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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 ...
Wonder how long it'll be before Apple sues them for "look and feel" infringement, though?
Now, if only this came in beige...
:wq
Yep looks great without anything in it
however itt will look pretty crap with my beige floppy/zip/dvd/cdrw in it (although the top slot has a flip top by the looks of it)
Will thety sell extra covers for these things?
G4 Case PC mod guide
G4 Case Auction
kawai
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.
Dunno about you, but I think your $150 could be better spent than on a Mac case look-a-like. Even retail stores have half-way decent cases for ~$30. Oh, I guess if you're the kind of person that'ld want to put a window in their harddrive or lights in their case, this might be right up your alley, but for the price difference, you could probably upgrade at least one of your major components (bigger harddrive, faster processor, better motherboard, faster graphics card, more memory, bigger monitor, etc).
Wand then again, none of your hardware (drives, fans, monitor, etc) is going to match the case. Look at that case and imagine a bunch of white/beige components in there (makes it look ugly, doesn't it)...
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!!
I am not a Mac fan by any stretch of the imagination, but to compare that ugly POS case with a Mac case is completely unfair. From an aesthetic standpoint, the Mac case is far more appealing and was clearly conceived by talented designers. Calling that a clone of the Mac case is like calling a Pontiac Firebird a clone of a Ferrari.
Color me silly, but once again a PC maker is attempting to make a sorta cool looking pc by adding some plastic to the run of the mill pc case.
My favorites are the ones where they just replace the front pannel... kinda like building facades... stock brick building with greek columns glued to its face. Maybe I should just glue a picture of the case I really want to the side of my pc.
-=sig=-
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!
In my opinion, a system case does not need to be the cutting edge of external design.
What I really want from a system case is the following:
1. A decent 300W power supply at minimum that works with all the current ATX motherboards.
2. Easy installation of the motherboard itself.
3. Designed so system cooling works well with just one case fan and the power supply fan.
4. Easy to remove system covers.
Fortunately, you can get cases meeting my criteria for under US$70 pretty easily.
Apple does something slightly out of the ordinary -- shave off a few edges, put a spit shine on the thing, throw in a screen -- and they're the heights of hardware innovation.
Yes, cloning Luxo Jr. makes up for it all, but it's the exception that proves the rule. For the most part, a tower is a tower is a tower.
They don't have to be.
Where are cases that look like they'd fit directly in with an entertainment system, replete with integrated DVD-ROMs and elegantly sliding front panels for expansion?
Where are low depth mods of rackmount cases, meant for vertical deployment next to your monitor?
Why is everything so angular? Volvos weren't this boxy. Why is every sharp angle in the computer world the kind of thing you could just *see* a prisoner filing down in about five minutes into a lethal weapon? I mean, I know programmers have a thing for powers of two (bug me, we'll chant 2^n, it's a real party lemme tell ya), and 90 is 360/2/2, but damn. Pass calculus already.
Hell, just to be ornery -- where's a natural keyboard clone you can stick a PC inside? In case you haven't noticed, your keyboard is several times larger than the avarage laptop.
This isn't random complaining. We've got cookie cutter cases with trivial modifications for a reason: Systems that *do* new things are apparently selling better than systems that *look* like they do -- or at least, the economies of scale of making nigh-identical cases are so incredibly massive that every deviation from the standard design introduces order of magnitude slashes of profit margins.
You might say this has as much to do with the limitations of the ATX spec, which specifically for cost purposes enforces fixed locations for all motherboard connectors. I don't know. I saw one random hobbyist with an ATX machine made out of a hollow cylinder of transparent plexiglass, illuminated with LEDs and with a detailed LCD providing system stats. Damn thing was a work of art. Sony, the one company most known for its attention to industrial design, recently came out with the closest "competitor": A _dark_ grey box with a spinach green LCD.
And that's the thing, folks. That hobbyist probably spent dozens of hours hand crafting that beauty. The processes required to make such a unique case are extraordinarily varied and unique, and if every new generation of computers needed completely new case designs, costs would shoot through the roof. Your case would become the most expensive part of your machine.
