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Coolness Cubed: Apple's Radical New Mac

The Power Mac G4 Cube abounds with innovation, but its case leaves little room for upgrades.

  

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Will the Cube Be a Trendsetter?

Apple has a long record of releasing brilliant computers that have a single inexplicable design glitch--such as the original iMac, with its awkward, hockey-puck-shaped mouse. With the G4 Cube, it's the on/off switch, a glowing, touch-sensitive spot on the top of the case. Brush up against it accidentally--I did, repeatedly--and you'll put the system into sleep mode. Is the system's lack of a floppy drive an equally glaring problem? Not really, but it seems a shame that the computer doesn't have an internal CD-RW drive. If you want to add one, or any other storage device, you'll have to use an external USB or FireWire (IEEE 1394) model; the Cube offers both types of connectors.

Like many a Mac before it, the Cube is pricey compared to PCs with roughly comparable specs. It also costs $200 more than Apple's entry-level Power Mac G4, which has a slightly slower CPU (400-MHz versus 450-MHz). But that machine has a tower case with the room for internal upgrades that the Cube lacks (three available PCI slots and three available drive bays).

The Cube may not be for everybody, but I hope that PC manufacturers take note of its many innovations--and if history is any indication, they will. True, we don't need any copycat cube-shaped machines. But we could certainly use more systems that challenge our notions of how a computer looks, feels, and performs.

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