<s>
The	O
Power	B-Device
Mac	I-Device
G4	I-Device
Cube	I-Device
is	O
a	O
Mac	B-Device
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
sold	O
by	O
Apple	O
Computer	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
between	O
July	O
2000	O
and	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Designed	O
by	O
Jonathan	O
Ive	O
,	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
was	O
conceived	O
by	O
Apple	O
chief	O
executive	O
officer	O
(	O
CEO	B-Application
)	O
Steve	O
Jobs	O
,	O
who	O
held	O
an	O
interest	O
in	O
a	O
powerful	O
,	O
miniaturized	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
's	O
designers	O
developed	O
new	O
technologies	O
and	O
manufacturing	O
methods	O
for	O
the	O
product	O
—	O
a	O
cubic	B-Application
computer	O
housed	O
in	O
clear	O
acrylic	O
glass	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
positioned	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
in	O
the	O
middle	O
of	O
its	O
product	O
range	O
,	O
between	O
the	O
consumer	O
iMac	B-Device
G3	I-Device
and	O
the	O
professional	O
Power	B-Device
Mac	I-Device
G4	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cube	B-Application
was	O
announced	O
to	O
the	O
general	O
public	O
at	O
the	O
Macworld	O
Expo	O
on	O
July	O
19	O
,	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cube	B-Application
won	O
awards	O
and	O
plaudits	O
for	O
its	O
design	O
upon	O
release	O
,	O
but	O
reviews	O
noted	O
the	O
high	O
cost	O
of	O
the	O
machine	O
compared	O
to	O
its	O
power	O
,	O
its	O
limited	O
expandability	O
,	O
and	O
cosmetic	O
defects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cube	B-Application
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
rare	O
failures	O
for	O
the	O
company	O
under	O
Jobs	O
,	O
after	O
a	O
successful	O
period	O
that	O
brought	O
the	O
company	O
back	O
from	O
the	O
brink	O
of	O
bankruptcy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
it	O
ultimately	O
proved	O
influential	O
to	O
future	O
Apple	O
products	O
,	O
from	O
the	B-Device
iPod	I-Device
to	O
the	O
Mac	B-Device
Mini	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Museum	O
of	O
Modern	O
Art	O
,	O
located	O
in	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
,	O
holds	O
a	O
G4	B-Device
Cube	I-Device
as	O
part	O
of	O
its	O
collection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Power	B-Device
Mac	I-Device
G4	I-Device
Cube	I-Device
is	O
a	O
small	O
cubic	B-Application
computer	O
,	O
suspended	O
in	O
a	O
acrylic	O
glass	O
enclosure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
enclosure	O
houses	O
the	O
computer	O
's	O
vital	O
functions	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
slot-loading	O
optical	B-Device
disc	I-Device
drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cube	B-Application
requires	O
a	O
separate	O
monitor	O
with	O
either	O
an	O
Apple	B-Protocol
Display	I-Protocol
Connector	I-Protocol
(	O
ADC	B-Protocol
)	O
or	O
a	O
Video	B-Protocol
Graphics	I-Protocol
Array	I-Protocol
(	O
VGA	B-Protocol
)	O
connection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
base	O
model	O
shipped	O
with	O
a	O
450MHz	O
PowerPC	B-General_Concept
G4	I-General_Concept
processor	B-General_Concept
,	O
64MB	O
of	O
random-access	B-Architecture
memory	I-Architecture
(	O
RAM	B-Architecture
)	O
,	O
20GB	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
,	O
and	O
an	O
ATI	O
Rage	O
128	O
Pro	O
video	O
card	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
higher-end	O
model	O
with	O
a	O
500MHz	O
processor	B-General_Concept
,	O
double	O
the	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
a	O
30GB	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
was	O
available	O
only	O
through	O
Apple	O
's	O
online	O
store	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
fit	O
the	O
components	O
of	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
in	O
the	O
case	O
's	O
confined	O
space	O
,	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
does	O
not	O
feature	O
expansion	O
slots	O
;	O
it	O
does	O
have	O
a	O
video	O
card	O
in	O
a	O
standard	O
Accelerated	B-Architecture
Graphics	I-Architecture
Port	I-Architecture
(	O
AGP	O
)	O
slot	O
,	O
but	O
cannot	O
fit	O
a	O
full-length	O
card	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
power	O
supply	O
is	O
located	O
externally	O
to	O
save	O
