMac, down to $999 even if they have to go with a 60 GB HD and a slower video card. That $1000 barier is a big one in the psyche of consumers, just like the $99.00 one or the 99¢ one. The $999 gets customers interested, and in the store, and the sales staff is there to sell the computers with the knowledge to talk customers into the more capable systems that sell for more. Thats the way Auto dealers sell cars, and would go a long way toward lowering the price/performance (both percieved and real) gap between PC's and Macs. I think that Apple does have the image of quality in the minds of consumers, but the price for that quality is out of sync with the real world performance gap that the consumer G4's have agenst Dell's that are running at 2.4 Ghz with 333 DDR RAM for $600 less than the iMacs.
  • Reply 17 of 53
    gargar Posts: 1,201member
    form technically the only thing done so far is scaling down the G5tower and cut the middle section off...

    isn't it better to tighten te handles to the body so you win a couple of mm interior space...

    i think, if your talking about a mini me G5 you have to make it a little bit more shrinky dinky,

    more like japenese 1/3 figures. (yeah i know, not exactly like that but as cute, use your imagination, please)

    well anyway i agree with matsu... i like the mini me concept it's sweet.
  • Reply 18 of 53
    outsideroutsider Posts: 6,008member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by gar

    form technically the only thing done so far is scaling down the G5tower and cut the middle section off...

    isn't it better to tighten te handles to the body so you win a couple of mm interior space...

    i think, if your talking about a mini me G5 you have to make it a little bit more shrinky dinky,

    more like japenese 1/3 figures. (yeah i know, not exactly like that but as cute, use your imagination, please)

    well anyway i agree with matsu... i like the mini me concept it's sweet.



    Handles need to be big enough to get your fingers around but if you can make them a tad smaller to make the whole package a wee bit smaller, then they should go for it.
  • Reply 19 of 53
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Yeah, I didn't do the handles down. Just used the Apple photo as a template/reference for Illustrator to draw the little one. Kept the handles and logo the same, just to emphasize its new "smallness".



    I didn't want to "cheat" and just shrink the whole thing down in Photoshop by 45%...where's the fun in THAT?



  • Reply 20 of 53
    snoopysnoopy Posts: 1,901member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Outsider

    The PowerMac G5 Mini



    . . . Would people go for this?



    I want one.
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