Favorite/Least Favorite Apple designs
 

What is everyone's favorite Apple designs? My favorites for desktop is a tie between the G3 and G4 iMacs, and for laptops, it would definately be the clamshell iBook. My least favorite desktop would be the G5/Intel iMac, and least favorite laptop would be the PBG3 (looks too pc-ish, and the apple is upside down)

I suppose this would exclude anything beige g3 and before... they were all pretty ugly...

Interesting, I would put the PowerBook G3 in as a favorite, because it has curves like no other PC or Mac laptop and without looking like the "toilet seat" iBook, multiple subtle textures molded into the case, the trackpad button is much easier on the hand than the awful sharp edges on all the more recent Mac laptops, and the dual battery/module bays and dual FireWire ports were so practical. RAM and hard drive upgrades are easier than any G4 laptop or MacBook Pro. And it runs Tiger. If criteria of design extends to practical function (as it should), the PB G3 was stellar, and that's why I still use mine.

Least favorite include round iMac mouse, Apple mouse, and...ah, let's just say all Apple mice after the Mac Plus. They just can't get it right.

I'll second that least favourite on the round iMac mouse. That thing drove me nuts.

It drove me nuts too, but my sister and my mom both loved it because it was so "cute." Ugh, give me a break.

The G4 iMac is by far my favorite, I wish they'd bring that swivel screen back...

As for my least favorite, it's probably the original Shuffle actually. It always struck me as a cheap piece of junk.

Aesthetically:

• the IIvx / 7100 case. I have a 7100 and it's been a reliable computer, but just plain ugly-looking.

• the aluminum / titanium PowerBook family, and the MacBooks too. In marked contrast to the OP, I thought the G3 PowerBooks were beautiful flowing art. The metal PBs and MBs to follow are all kind of functional and aside from being skinny, rather boring-looking. (They're also a lot harder to work on).

I'll stick with what I've personally used.

Least: Puck mouse and MightyMouse
Best: Latest gen iMac and Cinema Displays.

From a service/repair stand point I like:

Laptop: G3 wallstreet/Lombard series, super easy and modular

Desktop: G4 series desktops, earlier G4s were easier to repair

From a aesthetic standpoint

Laptop: Macbook Pro, easily the coolest laptop I have ever owned
Desktop: I honestly always like the design of the G4 MDD

What I disklike about apple design:

1) Too much change sometimes. The first generation G5 iMacs were perfectly built and easy to take apart and work on. The new ones are retarded and a pain in the butt.

2) I hate all apple mice, and will never use an apple mouse

3) The lack of their systems being modular, laptops with no access panels, desktops which require special tools to take apart, changing the way to run diagnostics on revision A and revision B of the same series of mac.

4) No mid range C2D desktop that is not an all in one. I will never buy a brand new apple desktop because I never need what they offer. I like to build my personal PCs and you can't do that with a mac. I also don't really want an all in one machine. If Apple made a mid range desktop tower, which I could toss however much ram and HD into and possibly a video card I would probably own one. Instead I just get hand me downs from work, which are a dual 1.25 G4 MDD and a Dual G4500 which I used as test/learning machines.

I dunno, the Duo product line was one of my favorites. The Duo laptops were a pain in the arse to take apart, but they had an extremely small form factor for their time. The Duo Dock worked well, but is a large unit.

If reborn with today's technology it'd be a great solution for the desktop/laptop syncing problem. Docking stations have gone out of fashion but I was always partial to them.

One design I loath is their 20 anniversary Mac...and the MacTV...those were crap.

Best Design - xServe, The Cube and the Mac Mini
Classic Design - Apple IIe

Worst Design - Hockey Puck Mouse (I agree, I hate all Apple Mice)

Missed Opportunities...
http://www.mediamax.com/schneb/Hoste...Apple/crs.html
http://www.mediamax.com/schneb/Hoste.../ijukebox.html
http://www.mediamax.com/schneb/Hoste...e/iMac_LT.html

Sometimes I think Apple cares a little too much about asthetics... I like how the hockey puck mouse looks, but they were a pain to use (although they were good for little kids to use-- when i was in 5th grade or so my school just got a brand spanking new lab full of first gen imacs w/ those mice... they were easy to use then, but they are quite awkward now. However, I like the functionality of the mighty mouse (the asthetics not so much), and I LOVE the pro mice.

Also, the first and second links are GENIUS, espescially the modular one

Sexiest Mac Ever: My Macbook - I simply love looking at it

Speaking of things people love looking at... So, what do you do and how do I get your job? Of course, I think that with a computer like that it would be way too big of a temptation to load a bunch of games and goof off all the time.

