What would YOU want your Mac to look like? (My school project)
 

Not entirely sure whether this is the right place to post this, but I couldn't see any other than seemed more appropriate.
Basically, I am working on a Graphics portfolio for school. Here in the U.K. we have something known as GCSEs and these are an important building block qualification to help people get into college and then eventually university.
We were free to choose what company or brand we would be making an imaginary product for, and being a Mac head, I chose Apple.
My situation and brief is below, and contains basically instructions for my product that I am making:

Situation:	The company Apple are looking to expand their market
to those people usually buying PCs. There is currently no cheap
product line that will be a viable alternative to a PC for every buyer
not wanting to pay a premium for Apple products.

Brief:	 Design and make a computer line for Apple that is cheap, but
still stylish. Stick to traditional Apple design guidelines, so as to
preserve the company's corporate image, and produce a variety of
associated marketting material.

At the time of writing this, the Mac Mini had not yet been released, and so the project should be seen from the perspective of Apple's line-up in January (I think).

As part of my project, I am required by the exam board to undergo some research about the company and the target market I am looking at. As there are no Mac user groups near me, I decided to come to you and ask some questions on the matter on this board. What I am looking for is your honest opinion on what you would like to see Apple produce to fill the above gap in their product line-up.

I will have to make a non-functional, possibly even functional if I have the time and money, model of the computer I am making. I am starting by making 3D models of the product using Maxon Cinema 4D. The renderings from this will be posted on here and will be included in my Portfolio that I have to create. The renderings of the models that I build will be used as premilinary ideas, and one will be chosen and developed further. I will be looking for your opinion on the designs I make and your opinions will contribute greatly to my decision of what model to build.

I will be then exporting the model I choose to build from Cinema 4D to AutoCAD or a similar application. After some tweaking, I will then use a CAD/CAM machine in school to manufacture the casing for the computer. Advice on these steps is highly appreciated as I am new to this and it will be a learning experience for me.

The first question I have for you is:

What form factor, shape, size and colour would you personally be interested in?

I have had a few ideas, and one that sounds pretty cool would be a casing of spherical shape, matt black, with a glowing Apple logo on similar to that on the lids of Powerbooks and iBooks. Here are some renderings I have made of it so far, let me know what you think:

Front view:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...rontsketch.jpg

Back View with ports: http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...backsketch.jpg
View of power button located on top of sphere:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...ttonsketch.jpg
View of front, with lit background so the computer can be seen a little more clearly: http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...hofdesighn.jpg
Pictures of the finished product will be posted here and the entire build process documented. Updates to follow.

Anything you desperately want to get in touch with me about please email me: lawrencedudley AT gmail DOT com

You'd better edit your post and use tags to get the links hot clickable ;)

As one UK Student to another, good luck (I got E in Resistant Materials at GCSE 2 years ago, should have been B but my teacher lost my work.)

As to the mac, something that looks totally new and WOW. Spherical mac mini perhaps?

This is completely off the top of my head, but if the goal is to lure in PC users, perhaps a case that is in the style of a standard pc is in order. People already think of the Mac as "different," perhaps posing it as just the same kind of thing, albeit "better," would help the PC crowd to consider it as a viable option.

Besides, everybody's seen a million crazy Mac designs. I would be interested in seeing something a lot more subtle aimed at attracting people by looking like a "real" computer, not some weirdo Apple machine.

Jonathan Ive (VP for Industrial Design at Apple) interview

From the above Wired article,
In other words don't think everything is form - to fit in with Apple's approach there must be function. That's where the style comes from. You should look closely at a Mac Mini since it is the product Apple decided to produce to fill the gap in the market. Note no 3D curved surfaces, plenty of flat surfaces - they're cheap to make (and therefore sell.) No display - makes it cheaper, but also dictates size of the mini. Can't be so big I can't see over it at the display.

If you do this, make it something for you - not your project. What your school probably expects from you is a non-functional model. Stick to what's been agreed. Don't spend too much time trying to produce more, and failing to meet the minimum requirements. Also from a more practical viewpoint there's electricity in that computer. Bad wiring hurts :) In addition, your model is almost certain to overheat (even Apple screws up here.)

Know how to do all this long before you try to make the model. Spend the money you would save by not building a working model on trial sessions on the CAD/CAM machine. Don't try and learn all about manufacturing parts, making your casing, doing all the paperwork, at the last conceivable minute, along with all the other stuff you have to do. Wheels are certain to come off.

A better question to ask would be how to improve a Mac Mini? What changes in form etc would enable those improvements to be made?

Good start! Pet peeve of mine is power buttons on the back of computers. But bear in mind why Apple has power buttons on the back of its machines - it prevents people accidentally switching their machine off. So needs some thought as to how to solve both problems.

