[Cube] The Mini is so... small

[George Pepper]

Several years ago on this list we used to get into the "Why did the Cube fail?" and "Why did you buy a Cube?" discussions.  Beside the Cube's never-equalled coolness-factor several people on the list at that time were kinda like me: Didn't want a BUB, didn't need a bunch of expansion slots, etc.  Just wanted a small computer with FireWire, USB, wireless connectivity and other simple requirements.  

As for the Cube's dismal performance in the marketplace, it was gloriously over-engineered and therefore very expensive.  IMO, this is a direct result of Steve Job's sentimental attatchment to the design that dates back to his NeXT Cube days (I used one of those back in the early 90's).  Some of us bought it anyway because we recognized the unique superiority of it, but many, MANY potential buyers passed on the Cube because of it's astronomically high price.

Jobs and Apple are not ones for repeating mistakes, and I believe the Mini is what the Cube was SUPPOSED to be: A "no user serviceable parts inside" everyday computer for those of us who still have simple requirements for that task (And enough money to buy multiple computers for other, more intense, applications).  This time, they did it right at a price point that makes sense.  If you get past the sentimentality we all have for the Cube, the Mini is a much better design that makes infinitely more sense commercially.

There is no way to measure how little I care about things like HD seek times and crap like that on my day-to-day computer.  It has only been in the last year or so that the Cube's slow 450MHz processor began to be noticible to me (And, that after I bought an Xserve for recording digital audio: I like overkill as much as the next guy ;^)).

I've been through several love affairs with computers, and I know how these things go.  I had my old NED Synclavier Digital Music System for TWENTY YEARS before it finally got to be too much of a hassle for me.  The Cube lasted five, which is better than any girlfriend has ever done ;^).

I'll remember it fondly, but the Mini is the day-to-day box for me now.

Pep


On Monday, July 18, 2005, at 08:29PM, Michael Pearson <pearsonmw at mac.com> wrote:

>I gave a Mac Mini to my Mom for her birthday. It's a good low cost option and it blows away a stock Cube. For under $500 it is a great Mac with plenty of performance for everyday tasks.
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