And so...we don't have unique cases. And I think I'm OK with that. But everyone, please. Unless you're talking about that brilliant homage to Pixar, don't think there's any originality at all among corporate case design.
There's just not. Your dollars have spoken -- maybe even wisely.
Yours Truly,
Dan Kaminsky
DoxPara Research
http://www.doxpara.com
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.
A lot of the others posts hightlight one of the very important points about apple cases - the ability to open them up and have everything there easy to access. Brilliant. PC cases have cut me up and stabbed me so many times that this was ground breaking. Like most simple ideas are. But, alsa, that is not my point.
Forgive me, but this case is disgusting. I would be embarrased to show anyone this case, it looks cheap tacky and the sort of thing a wannabe design student from school designed. To coin a phrase, "close but no cigar". Yes the apple case has curves, yes it's smooth plastic, yes it has handles and yes if you copied it out right you would have a law suit on your hands. But if you can't come up with something usefull and good looking dont even goto production.
Let me ask a few questions, can you imagine a group of designers using this case? No neither can I. Can you imagine your parents using this case? Nope, not them. Can you imagine walking into work with your machines looking like this? Nope neither can I. Schools? Nope, Universitys? Nada. yet these are all places where Apples feature and look correct. Please, please, please can someone not come up with a case that is nice to look at, unobtrusive and functional. Surely I am not alone in wanting something like this.
chris at darkrock dot co dot uk
http colon slash slash www dot darkrock dot co dot uk
A friend of mine in the mid-seventies put an aluminum V8 into a little Toyota (or maybe it was a Datsun, I forget.). Took quite awhile and a lot of mods on the poor little Toyota. He then drove the thing to Kansas.
The point? Well, I think he did it so he could say he did it. That and the little Toyota could smoke anything else on the street. Computer hardware mods are kinda like that too. Fun to do and the result is you have something unique (or at least different from the mainstream.)
I once hacked an Atari ST into a beige tower PC case. Wasn't much point in the exercise other than my ST looked a whole lot different than other STs and I learned alot about hacking hardware. Case modding is overall pretty damn cool, IMO.
Everything in the Universe sucks: It's the law!
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
If you want a case that would go well with your stereo / VCR / TV, check out this one:
ATC600
RMN
~~~
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!
Try Apple's Power Mac "expansion" page.
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.
You could Build a PC Inside of a Mac
Tell that to this guy who made an XP skin for OS X.
Seems like the grass really does look greener on the other side.
A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
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...
It's farkin' hideous... the design, the color, the functionality, etc.
The only thing it has in common with a Mac case is the shiny plastic.
As a former repair tech at a PC/Apple shop, I've known for years that Apple has been consistantly (not 100% of the time, just most times) superior to other consmer PCs as far as hardware design goes. Cases included.
And has anyone has the occasion to use Apple ServiceSource? Simply the best repair documentation ever. Down to sample startup sounds for the laser printers. We used to put the new guys on Apple repair because just about any moron with average reading comprehension abilities and a screwdriver could follow the procedures in there.
The problem has always been the OS, and the costs of the hardware.
Fixing one out of two isn't bad, right?
Do not fold, spindle or mutilate.
That doesn't look much at all like a mac case - first of all it doesn't have the trademark handles, and feet that lift it up. Secondly, there's no distinctive trademark on the side.
Just because it doesn't look like a hunk of junk doesn't mean that it looks like a mac.
- passion
I do believe Apple Spares centres stock them?
I'm looking for the rest of this series:
Asbestos
P.C.B
Dioxin
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
In fact, this is very reminiscent of my trusty G3 Blue-and-White, aka "Yosemite":
http://www.xoxide.com/ecmid.html
It's reasonably priced too...
--.\\-H--
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
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...
The power supply isn't proprietary. I cobbled together a G4/400 in a B&W G3 case a few years back from parts found around the building when I worked at Apple. The power supply was a plain old ATX unit.. nothing proprietary about it at all.