Also a feature of the G5 Powermac I like is the ports on the front. Makes it handy to connect my digital camera etc.

Note that with Apple, part of the corporate image appears to be "you can have any colour you like so long as it's grey or a shade thereof"

Don't forget ventilation, or that computers tend to come with DVDs :) Also spheres roll around don't they?

I don't think you can do much better than the current iMac line as far as form factor. Now they just need to find a way to add more and faster processors, more RAM, larger and faster hard drives, faster graphics cards, and keep the whole thing quiet and cool.

Am I asking too much? Nah! :D

I'd like a computer built into the keyboard. It should have a projector that shoots the display onto a wall, heck, while I'm dreaming it'd be great if it could display a hologram on my desk. that'd be sweet. I could have Princess Lea pop up instead of Clippy, or Einstein...I mean he's cool and all...but Princess Leah...mmmmmmm cinnamon buns

You've reminded me of my sweet Amiga 500 (which I still have in storage somewhere), actually that would be a good thing to look at in terms of your project. Try here

That is so true. It doesn't have to be neon, but some colour would be nice.
More easily accessible options to customise the look of Apple apps (brushed metal gets real old real quick) - the default should be useable, but colourful and fun.

What kind of user would want a cheap computer? They'd want it to be multifunctional (if you're going to get one of those dread machines, it had better work for a good while, style of thing)

Apple is seen as being business-like - there aren't many games around for it. (Chess is too intellectual for me most of the time, and Nanosaur and that ball game too actiony. What happened to Klondike???)

Colours
 

I quite like the idea of colours, like the iPod Mini and the old iMacs. How about another idea I had: A square form factor, but with iTunes display and controls on the front of the box? The whole thing would be nice and small and reminiscient of the G4 Cube I suppose, although I would go for solid colours, brushed aluminium probably instead of a translucent material that the cube had (I think).
Maybe some discreet ports on the front of a square box with a white-OLED on black iTunes current song display? This way, the box could be used without a monitor as well, which would give it a second kind of job it could fulfill: This would mean that you could just plug it into some speakers, power it up, the airport card would connect to the airport network to download data from CDDB, and CDs would auto-import when inserted in the DVD drive. This would also be handy for those wanting to change the track their computer is playing without keeping their monitor switched on. Ok, and it would also look cool ;-)
What do you reckon? I need as many ideas as possible, as these drive my mark way up.
Thanks for all the stuff so far, keep it up :-)

Living in earthquake country, I find a ball CPU a bit shakey (pun intended). I am not sure I would like a CPU that looks like a Magic8 Ball that will roll off the desk if I hit it with my knees. This was actually the complaint regarding the G4 iMac speakers.

Here are the ideas I have posted at my site for Apple. Feel free to glean.

iMac LT

Component Rack System

And a hardware product that is still on my mind...

iJukebox

The 8-Ball
 

Yeah, you can't see anything on those pictures because they're terrible, but I flattened out the bottom part of it, and it would have little rubber feet underneath to stop it rolling or sliding. Also, the hard drive, and thus the centre of gravity, would be near the bottom, so this would mean it's less likely to roll. Point taken though, maybe a square design would be better.

Sorry, being pedantic today. The CPU is a chip. The case is what you're referring to. I know this is common usage, but it shouldn't be.

Pedantic indeed. Still, you're right, so I can't comment on that in a negative way really!
Do you think having a display on the front of the *case* for displaying itunes songs and various other info would be a cool idea? Would mean the machine could be used without a monitor for audio playing-only tasks.

The display on the case would be nice for some, but not something I'd personally like. My personal preference is to make the computer itself as unnoticeable as possible. That is, make the case small, like the Mac Mini. Or incorporate it into the display, like the G5 iMac. Even the integration of the G4 iMac into the display "hides" the computer.

But I've also seen a number of stories on things like E-paper (ultra thin displays with resolutions approaching that of a printed page). So having something like that on the front of the case would be pretty nifty -- provided, of course, that it could be turned off if I so desire.

I'd prefer a coffee-cup-holder style CD tray to a slide-em-in version - that way I can be as back-compatible as possible with people's weird CDs.

Update
 

I have made a model of what a square, itunes-display equipped mac could look like. I was hoping to have some renderings in various colours, and wanted to use the same texture as the iPod Mini. Does anyone have any texture files for it, or shall i make my own?
Will post some renderings in a couple of hours, as I am currently at the doctors and am posting from my P910i.

Round is cool but not as functional as other pointed out...

Your ideas about tying into an iTunes theme could be good... Why not beef up the idea with an iTunes Mac... Integrated dock for an iPod, 12 inch or 14 inch screen, all in one design.... in black or white....