space	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
features	O
no	O
input	O
or	O
outputs	O
for	O
audio	O
on	O
the	O
machine	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
shipped	O
with	O
round	O
Harman	O
Kardon	O
speakers	O
and	O
digital	O
amplifier	O
,	O
attached	O
to	O
the	O
computer	O
via	O
Universal	B-Protocol
Serial	I-Protocol
Bus	I-Protocol
(	O
USB	B-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
its	O
size	O
,	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
fits	O
three	O
RAM	B-Architecture
slots	O
,	O
two	O
FireWire	B-Protocol
400	O
ports	O
,	O
and	O
two	O
USB	B-Protocol
1.1	O
ports	O
for	O
connecting	O
peripherals	O
in	O
its	O
frame	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cube	B-Application
was	O
an	O
important	O
product	O
to	O
Apple	O
,	O
and	O
especially	O
to	O
Apple	O
CEO	B-Application
Steve	O
Jobs	O
,	O
who	O
said	O
the	O
idea	O
for	O
the	O
product	O
came	O
from	O
his	O
own	O
desires	O
as	O
a	O
computer	O
user	O
for	O
something	O
between	O
the	O
iMac	B-Device
and	O
Power	B-Device
Mac	I-Device
G4	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
I	O
wanted	O
the	O
 [ flat-panel ] 	O
Cinema	B-Device
Display	I-Device
but	O
I	O
do	O
n't	O
need	O
the	O
features	O
of	O
the	O
Power	O
Mac	B-Device
,	O
"	O
he	O
told	O
Newsweek	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cube	B-Application
represented	O
an	O
internal	O
shift	O
in	O
Apple	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
designers	O
held	O
increasing	O
sway	O
over	O
product	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
New	O
York	O
Times	O
called	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
"	O
pure	O
 [ ... ] 	O
industrial	O
design	O
"	O
harkening	O
to	O
Bauhaus	O
concepts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cube	B-Application
represented	O
an	O
effort	O
by	O
Apple	O
to	O
simplify	O
the	O
computer	O
to	O
its	O
barest	O
essentials	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
has	O
no	O
fan	O
,	O
the	O
design	O
started	O
with	O
the	O
heat	O
sink	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
power	O
button	O
that	O
turned	O
on	O
with	O
a	O
wave	O
or	O
touch	O
was	O
accomplished	O
via	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
capacitive	B-Device
sensing	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Effort	O
spent	O
developing	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
would	O
pioneer	O
new	O
uses	O
and	O
processes	O
for	O
materials	O
at	O
Apple	O
that	O
benefitted	O
later	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
the	O
technology	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
,	O
Apple	O
's	O
engineers	O
had	O
a	O
tough	O
time	O
keeping	O
the	O
total	O
cost	O
low	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rumors	O
of	O
a	O
cube-shaped	O
Apple	O
computer	O
leaked	O
weeks	O
in	O
advance	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
sites	O
posted	O
purported	O
pictures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
G4	B-Device
Cube	I-Device
was	O
announced	O
at	O
Macworld	O
Expo	O
on	O
July	O
19	O
,	O
2000	O
,	O
as	O
an	O
end-of-show	O
"	O
one	O
more	O
thing	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jobs	O
touted	O
it	O
as	O
combining	O
the	O
power	O
of	O
the	O
Power	B-Device
Mac	I-Device
G4	I-Device
with	O
a	O
sleek	O
design	O
and	O
miniaturization	O
Apple	O
learned	O
from	O
producing	O
the	O
iMac	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alongside	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
,	O
Apple	O
introduced	O
a	O
new	O
mouse	O
,	O
keyboard	O
,	O
and	O
displays	O
to	O
complement	O
the	O
machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
design	O
was	O
a	O
point	O
of	O
praise	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
jokes	O
—	O
the	O
computer	O
was	O
compared	O
to	O
a	O
Borg	B-Operating_System
cube	B-Application
,	O
toasters	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
box	O
of	O
Kleenex	O
tissues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
NeXTcube	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ive	O
and	O
the	O
design	O
team	O
were	O
so	O
amused	O
by	O
the	O
comparison	O
to	O
a	O
tissue	O
box	O
that	O
they	O
used	O
spare	O
Cube	B-Application
shells	O
for	O
that	O
purpose	O
in	O
their	O
studio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
