[SpinThis!]

Don't touch the iMac's form factor. Most iMac owners don't need more than 1 drive anyway?and if they do, get an external drive.

I think it might be time to reintroduce the Cube?in a slightly modified form of course. Start it at $1599, have an upgradeable graphics card and 1 PCI expansion slot. That would satisfy all those complainers looking for a mid-range tower. Part of the reason the Cube flopped in the first place was it was too expensive?it was originally more expensive than the base Power Mac G4. The same doesn't hold true today. It's virtually the perfect fit in Apple's line. If Apple does in fact ditch the Mac Mini, the Cube could easily take its place. There was even some patent filings floating around about a modified Cube.

[Jarmo]

Quote

{quote:title=SpinThis! wrote:}I think it might be time to reintroduce the Cube?in a slightly modified form of course. Start it at $1599, have an upgradeable graphics card and 1 PCI expansion slot. That would satisfy all those complainers looking for a mid-range tower.

{quote}

Ehh... that would satisfy absolutely no-one except those saying midrange tower is a stupid idea.
At $1600, this would be the poorest price/performance machine in the entire universe!
Compared to mini, the PCI slot would appear to cost $1000, doesn't seem at all good to me.
Actually seems a lot worse deal than cube in it's day of failing.

[SpinThis!]

Let me remind you people currently pay more than that for half the performance of the Air... You're not only getting an expansion slot... give it decent graphics, a quad-core core 2, higher ram ceiling, BT and Airport, and full-sized, upgradeable hard drive (maybe even a second bay for one... not this laptop-drive BS). The point is to satisfy people with an upgrade path, regardless if they take advantage of it or not. Apple is not going to introduce a mid-range tower but they could introduce a cute and sexy Cube in slightly bigger dimensions than the original.

If Apple could pull off a modern-day Cube, it would be a hit for those who need an iMac but without the screen. There's still websites dedicated to upgrading and worshipping the Original Cube.

[aceshelman]

The original Cube failed because it was too expensive, period. That obviously is something that can be changed with version 2.0.

Give me a "Midi" that is 4x as tall as the Mini and perhaps a little deeper. Give it a single optical bay, room for two easily accessible full size HDs, desktop-form RAM, a replaceable video card, and a couple of PCI slots. Toss in bluetooth and wireless options and we're golden as long as the price is reasonable. This should not be an expensive machine for apple to design and build.

I'd pay more for this than for a "clone" simply because it is Apple branded and has the advantages that come with that. However, I will not buy a Mac that doesn't fit my computer needs just because it is Apple branded. I admire and appreciate the products they put forth, but they simply do not make the desktop computer I need. No more macs for me until they do.

[tony_d]

Quote: The original Cube failed because it was too expensive, period. That obviously is something that can be changed with version 2.0.

I agree with this. I almost bought the Cube way back when, but it just wasn't worth it. When the mini first came out I thought of it as the Cube 2.0. There is no reason why Apple couldn't "make-over" the mini as a bigger and more expandable machine. Right now I don't think Apple is seeing Psystar as any threat, if anything Apple will get to see what kind of demand there is for a cheaper tower. However, if this "clone thing" becomes a big thorn in Apple's side they might just remake make the mini (after all it hasn't seen an update in while.) Of course this would be after Apple shuts them down.

[atarikee]

"Anyways Adding my Vote: Apple PLEASE BUILD A MID TOWER with UPGRADEABLE VIDEO."

You all can stop crying about this now. IT'LL NEVER HAPPEN.

The PC companies can all race to the bottom in their quest for oblivion. Apple will never do such a thing again (anyone remember 1995? HUH?)

Apple will never sink to release a junk box because of a few vocal geeks. Get it through your thick heads.

[aceshelman]

Or... you could not be so rude?
There's a difference between asking apple to build a mid-tower and asking for Psystars/UMAX/Dell clones. Most of us recognize that Apple builds a superior product, we're just asking for a strong performer that isn't an all-in-one and isn't a massive $3000 tower.

[Biallystock]

Do I hear echoes of Henry Ford's "Any color you want as long as it is black?"

Only here it is (hands waving frantically in rejection):

"No I couldn't accept anything other than black. Apple wouldn't make them black unless we all wanted that."

[blinkdt]

Couple of things:
"Psystar charges $155 to install the operating system" Not so, per Psystar, "If you buy Leopard with your Open Computer we'll install it for free."

The Open Computer touts itself as "a great opportunity for the experienced user" who might want to "get under the hood" and perhaps "develop device drivers and applications." Clearly, we're not talking about the average Mac user here. But for enthusiasts looking for maximum bang/buck ratio, this is nice. It is upgradeable on the user's terms, no kowtowing required.

[blinkdt]

Psystar did the price comparison and their base system beats the Mac mini hands down. As for the lawsuit, noisy fan(s) aside, Apple can't win as existing precedent clearly is against them.