Well well well, then somebody's going to have to make me believe - which I'm perfectly willing to do, provided I see it for myself; if one of you 3D-RenderGods could create a cut away mock-up of a practical desktop size, (read: isn't the size of a beach ball) that includes all the necessities of a true to life pro-workstation, like a SuperDrive plus two hard drives, 4 PCI cards plus an AGP card.
No screwing around, no iPod hard drives, no millimeter tall PCI cards, show me the real thing, then I'll believe.
[quote] Well well well, then somebody's going to have to make me believe - which I'm perfectly willing to do, provided I see it for myself; if one of you 3D-RenderGods could create a cut away mock-up of a practical desktop size, (read: isn't the size of a beach ball) that includes all the necessities of a true to life pro-workstation, like a SuperDrive plus two hard drives, 4 PCI cards plus an AGP card.
No screwing around, no iPod hard drives, no millimeter tall PCI cards, show me the real thing, then I'll believe. <hr></blockquote>
...
[quote] 3D-RenderGods <hr></blockquote>
I dont know if any of us could pull that off...
I myself am just a patchwork artist...
I wish I could render... bryce/CAD is over my head...
However it would be cool if when you needed to get to the insides... to add RAM or install a new HD...
The PowerMac has aproximately 2,783 cubic inches of space in the case and most of it is empty...
The iMac2 fits a hard drive, SuperDrive, powersupply (for computer AND monitor), motherboard and G4 processor heatsink in 310 cubic inches. I think in 310 extra cubic inches you can fit 3 PCI slots, 1 AGP (2 slots on opposite sides of the board like this =|=) and room for another HDD or 5.25" drive. Think about it.
<strong>Hey Ferro, I did a bit of editing to your image:
</strong><hr></blockquote>
*LOL*
And as long as we're all still wanking around, I'm with Toasty...I want a 3D rendering before I'd ever believe the next PM to be a speroid. Remember the markets they're trying to serve. Expandability is key (Firewire and USB too, not just PCI)....
It could just have like a 2" flat surface on the bottom, and wweight purportioned so it wouldn't roll... That, plus the thick power cord, speaker cords, ADC cord, USB and FireWire cords, plus ethernet or modem cord, would SURELY be enough to hold the bugger in place. Or maybe they could put a suction cup on the bottom too, heh.
If Apple came out with a spherical G5, I'd say, to hell with the Lump Stick Rectangle..
I'd like to see a realistic mock-up of this sphere. I just don't see how you would work the PCI slots.
Some clever packaging could fit them into it, but most cards have an external connector to them to which you will need access. Finagling it so that the external connectors on the various cards can be accessed would to serious damage to the overall spherical shape. I can't think of a particularly elegant way to deal with that. The best I can think of would be to lop off the back of the sphere so that you would have a flat surface, then a cover with slots/holes for cables that would fit over it and reform the sphere (like the access cover on the right side of the old iMac). That still seems a bit hokey to me.
apple needs to be VERY VERY careful here. the powermac needs a brain transplant as well as a facelift, WITHOUT sacrificing one for the other. the el capitan casing made a great deal of sense. easy side panel access. handles. highly rugged casing. my concern about a sphere is you can't rack mount it. it may have problems accomodating unusually large or awkward expansion boards. how well can a sphere actually breathe?
i think the new power mac's priorities are clear. performance first, then ergonomics, then style. for powerusers, beauty lies in kicking the crap out of wintel machines and then going home early. they don't need playful lack of convention to sell machines. they need brute force and a smarter design. IMHO, naturally.
<strong>apple needs to be VERY VERY careful here. the powermac needs a brain transplant as well as a facelift, WITHOUT sacrificing one for the other. the el capitan casing made a great deal of sense. easy side panel access. handles. highly rugged casing. my concern about a sphere is you can't rack mount it. it may have problems accomodating unusually large or awkward expansion boards. how well can a sphere actually breathe?
i think the new power mac's priorities are clear. performance first, then ergonomics, then style. for powerusers, beauty lies in kicking the crap out of wintel machines and then going home early. they don't need playful lack of convention to sell machines. they need brute force and a smarter design. IMHO, naturally.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I agree 100%. This sphere idea is fun to play with, but I have rather strong doubts that Apple would even consider building such a machine. It's just a mental exercize to see if we could make it work - playing Computer Designer, as it were, nothing more (at least as far as I am concerned - others may be taking it more seriously).
Comments
[quote] How the hell are you gonna fit big hard drives and lot's of PCI cards into a sphere any smaller than a large beach ball? <hr></blockquote>
I am sure you could pull it off...
