June 23, 2003: Apple launches its gorgeous Power Mac G5, a powerhouse desktop computer with a perforated aluminum chassis that earns it the affectionate nickname “the cheese grater.”
Starting at an affordable $1,999 (over $3,600 in today’s money, adjusted for inflation), the Power Mac G5 is the world’s first 64-bit personal computer. It’s also Apple’s fastest machine yet.
The 40-year history of Macintosh computers is a roller coaster of ages golden and dark.
Anything that lasts so long in the forefront of technology has to change to stay relevant. This once-plucky computer that began as an antithesis to the IBM PC, which dominated the world in 1984, is now itself a dominating force, ever pushing the needle in the world of technology.
How did this all happen? Let’s walk through 40 years of Macintosh.
It’s obvious that the new Mac Pro, unveiled this week during Apple’s WWDC keynote, is a reboot of the venerable Power Mac G5, a machine released in 2003 that featured a distinctive “cheese grater” grille.
Aside from looks, there are many similarities to the G5, plus a couple of ideas from other older Apple machines. Here are some of the clearest design influences on the new Mac Pro.
As Apple’s longest-running annual keynote event, it’s no surprise that WWDC has played host to some absolutely enormous announcements over the years.
From strategies that changed the company’s course to the debut of astonishing new products, here are our picks for the most important ones. Check out the list below.
Part of you wishes you still had a blueberry iMac G3 sitting on your desk. But would you buy a car that looked just like it?
A marketing company, joining in on the excitement surrounding longtime rumors of an Apple car, came up with five concepts that are inspired by landmark Apple products.
June 23, 2003: The Power Mac G5 goes on sale. Affectionately nicknamed the “cheese grater” due to its distinctive perforated exterior, it’s Apple’s fastest-ever machine — and the world’s first 64-bit personal computer.
“The 64-bit revolution has begun and the personal computer will never be the same again,” Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a press release describing the beastly machine. “The new Power Mac G5 combines the world’s first 64-bit desktop processor, the industry’s first 1 GHz front-side bus, and up to 8GB of memory to beat the fastest Pentium 4 and dual Xeon-based systems in industry-standard benchmarks and real-world professional applications.”
For the last decade or so, Apple has made some of the most beautifully designed devices on the planet. But because those devices are technology, not furniture or art, they have an incredibly short half-life in our home. Yet these are still classic designs that, in any other context, we might keep around for decades.
That’s why I like this bench built by Klaus Geiger.
Apparently, the aluminum from this skateboard was repurposed from an old Mac Pro (or Power Mac G5?). Since Apple’s pretty much abandoned updating their Pro desktop, that’s one way to make sure all that pretty metal doesn’t go to waste.
Via: Reddit
CoM reader Paul sent us these pics of his office where the IT department shoots hoops on a backboard with an Apple logo.
After the cardboard backboard from the Nerf caved in under one too many slam dunks, Paul had a brainwave:
“As we were scrapping an old PowerMac G5 for parts, I realized that we could recycle the door to become our new heavy backboard. Two short screws were used to attach the plastic bracket to the door and another two longer ones to go into the concrete pillar in the office wall.”
Even when they’re dead, Apple products are still timely — like the iPod clock or the G4 timepiece.
Here’s a nice step-by-step transformation of a defunct Power Mac G5 into a sleek wall clock.
It’s the handiwork of Japanese Apple fan NOBON — the same one who “printed” Fuji apples with the Apple logo.
Via NOBON