I have always been a fan of cheap beige cases. Not for the color itself, but specifically for the price. I also look for functionality - since I spraypaint my cases another color anyways.
What I would like to see is a good spray that will coat my case/laptop with that 'wet'-looking gloss, and not wear down easily.
I attempted to use one type of gloss coat on my laptop, but parts of it still wear down. (such as the corners)
Anyone have any advice for this 'magical' gloss I'm looking for?
I've seen a few in some of the industry rags that I get. I thought about it, for space reasons, then I remembered how often people at work drop their keyboards. Ugh.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
Have you ever used a Chieftec workstation case? You can reach just about every single component easily (boards, memory, CPUs, etc. - not that you'll want to replace those while it's on ;-), even on large motherboards. The front panel also comes off, the disks use cages that snap into place and have a place to attach an 80 mm fan, and the external bays all use plastic rails (to avoid vibration). In all, it has 13 bays and is only a mid-tower. Also, doesn't use any screws (except for the cards). Pretty good, considering PC cases have to be designed to accomodate unknow peripherals. And looks pretty good, too.
:-P
Some branded PCs also come with pretty good cases, namely some Compaq workstations, but I'm allergic to Compaqs so I don't even like them when the case is closed...
P.S. - Still waiting for the "flames", dear moderators...
RMN
~~~
Here's the thing: I've seen a PC case that is built like a Mac case, and it's a clusterfuck.
/Brian
Walk into any CompUSA and go looking for a case that bears a significant resemblance to a late-model HP Pavilion case. I don't even want to get into the quality of the case (execrable; it's meant for a full ATX board but has piss-poor ventilation; it also falls apart a bit too easily) or the looks of the case (copies HP's design while completely failing to capture its elegance). The big problem is that the ATX spec just doesn't work for this kind of design.
The case in question (I think it's OEM by Fujitsu, but this is more speculation than anything else) initially appealed to me because of its easy access design. Just like a Mac case, it's a drop-side design, and in theory could probably be opened up while running. The big problem is that it's just not practical with the current design; the ATX power connectors are usually towards the top of the board, which is a very inconvenient place for a power cable; not only is the cable in the power supply that comes with the case too short, there is no obvious way to get it out of the way of daughtercards, fans, etc.
I do think a case design like this is a really good idea. Unfortunately, it's just not practical with the ATX spec, and the case featured in the parent article (which is a very poor rendition of its inspiration to begin with) is just a plain old case. At least the Lian Li cases have easy-removal mobo trays and substantial sex appeal...
And then everyone in the x86 world runs out and starts bragging about their Enlightenment setup. :-)
May we never see th
My E-one(433)'s are still ticking along just fine.
I know there were a number that had problems with hard drives (one of mine did, right out of the box), and that the power supplies are too small.
But to fault the design as too, mac'ish is too simple an approach to the reason for the demise.
The All-In-One approach, using notebook components is a solid, right idea, green lowpower computers with tight integration between components.
Just the computer for Mom, or the kids.
The addition, or non removal of the PCMCIA slots was great, and the inclusion of RCA video in to capture video straight from the VCR, great.
I'm not claiming the the machines were powerhouses, they were not, and were not mean't to be.
The killer was the law suit over 'look infringement'.
That combined with production flaws and shipping induced failures killed the EOne, but only the Courts can hold back the concept.
The All-In-One has been here before, and it will come back again, the popularity of all notebook homes (homes with more than one PC, but no desktop PC's) is a sign of consumer demand.
Ummm... neither the PC floppy bus nor the ATA bus is hot swap capable.
Which would almost be relevant if I had actually claimed that either of them was. But I didn't, and I find it odd that the only way you could come up with anything to post about was to cut and paste my post to make it look like I have made claims that I have not made. Are you really that bored?
I agree with you! Great thoughts, thank you for sharing them with us!
But don't most PC cases look and feel close enough? If not, I am going to go patent a Black computer case and the "Retro" Beige case right now..
Tibbon
tibbon.com
*shakes head*
Actually, I said I could care less about how a Mac looks, and more about how it functions.
Troll...
CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?