I loved the G4 Cubes. If only they could be brought back with better specs.
I also like the 12" PowerBooks, they were fantastic.

The original iMac with transparent colors was THE design that put Apple on the map for most people.

I like my mac mini. It's very small, stylish and simple. Also very silent but that's more engineering than design.

I Hated the Hockey-Puck mouse!!!I absoloutley loathe it, it makes me want to crush it with my hand until it is the correct shape (ie:like the mighty mouse)

I also think that "The Giant Egg of Death, Especially if You Drop it on Someone" is an appropriate nickname for the eMac, although it is pretty small when you think about the fact that there is a CRT inside it, it is still pretty hideous, i think it was designed for designers/people who needed to have a CRT monitor, or for people who didn't mind it's big footprint.So i suppose it isn't that bad, heck, i'm still going to call it the Giant Egg of Death, i just like that term (catchy, isn't it;))

I like the Mac Mini, i have never owned one, but a computer the (rough) size of 5 CD boxes stacked is pretty cool, if i owned one, i would keep my 5 favourite CDs/CD boxes in a stack next to it.

I also like the current (06/7 for those of you reading this in the future) Apple Keyboard, i like the fact that, instead of having a dodgy piece of plastic to have the keyboard at a angle that is facing you, not the ceiling, it actually has the keys on a bent bit of plastic, so A)it looks better, B) you needent worry about anybody knocking off and loosing the bits of plastic that keep it at a angle.

i think the thing with all apple mouses it that instead of a right click you have to ctrl click which is soo annoying. As far as my fav design, i liked the old ipods with the buttons at the top and the g4 imacs

the new mighty mouse has right click, but it sucks and it is very non ergonomic. I also dislike pretty much all apple networking hardware as well.

Thanks! Can you imagine how musicians and videographers would just jump on that modular unit?

"Wow, my new octo-processor has arrived", pull drawer out, slide new processor in--press start button. Upgraded!

I think the MacBook is "most likely to get you laid" (lol), but the original iBooks were my favorite.

The one thing I despise is the trackpad on my iBook.... It seems quite unreliable (if its even a little bit greasy or dirty, etc, or if you have damp fingers, it makes the cursor go crazy. and they aren't flush with the palm rest and they seem to have a tendancy to bow upwards slightly towards the top middle.

Also, the bottoms of almost all the laptops get quite warm if they're not ventialted... It almost seems like it wouold be enoujgh to damage the computer... They do not have adequate cooling systems.

I think the ones with the buttons at the top looked a little better than the currnet ones, but form my experience (not very much), it's not very convenient.

Hi Zalister,

I'm a musician, but thats where the Macbook is used.

The work computer in my sig is used primarily for sales and customer orders/tracking at a sports-related business - I know all of this could be done with a $200 Windows box, but we also use it for graphic modelling with heaps of CS2 Suite work. I wish it were mine, and yes, it gets quite quiet here midweek so I do goof around on it a bit. The Quadro FX 512 graphics along with the 8gb of RAM pretty much ensure that everthing runs smoothly, and we now have a 30" Apple Cinema Display, which a few weeks ago replaced our crappy dell monitor it was running. (drooool)

I hope this answers your questions.

P.S - Just for the record, I also despise apple mice - everything from the shuttle-puck to the mighty - All Pox

To these days, I still lust after a 12'' Mac. The 12'' Powerbook or the iBook.

Thanks for the description trumpet_999, I guess I'll need to find a University that thinks history professors need high powered machines for...for... I'll have to think of that later.

Oh, and Anti. It's funny you should mention that. I have a 12"PB, and I continually lust after the new MacBook C2D. Course what I'm really waiting for is a sleek 20" MacBookPro. Why? Well, why not!

Puck mouse and MightyMouse - the worst one :(
mac mini - the best one :)

After getting a mighty mouse with my new iMac I'll have to add that to my least favourites. That scroll wheel sucks.

Just curious, how do you use the Macbook with your trumpet playing?

I often record straight into the mac through a connected mic, then edit the sound in either pro tools or amadeus or I use garageband to add to the layers and just mess around a bit. I mostly do this part for fun and all my trumpet playing is generally with orchestras and jazz bands etc which don't provide much of an opportunity to go a bit 'crazy' with your sound.

You'll often find the post high-powered macs in the most unlikely of places. For instance, in the visual art department at my uni, cramped between bottles of paint, metho, shellac and half-finished canvases sits a MacPro as well, also very highly specced out machine due to the limitless budget it seems they put on the IT department...