Magazine	O
Australia	O
said	O
that	O
after	O
changing	O
the	O
look	O
of	O
computers	O
with	O
the	O
iMac	B-Device
,	O
the	O
G4	B-Device
Cube	I-Device
had	O
raised	O
the	O
bar	O
for	O
competitors	O
even	O
further	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gore	O
called	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
a	O
work	O
of	O
art	O
that	O
felt	O
more	O
like	O
sculpture	O
than	O
a	O
piece	O
of	O
technology	O
,	O
but	O
noted	O
that	O
one	O
had	O
to	O
live	O
with	O
compromises	O
made	O
in	O
the	O
service	O
of	O
art	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Walt	O
Mossberg	O
,	O
writing	O
for	O
The	O
Wall	O
Street	O
Journal	O
,	O
called	O
it	O
the	O
"	O
most	O
gorgeous	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
"	O
that	O
he	O
had	O
ever	O
seen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
stock	O
5400-rpm	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
and	O
64MB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
on	O
the	O
base	O
model	O
slowed	O
the	O
system	O
considerably	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cube	B-Application
won	O
several	O
international	O
design	O
awards	O
on	O
release	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
PC	O
Magazines	O
best	O
desktop	B-Device
computer	I-Device
for	O
its	O
Technical	O
Innovation	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
G4	B-Device
Cube	I-Device
and	O
its	O
peripherals	O
were	O
acquired	O
and	O
showcased	O
by	O
The	O
Museum	O
of	O
Modern	O
Art	O
alongside	O
other	O
Apple	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
did	O
not	O
fit	O
with	O
the	O
focused	O
product	O
lineup	O
Jobs	O
had	O
introduced	O
since	O
his	O
return	O
to	O
Apple	O
,	O
leaving	O
it	O
without	O
a	O
clear	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
as	O
expensive	O
as	O
a	O
similarly	O
equipped	O
Power	O
Mac	B-Device
,	O
but	O
did	O
not	O
feature	O
extra	O
room	O
for	O
more	O
storage	O
or	O
PCI	O
slots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
likewise	O
much	O
more	O
expensive	O
than	O
an	O
upgraded	O
consumer	O
iMac	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sales	O
for	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
were	O
much	O
lower	O
than	O
expected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Returning	O
from	O
the	O
brink	O
of	O
bankruptcy	O
,	O
Apple	O
had	O
eleven	O
profitable	O
quarters	O
before	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
's	O
announcement	O
,	O
but	O
Apple	O
's	O
end-of-year	O
financials	O
for	O
2000	O
missed	O
predicted	O
revenues	O
by	O
$180million	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Part	O
of	O
the	O
drop	O
in	O
profit	O
was	O
attributed	O
to	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
,	O
which	O
sold	O
only	O
a	O
third	O
as	O
many	O
units	O
as	O
Apple	O
had	O
expected	O
,	O
creating	O
a	O
$90million	O
shortfall	O
in	O
their	O
revenue	O
targets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cube	B-Application
counted	O
for	O
29,000	O
of	O
the	O
Macs	B-Device
Apple	O
shipped	O
in	O
the	O
quarter	O
,	O
compared	O
to	O
308,000	O
iMacs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2001	O
,	O
Apple	O
lowered	O
the	O
price	O
on	O
the	O
500MHz	O
model	O
and	O
added	O
new	O
memory	B-Architecture
,	O
hard	B-Device
drive	I-Device
,	O
and	O
graphics	O
options	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cube	B-Application
sold	O
12,000	O
units	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
quarter	O
of	O
2001	O
,	O
representing	O
just	O
1.6	O
%	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
total	O
computer	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
product	O
's	O
high	O
price	O
,	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
suffered	O
from	O
cosmetic	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cube	B-Application
's	O
radical	O
departure	O
from	O
a	O
conventional	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
alienated	O
potential	O
buyers	O
,	O
and	O
exacerbated	O
Apple	O
's	O
struggles	O
in	O
the	O
market	O
competing	O
with	O
the	O
performance	O
of	O
Windows	O
PCs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Macworlds	O
Benj	O
Edwards	O
wrote	O
that	O
consumers	O
treated	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
