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Mac-Case Clone for PCs
An anonymous reader writes "Ever wanted a Mac case for your pc? Well this is your lucky day. Well sort of... you can read a preview of this yet-to-be-released case at hardware-unlimited.com." Smart design -- Now, if only this came in black ...
i'd wager 10 minutes before this gets slashdotted....basically, the case looks the same as a G4 mac case....from about 10 feet away and if you squint real hard. no handle on each side, just round bumps where there would be a handle. 3 5 1/2" bays, a 4th 5 1/2" bay with flip out cover for a CD drive. oh, and it doesn't unfold like a suitcase (like the mac cases do - one of the main reasons to want one).
:)
i can't say i'm altogether impressed with this one, but put some blue LEDs on it and you have a case-modder's dream
as for making it black, 20 minutes with paint thinner should make those outside panels clear, like the G3/G4 cases, and you can paint it whatever you want. the front has a flip down bit, behind it is a firewire, usb, audio in/out ports, which could be useful.
moox. for a new generation.
This is no Mac case. Apple wouldn't be caught dead releaseing something this pedestrian.
It's a beige box except it's not beige and it's covered in lucite. It is much nicer than standard issue cases coming out of PC manufacturers warehouses though.
PC case, yes. Mac case,no.
Looks nice, but doesn't have the functionality and *internal* configuration of a Mac. The current towers (starting with the Blue G3) are the best damn cases i've ever seen. Pull one small lever and the whole thing opens up, laying the motherboard flat right in front of you with nothing in the way. It's even got a very large, quiet case fan built into the side, opposite the PCI slots.
Someone release a case like THAT for x86!!
A colleague of mine who doesn't like Apples was in the lab when the first Mac with the current case design (the Blue-and-White) came in. It's on and working when he comes over to see it.
This is a bare-metal guy. All his machines in the lab have had their covers removed because he's in them so often he can't be bothered to take the time to take covers off and put them back on. (FCC? What FCC?)
He starts ranting and raving about how stupid Apple stuff is, how jerky the case looks, etc. "All this meaningless decoration." Pointing to the ring on the right side, he says, "Look at that stupid thing, for instance. What's that supposed to be?" He starts to fiddle with it--and the case swings open, the interior is completely exposed, the motherboard is mounted ON THE PIVOTING SIDE PANEL so it is totally accessible from above AND FROM THREE SIDES (nothing to obstruct your knuckles!)
And the Mac goes on working without missing a beat.
"Wow!" he says. "That's the best case design I've ever seen!" Then he adds, "I still hate Apple, though."
This case clone reveals the shallow understanding of most non-Mac users who think the Mac is all about appearance at the expense of functionality.
Who cares about a case that just looks vaguely like a Mac (I don't even think they've captured the appearance very well--it somehow looks awkward and unaesthetic)--but that leaves out the Mac case's best functional feature?
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
Some cases really are worth that (and more). I paid £120 (around $180) for my new Lian Li, and don't regret a single penny of it. 4 Builtin fans (variable speed), entirely thumb screw based, pull out motherboard tray, and the chasis is 100% aluminium.
$150 spent on a graphics card might get you top FPS for a few months. $150 on a decent case will last you the rest of your ATX sized upgrades, and save you a LOT of pain if you go inside your machine a fair bit.
Uhm, we're in the 21st century, and our "computers" are STILL huge metal boxes. Everything in the computerindustry shrinks, but aparently the case is the exception to prove the rule, as they keep making bigger and bigger cases.
Place the latest and greatest Full-Tower-Ultra-Plus-Mega-Giga-ATX case next to say, a Flex-ATX or Micro-ATX case, like the one Tom's Hardware has their hands on here, and tell me which one embodies progress.
Not to mention how nice it would be not to have to lug around a 30+ pound case (not to mention the heavy-ass 21" trinitron monitor) just to go to a LAN party.
*sigh* Big Iron isn't a description of mainframes - it's a description of the standard cases you and I use and the cause of our hernia.
We do not live in the 21st century. We live in the 20 second century.
Hmm, well, looking at it my first impression was "really nice", but then, looking more closely, some things are off ...
/. crowd has some answers :-)
1) The "handles" are not handles, but rather ugly protrusions. What a pity!
2) as some ppl before me mentioned, as soon as you put your standard-beige drives in the drive trays, it will look a lot crappier than now. Do they plan to provide some way to cover the beige ugliness?
3) and most important: You can't swing open the side door. That feature alone (and only that one, maybe) would convince me to go for such a case, despite the price tag. Because that is just a plain good idea. But no, not in this case.
This makes me wonder: Is there a technical reason (I am no big hardware tweaker myself, so I am asking) that an assembly as seen with the G3/G4 macs can't be done in the PC world? Mount the motherboard on a swing-out side panel and leave enough room for the connectors so that it can be opened even when the box is running, and nothing snags or breaks? Why isn't this the standard way of mounting a PC?
questions, questions, but I am sure the
I admit, I used to be just like this guy. I used to work at a PC store/repair shop and I despised macs to no end. In fact, the company I worked for wouldn't even allow someone to drop one off because no one wanted to deal with "those damn macs".
/. without reading the damn article first.
So, i was a mac hater for a long time. And i would use all the excuses that people still use. They don't have any software support, they are expensive, people only buy them cause they're pretty, etc etc.
But,a few months ago a friend of mine bought a powerbook, and i began my usual mac taunting. He then told me to come over and try it out. Now I own a powerbook and i'm happy as all hell with it.
Point being, give'em a chance. Go and try using one at an apple store for a little while. Mac bashing without ever trying one (especially since OS X) is like posting comments on
my last sig was too controversial... now, a new and improved useless sig!
It's not a Mac. Doesn't look a blessed thing like a Mac. Doesn't have any of the attractive features of a Mac (flip down motherboard, e.g.) It doesn't have the fit and finish of a Mac. It's not ergonomic. It doesn't look like the ventilation is all that good, either.
I was recently in the market for a new case. This is what I wanted. Unfortunately, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Keeper of the Privy Purse shot me down. So I've got a big beige box with beaucoup fans. It's functional, and sits under the table where big ugly boxes belong.
Now, how about some Stuff That Matters?
News for birds. Stuff that splatters.
The picture the other poster linked to is nice, but to really appreciate it, I suggest you visit a computer store that sells Macs, find an understanding salesperson, and ask to have a look inside the case (even if you don't do it yourself, have them open it up). It's really a thing of beauty.
--
Runnin' around, robbin' banks all whacked on the Scooby Snacks...
Would you also argue that anyone spending $1000 on a leather couch is an idiot because you can buy cinderblocks and foam rubber mats for much less?
No, but I'ld argue that spending $1000 on cinderblocks and foam rubber mats covered with leather makes that person an idiot...
Now if someone would just release a regular BEIGE case that I can fit a G4 Mobo into, I might consider getting some new Mac hardware.
I have multiple computers, some of them are Macs. I will not buy a new Mac because they are so damned ugly.
I don't want it to look "pretty" I want it to look normal. I can not take seriously any machine that looks like it came from the Buck Rogers prop room.