Hmmm...
 

The integrated iPod dock sounds a really good idea! Not sure about an integrated screen yet, it could all get a bit complicated, as I am going to have to cut the whole machine out using the CAD/CAM machine and then stick it all together somehow!

There's some annotated renderings I did of the design I was speaking about earlier attached. Note that I have yet to decide on what sort of buttons I would have for iTunes control. I was thinking someting quite iPod-like, that had only to be lightly touched. Feedback appreciated!

I have not been able to find the textures for the iPod mini yet, but I will do eventually. Have taken your advice about ventilation etc. seriously and added a ventilation system to the bottom of the case. It would work by drawing air in on one side and ejecting it on the other. The comment about the tray-loading CD drive was interesting, and I did consider it. However, since the only time I have come across a CD that was too small to be inserted in a slot-loading drive is on a D-Link driver installation CD that was for windows anyway, I didn't deem ti too neccesary.

Quicktime VR Model available on request.

Post (Continued)
 

Here's the last picture, it only allowed me to attach 3 last time.

Yes, if you can push a button and view CPU (see, I learn ;)) temperature, RAM, hard drive & CPU usage. Information that is displayed could be set as a preference in a System Utility. That would be sweet.

Your cube design just looks like a fat mini. Need to think out of the box... er cube. How about a unit that clips onto the back of an LCD display. This way you can replace your computer box without having to buy a new display. Upon looking at it, it would look just like the aluminum displays they have now, only fatter.

I'd suggest moving a few things to the front of the box. Notably, the headphone jack and a USB port or two. Also, use the "universal" symbol for power instead of 1/0.

I also wonder how this would look with rounded edges.

But schneb has a good point. I think it's going to be hard to come up with something that is functional and Apple hasn't already done (or at least, come pretty close to). Aside from the texture and the screen on the front, this could be a G4 Cube.

OK, well I'm adding some buttons anyway, so I don't see why I couldn't add some form of button to display system information. Wouldn't be a very Apple-way of doing things though, because that sort of information shopuldn't be important in Apple's books. What there would be, would be a way of programming the output on the screen and the buttons, so I suppose this could be written as a preference pane extension or something.
As for rounded corners, I will have a quick go. Do you mean XYZ rounded corners or just XZ rounded corners like in the Mac Mini?

Where would the monitor/keyboard attach? Those who would want a cheap computer might be put off at the thought of having to buy uncountable extras to make their system actually *work*. (or, I guess they could do what the rest of us do, and roam the streets during council cleanup for a monitor - are IBM monitors compatible with Macs? - and then fork out for a keyboard)

I like this idea - the OP should consider how should they attach, though? Would it be portable, then? Maybe have like a glove for the screen and a boxy-thing for the rest of it. Does it need to be portable?

I *so* second this - anything that's going to be coming in/out very often needs to be at the front, where one can reach it easily. :)

If it's going to be portable / sold to the disabled/elderly - how heavy would it be? What kind of specs would it have? Rounded edges would also be good from a safety perspective. :)

Are you sure that's the best place to put the ventilation, smack-bang on the bottom? (or at least, that's what it looks like...) Maybe move it to a side - at the back and it could be a fire risk, at the front and it wouldn't be pleasant for the user. Maybe also move the power button, so that you can put stuff on the CPU without risking shutdown.

wireless
 

My vision of the future Mac is of a multiple users wireless system. You would have a main computer acting as a server, and some wireless stations. The stations would be a liter version of a Lap top- all major CPU duties would be handled by the server.


Mac Poker -Top Mac Poker Resource

Hmm... That would be a bit of a return to the dark ages I think. IBM mainframe anyone?

Nice ideas though, very much appreciated. Box behind the monitor you reckon? Hmm... Thing is my brief (although I can change it) states that I should design just the case. Although reading through it again, I suppose it's open to interpretation.

Can someone give me a clear(ish) specification, and I'll make a 3D model so you can tell me what you think? Thanks :-)

Rounded edges are good not only from safety but also manufacturing.

The reason why sharp edges are so dangerous is less their er sharpness, but the fact any manufacturing process has a hard time producing high quality edges that don't resemble a serrated knife. Cutting processes tend to pluck pieces of the material from the surface facing away from the cutter, a casting has to have rounded edges because surface tension in the molten metal pulls the metal away from corners, bending the metal also always leaves a curved corner.

So whether you want rounded edges or not, you will get them.

