Modular Power Macintosh

ghost_user_nameghost_user_name
Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
It would be cool if Apple made a completely modular Power Mac G4/G5. For example, to install a PCI card you would just slide out a module, open it, slide in the card, close it, then slide the module back in without having to open the entire computer. And the motherboard could be a "backpack" module that you could swap for a new one later on. Hot-swappable firewire drive bay modules would also be kewl. And RAM modules that would not require disassembling the computer.



The result would be a modular Power Macintosh, with easy expandability and upgradability.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    ferroferro Posts: 453member
    I have been thinking about this too...



    We could call it ... the iMod?



    ------------------------------------

    E PLURIBUS UNIX

  • Reply 2 of 11
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    [quote]Originally posted by FERRO:

    <strong>I have been thinking about this too...



    We could call it ... the iMod?



    ------------------------------------

    E PLURIBUS UNIX

    </strong><hr></blockquote>



    Hehe - nice!



    iMod.

    Think Modular.
  • Reply 3 of 11
    junkyard dawgjunkyard dawg Posts: 2,801member
    This would be such a total waste of money.



    The Powermac case is already easy to open if you need to install drives, PCI cards, RAM, or whatever. Making individual modules that pull out separately would only add more cost to the computer without any extra benefits.



    How often do you add or remove PCI cards? Not often enough to warrant a modular design.



    Apple needs to concentrate on improving the performance of their mobos before they dick around with some modular design that nobody needs.
  • Reply 4 of 11
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    [quote]Originally posted by Junkyard Dawg:

    <strong>This would be such a total waste of money.



    The Powermac case is already easy to open if you need to install drives, PCI cards, RAM, or whatever. Making individual modules that pull out separately would only add more cost to the computer without any extra benefits.



    How often do you add or remove PCI cards? Not often enough to warrant a modular design.



    Apple needs to concentrate on improving the performance of their mobos before they dick around with some modular design that nobody needs.</strong><hr></blockquote>

    I Totally agree with you JunKy, the powermac case is the most easy case to open in the personal computer market.
  • Reply 5 of 11
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    [quote]Originally posted by powerdoc:

    <strong>

    I Totally agree with you JunKy, the powermac case is the most easy case to open in the personal computer market.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    No - my K'NEX Cube is the easiest case to open. All you have to do is snap off a piece, and voila! The case is open! (you don't even have to do that unless it gets in the way...)

    <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughing]" />
  • Reply 6 of 11
    the power of xthe power of x Posts: 105member
    I personally don't have a Power Mac (yet) but have seen much about them (yes in person as well) and think that it is a very easy design to navigate. But, I think a 3 or 4 stack of hot-swap Fast IDE drive bays would be great in addition to a RAID controller that would use RAID 0, 0+1, 1 or 5. With Apple and the Digital Video Revolution I can't think of too many better ideas for a Pro box than a high-speed IDE RAID subsystem to address the video storage issue.



    Is ther performance on DV editing on a high-speed IDE subsystem RAID 0 or 5 that different than that os such as Seagate Baracuda's or Cheetah 10k's? I know there is a definite price difference between SCSI and IDE systems.
  • Reply 7 of 11
    moogsmoogs Posts: 4,296member
    While I don't think it would be practical or even efficient to make a Mac that was modular in terms of PCI cards or hard drives, I DO think it would be cool if in the next PM case design, Apple left the existing Zip port empty, but with a little slot door (and adapter inside)... then if you need to buy a Zip 100 or Zip 250, you simply plug it into the front of the case and start using it.



    This would have the advantage that each machine would be cheaper (you aren't forced into getting a Zip Drive), but it still has the capability of using such a drive without resorting to an external model - hence it would also save desktop pace.
  • Reply 8 of 11
    qaziiqazii Posts: 305member
    [quote]Originally posted by kHack:

    <strong>It would be cool if Apple made a completely modular Power Mac G4/G5. For example, to install a PCI card you would just slide out a module, open it, slide in the card, close it, then slide the module back in without having to open the entire computer. And the motherboard could be a "backpack" module that you could swap for a new one later on. Hot-swappable firewire drive bay modules would also be kewl. And RAM modules that would not require disassembling the computer.



    The result would be a modular Power Macintosh, with easy expandability and upgradability. </strong><hr></blockquote>



    1. It's not a good business decision. Apple makes money on new computers, not upgrades.

    2.\tIt would probably make the computer more expensive.
  • Reply 9 of 11
    ferroferro Posts: 453member
    deleted...



    [ 02-18-2002: Message edited by: FERRO ]</p>
  • Reply 10 of 11
    cdhostagecdhostage Posts: 1,038member
    The idea i9s nice but doesn't really fit with the company''s current fashion. The modular Mac is best for server envrionments. Apple currently caters to the average Joe consumer and professional content creators. No Big Iron in Apple's blood. I mean there IS an Apple Server G4 but I've heard that they are too expensive for the good they do.



    End response: Mod Mac won't make money. m m m m m !
  • Reply 11 of 11
    eric d.v.heric d.v.h Posts: 134member
    An easy open case isn't modular silly! although it does remind me of my fantasy of a REAL enterprise Mac.



    I imagine something like a combination of SGI's <a href="http://www.sgi.com/origin/300/numaflex.html"; target="_blank">NUMAflex</a> modular computer with Apple's Power Mac. which would allow you to indipendantly add and remove power supplies, drive bays, PCI slots, XIO slots and even CPU slots!



    It works by having all of these slots in modular "bricks" that attach to one-another. thus forming a whole computer. this allows you to buy a slim little tower to start off with. and then scale it up to a raging deskside machine later on. and when a bunch of these become obsolete. you can scavenge them for parts. and build a monolithic frankenstein of a computer out of an old Mac lab or something. to compete with even newer machines.



    Probably the greatest benefit. is that if the modules were small enough. they could build minitowers. and maybe even all-in-ones(The monitor would attach to the other modules). out of the things as well as the immense full tower and deskside Macs. thus saving massive amounts of money in component manufacture. as well as increasing lifetime customer value(Imagine if you could turn a lab of old iMacs into a moderately powerful server after their useful time as end user machines had ended).



    Now THAT'S a modular computer.



    Eric,
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