Even without a subwoofer, they sound wonderful. Get enough separation between the speakers, the clarity and depth of the sound these two tiny globes produce will amaze you. And the speakers are hardwired to the center box, so you can’t extend them. That’s just enough to get to either side of a monitor, assuming your monitor has a powered USB port - but it’s hardly enough to get as much stereo separation as I’d prefer. Worse news for all users is that the Cube’s speakers have short cables, just 26 inches from the headphone jack to each of the clear, spherical speaker cases. That’s good, because Apple hasn’t made it easy for you to plop the Cube under your desk - the keyboard attaches with a short USB cable. With a computer that pretty, you’re going to want it on your desktop for all to see, not to mention to get easy access to the DVD-ROM drive. Just about everyone who came in contact with my Cube touched it inadvertently at least once, which made for a frustrating experience. A new touch-sensitive power switch resides on the top of the unit this puts the computer to sleep or wakes it up. Running, you run the risk of inadvertently turning it on. If the computer is running, you run the risk of overheating it and damaging the components (the Cube has no fan instead, it uses that single vent in the top to dissipate heat). Whatever you do, don’t turn the Cube upside down to get at the ports while it’s plugged in. Not only is that a pain, but it can scratch the Cube’s lucite case.
![apple mac cube apple mac cube](https://regmedia.co.uk/2013/10/09/apple_g4_cube.jpg)
The alternative is to turn the Cube on its side every time you want to connect your peripherals. Cube users with USB devices they plug and unplug frequently may want to invest in a USB hub those with FireWire devices may need to leave a loose cable dangling from the back. Not only does this make cable management a challenge (imagine trying to get the cables from nine ports through a cable pass-through slot only 5.25 inches by 2.25 inches), it also makes accessing ports a challenge. Gone are most of the practical compromises computers make for functionality: all the Cube’s ports are hidden underneath, giving the Cube a completely smooth surface.
![apple mac cube apple mac cube](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LOiQjABLq3E/maxresdefault.jpg)
For lack of a more emotive description, the Cube looks like it should be floating in an enormous glass of water - it’s an ice sculpture with a block of platinum trapped inside.īut you pay a price for this pearlescent machine, and I’m not just talking about the price tag. If not for the thermal vent cut into the top, it would give no clue at all to its true nature.
![apple mac cube apple mac cube](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/o9wC4rcGbn4/maxresdefault.jpg)
The Cube bears only a passing resemblance to a piece of technology, much less a computer. And when those skills achieved razor sharpness, the designers turned those skills on the product they wanted to craft all along: The Cube. It’s as if previous Mac designs were merely tests, prototypes that honed the skills of Apple’s industrial design engineers. Let’s just get this out of the way right up front: The Cube is a work of art. Now Apple is posing the same questions to its mainstream customers regarding the Power Mac G4 Cube, which offers a G4’s processing power and an iMac’s ease of setup, distinctive style, and limitations - all at a premium price. I think it’s worth paying a premium for a low-end, stylish computer.Įntry-level users had to agree with these three statements before buying an iMac - and more than 3.7 million did. I’m more concerned with a computer’s ease of setup and its size than its performance. If you agree with the following three statements, then the Power Mac G4 Cube is right for you: I don’t need to add PCI cards to my Mac. Apple’s Pearl of Great Price By Andrew Gore