Also think a bit about what sort of material you are going to use. Be aware that replicating the appearance of a Mac Mini with a CADCAM machine is going to be tricky as a CADCAM machine was probably not involved except for the prototypes. I don't have a Mac Mini, but I imagine the casing was pressed or cast into the shape you see as a single piece, and then anodised. My point is your school probably doesn't have access to these processes, and it will be hard for you to produce something that resembles a brushed aluminium finish, which could be a problem if you say in the paperwork that it will have one.

This might be a case of you going to see whoever looks after the CADCAM machine and finding what materials you can use with it, and going for one of those. Note that using a CNC machine (which is what I'm assuming you've got access to) to cut a large lump of metal into a thin shell will not win you brownie points with the operator. On the other hand, cutting holes, slots and access ports into a strip of metal, and then bending into the casing shape is good. Unfortunately, the finish will look bad, and you probably don't have access to appropriate process to make it good.

So look at coloured resins and plastics that can be cut into the casing shape with a CNC machine. If you pick the right material, you can finish the surface with a bit of sandpaper (tip - use toothpaste to give a final rubdown :))

Also have you thought about making a peripheral for a Mac Mini instead of a new Mac Mini? Their site is currently down, so I can't post a link, but Lacie are now making a hard drive for the Mac Mini that is the same size as a Mac Mini and fits under it (I think). How about a peripheral for a Mac Mini that fits under the Mac Mini and allows people to control iTunes on the Mac. The Mac wouldn't need a display, could also be a client on an Airport network allowing streamed music to be played from a server, or music from the Mac's hard drive. The peripheral could also be an amp with speaker output ports on the back so ex-punks like me can continue playing The Clash through our old speakers. So the whole thing resembles a tower hifi updated for the 21st century. Make it as a non-functioning model though.

That seems to be the antithesis of a Mac. Macs are made for individuals. So-called thin clients are the dream of IT types who would then have total control of the system again, as they did back in the mainframe's heyday. This would be my nightmare Mac. :eek:

Ah, that's already possible...
 

Ever played around with Apple Remote Desktop? I have a demo version of it, and it seem it is pretty easily possible to get a system similar to a mainframe: The administrator of a Remote Desktop environment controls everything going on on the clients, and can do anything from remotely locking them to invisibly installing software without user intervention.
It's a great toy to play with at home as well: I was sitting opposite to my Dad who was trying to get some work done, and he was moaning about how much money he always spends on me. He's not too good at computer stuff, although he's really good at graphicsy stuff, so I locked his screen with the message "Screen locked by Lawrence Dudley, unlocking cost: 200CHF".
Hehe, he soon shut up when he realised there was NOTHING short of hard-resetting his powerbook and losing his open work that he could do...
Life's tough being a parent :p

You folks may want to take a look at the latest version of OSXvnc.

Yeah, but VNC isn't scaleable to more than one computer is it? With ARD you can view 50 desktops at once, and install software on them all, at the same time. You can also sleep them all, wake them up, shut down and restart them. That power can't be built into a pure VNC system because it lacks the appropriate extensions to handle installations and the like.

Thats because Apple did the sensible thing (from network management point of view) and built that functionality into the OS.

I have the full version (to manage 4 machines lol) and it totally blows anything else out the water. I have even remote controlled my mates iMac over 48k dialup before now, and its much much faster than VNC (thankfully!)

How do you do that? Do you need to use SSH? Or can you just do it by IP?

I know it's possible, but I don't have to like it. ;)

Yes, classic geek mentality: Nothing's pointless, as even if something is pointless, then it's point is that it can be done.
Not to get this thread tooooooo far off-topic, are you guys agreed on that I need to find a design that is innovative, new and functional? I will have a look at some wacky stuff :-)

I think that just about every practical shape has been done. Now it's a matter of style and squeezing more technology into the same space.

yes, this is for a design class...right? then it should be different from what's currently being offered. box cases are too ordinary. I'd learn more towards a case that's hardly noticable, or one that has an added function.

a computer built like one of those old school desk calanders would be cool. you know those calanders that were huge...took up the whole desk. That could have an integrated keyboard, iTunes/widget display, etc. and when you're done with it could be rolled up/folded and put away.

IMO a twist on the desktop box isn't going to grab a professor's attention. An entire different way to use that space will.

How about a power-strip computer? All the cables could be run in a single cable management tube from the desktop...down under the desk where the "computer" will have a VGA/DVI, ethernet, USB (x2), FireWire, and one extra power input. You can be the first in your class to declare the death of CDs. Who want's CDs when flash memory is sooooo much more robust?

That's a very interesting idea actually... You mean basically a contraption of some sort that sits under the desk that contains everything, and just needs to be fed with power?
The roll-up idea sounds pretty cool too, if a little elaborate. The whole thing has to be technically feasible (i think), so I don't know if a flexible computer is such a good idea.