Where was the Cube gonna fit?

applenutapplenut
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I was just thinking about this for no reason at all.



With the new iMac LCD out where did Apple ever plan to have the cube. at the time of release Apple had to be in the planning stages for the iMac LCD. they had to have known that it would have either been cheaper with the same specs or the same price with the same specs.



The more I think about the cube the more I realize how poorly planned a product it was.



Still beautiful though and I still want one

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    macintoshmacintosh Posts: 22member
    [quote]Originally posted by applenut:

    <strong>I was just thinking about this for no reason at all.



    With the new iMac LCD out where did Apple ever plan to have the cube. at the time of release Apple had to be in the planning stages for the iMac LCD. they had to have known that it would have either been cheaper with the same specs or the same price with the same specs.



    The more I think about the cube the more I realize how poorly planned a product it was.



    Still beautiful though and I still want one </strong><hr></blockquote>



    I guess they knew I was around. I bought the Cube and now the high end iMac. I think I must be a true prosumer after all. Anyway, you can buy my Cube Applenut.



  • Reply 2 of 9
    emaneman Posts: 7,204member
    They probably just weren't thinking right, because it really wouldn't have made sense if the Cube was still around.
  • Reply 3 of 9
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    I remember reading about the idea for the Cube and SJ said that it directly from the development process of the iMac. That doesn't answer where it was supposed to fit, but I think it indicates that they just thought it would be a good computer to sell without thinking about the specific *fit* in the product matrix. The problem is, the wisdom of having a matrix was betrayed and, as a result, it failed. Miserably. Too bad b/c it's a damn nice computer.
  • Reply 4 of 9
    aslanaslan Posts: 97member
    Saw the title to this thread and got a few wild ideas as to where the Cube would "fit" in Steve Job's "product matrix".



    Man I am one sick puppy sometimes.
  • Reply 5 of 9
    sdw2001sdw2001 Posts: 18,016member
    I think the Cube was Jobs' final, failed attempt at the NextCube. You know how he is......obsessive about his ideas, about 80% of which are great, the remaining 20% not so great. I truly believe this wasn't a "they" thing at all, but rather a "Jobs" thing. He had momentum going into the cube fiasco and the board let him push his idea through.



    I always predicted its doom. I never understood the market for it.
  • Reply 6 of 9
    little mouselittle mouse Posts: 127member
    actualy the cube was pure genious, if you take the cube apart there is already an area for a fan there for meaning that they were probaly going come out with dual processor cubes and also the vent on the top, when you put that fan in air starts to acutaly come out of it, so it really truly was an extremely good idea, just to expensive.



    [ 05-13-2002: Message edited by: little mouse ]</p>
  • Reply 7 of 9
    spongemacspongemac Posts: 28member
    If I remember correctly, the Cube was more of a "dream machine" Jobs invisioned, i.e. NextCube. I think Jobs said it was more an "art-form" product aimed at execs and those looking to have an elegant non-computer look in their decors. This also explains the higher price point. Apple failed to factor the strong appeal of the Cube with the "iMac" consumer base and the proconsumers who were looking for something in between the iMac and PowerMac that had flexability on larger monitor options. If it would have been priced more in line with the iMac and bundled with monitor options, the Cubes short history would have been much different, maybe even challenging the future existence of the LCD iMac.
  • Reply 8 of 9
    mrbilldatamrbilldata Posts: 489member
    All of the Apple Ads originally showed the cube off by itself with the keyboard and monitor separate from it. I thought that it was a really great idea. Have a completely wired cube on a shelf with the monitor/keboard/mouse on your desktop free to be moved around wirelessly.



    When I went to the local Apple store to see cables everywhere I was very disappointed and of course did not buy it.



    Just my 2 cents on the subject.
  • Reply 9 of 9
    aslanaslan Posts: 97member
    I love the cube idea but I think it was just a little ahead of its time w.r.t. cost-effectiveness and real practicality.



    Really! I mean I could see a real market for these things in the future when more advances in miniturization etc. make them more feasible to build for less than an arm and a leg. Other obvious factors for failure included non-upgradability in certain important areas as graphics card, which definately put a huge limit on its lifespan. The form factor of choice in the industry has hence been the tower chassis that fits PCI cards whether Steve likes it or not, but the future may hold the standardization of smaller integrated 3D/Mulitimedia processors, much like the mobility series in the laptops, but more modular from a swappable perspective for better upgradability.



    Thing also was, the high-level execs that Jobs was trying to woo with his style were running Windows. If that phantom lawyer statistic is correct about MacOS in the workplace, I think that the advent and popularity of OS X may allow for the comeback of the cube concept in the future once there are a few more Mac-using executives to market to! And truly, will Steve EVER give up on an idea that he thought was cool? Really! <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
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