I think a iBook could be folded inside one of those spheres... with ample room for expansion...
E PLURIBUS UNIX
-----------------------------
That looks like the DEATH STAR
Cool
Ape_Man
- Mark
[QB]
I am sure you could pull it off...
[QB]<hr></blockquote>
Well well well, then somebody's going to have to make me believe - which I'm perfectly willing to do, provided I see it for myself; if one of you 3D-RenderGods could create a cut away mock-up of a practical desktop size, (read: isn't the size of a beach ball) that includes all the necessities of a true to life pro-workstation, like a SuperDrive plus two hard drives, 4 PCI cards plus an AGP card.
No screwing around, no iPod hard drives, no millimeter tall PCI cards, show me the real thing, then I'll believe.
[quote] Well well well, then somebody's going to have to make me believe - which I'm perfectly willing to do, provided I see it for myself; if one of you 3D-RenderGods could create a cut away mock-up of a practical desktop size, (read: isn't the size of a beach ball) that includes all the necessities of a true to life pro-workstation, like a SuperDrive plus two hard drives, 4 PCI cards plus an AGP card.
No screwing around, no iPod hard drives, no millimeter tall PCI cards, show me the real thing, then I'll believe. <hr></blockquote>
...
[quote] 3D-RenderGods <hr></blockquote>
I dont know if any of us could pull that off...
I myself am just a patchwork artist...
I wish I could render... bryce/CAD is over my head...
However it would be cool if when you needed to get to the insides... to add RAM or install a new HD...
If it would extend open like this...
E PLURIBUS UNIX
-----------------------------
[ 01-09-2002: Message edited by: FERRO ]</p>
a 10.6" sphere would have 620 cubic inches.
The PowerMac has aproximately 2,783 cubic inches of space in the case and most of it is empty...
The iMac2 fits a hard drive, SuperDrive, powersupply (for computer AND monitor), motherboard and G4 processor heatsink in 310 cubic inches. I think in 310 extra cubic inches you can fit 3 PCI slots, 1 AGP (2 slots on opposite sides of the board like this =|=) and room for another HDD or 5.25" drive. Think about it.
Yes, but then you would need two of them...
or you would be a real odd ball...
or is it the other way around...???
maybe two would be even stranger...
E PLURIBUS UNIX
-----------------------------
[ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: FERRO ]</p>
<strong>Hey Ferro, I did a bit of editing to your image:
</strong><hr></blockquote>
*LOL*
And as long as we're all still wanking around, I'm with Toasty...I want a 3D rendering before I'd ever believe the next PM to be a speroid. Remember the markets they're trying to serve. Expandability is key (Firewire and USB too, not just PCI)....
If Apple came out with a spherical G5, I'd say, to hell with the Lump Stick Rectangle..
Some clever packaging could fit them into it, but most cards have an external connector to them to which you will need access. Finagling it so that the external connectors on the various cards can be accessed would to serious damage to the overall spherical shape. I can't think of a particularly elegant way to deal with that. The best I can think of would be to lop off the back of the sphere so that you would have a flat surface, then a cover with slots/holes for cables that would fit over it and reform the sphere (like the access cover on the right side of the old iMac). That still seems a bit hokey to me.
i think the new power mac's priorities are clear. performance first, then ergonomics, then style. for powerusers, beauty lies in kicking the crap out of wintel machines and then going home early. they don't need playful lack of convention to sell machines. they need brute force and a smarter design. IMHO, naturally.
Yea, so I stink at Photoshop..What else is new.
<strong>apple needs to be VERY VERY careful here. the powermac needs a brain transplant as well as a facelift, WITHOUT sacrificing one for the other. the el capitan casing made a great deal of sense. easy side panel access. handles. highly rugged casing. my concern about a sphere is you can't rack mount it. it may have problems accomodating unusually large or awkward expansion boards. how well can a sphere actually breathe?
i think the new power mac's priorities are clear. performance first, then ergonomics, then style. for powerusers, beauty lies in kicking the crap out of wintel machines and then going home early. they don't need playful lack of convention to sell machines. they need brute force and a smarter design. IMHO, naturally.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I agree 100%. This sphere idea is fun to play with, but I have rather strong doubts that Apple would even consider building such a machine. It's just a mental exercize to see if we could make it work - playing Computer Designer, as it were, nothing more (at least as far as I am concerned - others may be taking it more seriously).
OK, it's lame, but my kids are into it...
[ 01-11-2002: Message edited by: TJM ]</p>