as	O
"	O
an	O
underpowered	O
,	O
over-expensive	O
toy	O
or	O
 [ ... ] 	O
an	O
emotionally	O
inaccessible	O
,	O
ultra-geometric	O
gray	O
box	O
suspended	O
in	O
an	O
untouchable	O
glass	O
prison.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
lack	O
of	O
internal	O
expansion	O
and	O
reliance	O
on	O
less-common	O
USB	B-Protocol
and	O
FireWire	B-Protocol
peripherals	O
also	O
hurt	O
the	O
computer	O
's	O
chances	O
of	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Apple	O
did	O
not	O
rule	O
out	O
an	O
upgraded	O
Cube	B-Application
model	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
,	O
but	O
considered	O
it	O
unlikely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Business	O
journalist	O
Karen	O
Blumenthal	O
called	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
Jobs	O
's	O
first	O
big	O
failure	O
since	O
his	O
return	O
to	O
Apple	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jobs	O
's	O
ability	O
to	O
quickly	O
move	O
on	O
the	O
mistake	O
left	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
a	O
"	O
blip	O
"	O
in	O
Apple	O
's	O
history	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Segall	O
—	O
a	O
quickly	O
forgotten	O
failure	O
amidst	O
other	O
successful	O
innovations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
Apple	O
CEO	B-Application
Tim	O
Cook	O
called	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
"	O
a	O
spectacular	O
failure	O
"	O
and	O
the	O
product	O
sold	O
only	O
150,000	O
units	O
before	O
being	O
discontinued	O
,	O
it	O
became	O
highly	O
popular	O
with	O
a	O
small	O
but	O
enthusiastic	O
group	O
of	O
fans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Macworlds	O
Benj	O
Edwards	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
was	O
a	O
product	O
ahead	O
of	O
its	O
time	O
;	O
its	O
appeal	O
to	O
a	O
dedicated	O
group	O
of	O
fans	O
years	O
after	O
it	O
was	O
discontinued	O
was	O
a	O
testament	O
to	O
its	O
vision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Gruber	O
wrote	O
20	O
years	O
after	O
its	O
introduction	O
that	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
was	O
a	O
"	O
worthy	O
failure	O
 [ ... ] 	O
Powerful	O
computers	O
needed	O
to	O
get	O
smaller	O
,	O
quieter	O
,	O
and	O
more	O
attractive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Cube	B-Application
pushed	O
the	O
state	O
of	O
the	O
art	O
forward.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Sixteen	O
Cubes	B-Application
were	O
also	O
used	O
to	O
power	O
the	O
displays	O
of	O
computer	O
consoles	O
on	O
Star	O
Trek	O
:	O
Enterprises	O
sets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
failed	O
commercially	O
,	O
it	O
influenced	O
future	O
Apple	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
efforts	O
at	O
miniaturizing	O
computer	O
components	O
would	O
benefit	O
future	O
computers	O
like	O
the	O
flatscreen	O
iMac	B-Device
G4	I-Device
,	O
while	O
the	O
efforts	O
Apple	O
spent	O
learning	O
how	O
to	O
precision	O
machine	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
would	O
be	O
integral	O
to	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
aluminum	O
MacBooks	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Mac	B-Device
mini	I-Device
fit	O
an	O
entire	O
computer	O
in	O
a	O
shell	O
one-fifth	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
and	O
retained	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
's	O
design	O
philosophies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
comparison	O
to	O
the	O
high	O
price	O
of	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
,	O
the	O
Mini	O
retailed	O
for	O
$499	O
and	O
became	O
a	O
successful	O
product	O
that	O
remains	O
part	O
of	O
Apple	O
's	O
lineup	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
translucent	O
cube	B-Application
shape	O
would	O
return	O
with	O
the	O
design	O
for	O
the	O
flagship	O
Apple	O
Fifth	O
Avenue	O
store	O
in	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Capacitive	O
touch	O
would	O
reappear	O
in	O
the	B-Device
iPod	I-Device
and	O
iPhone	B-Device
lines	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Cube	B-Application
's	O
vertical	O
thermal	O
design	O
and	O
lattice	O
grille	O
pattern	O
were	O
echoed	O
by	O
the	O
2013	O
and	O
2019	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
Mac	B-Device
Pro	I-Device
.	O
</s>
