Of all the computer hardware and gadgetry, regardless of its technical abilities, what would you say is the -prettiest- stuff you've seen? I'm big on the aesthetics of a computer, as anyone who's heard me rant about Quadra 605s could say :). my CRT iMac isn't TOOOO bad but it's more a generic work boxie than a really pretty computer. It seems quite a few of the commonly raised 'sexiest' computers stick quite close to minimalism - the NeXTs, both the cube and slab, 605s, the TiBook and white iBooks. At the risk of a "bleeeeuurgh!" I also happen to quite like IBM's really 'edgy' black computers. they have a really basic, solid industrial look about them that I think works.

So with my waffling out of the way - what's the gadgetry you find just plain visually appealing?

dana

And in terms of the computer side of things, That one setup I saw with dual 17 LCD monitors run by a G4 cube was Sa Weet! It was just set up in a very "minimalist" way, with all the ables neat, and on a very clean desk (this was in the office of some building somewhere in virginia, I could get more generic if you want!).

It just looked so damn good!

~The Penguin

I also will go with the NeXT Cube, it's very cool. Oh, and the eMate! Who can't say that thing is inspired next to the drudgery of PDA's today?

666th poster and 666th thread-creator
Mod of the Mac II series Forums
Total 68K Macs liberated: 7
My Site: http://cine.sytes.net
My Hotline Server: 840av.sytes.net

I have the Michael Graves telephone (the old style one, not the cordless), portable CD player, and a few other pieces. They're almost like art objects for the rest of us...I'm planning on getting the oscillating fan, next.

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I have the Michael Graves telephone (the old style one, not the cordless), portable CD player, and a few other pieces. They're almost like art objects for the rest of us...I'm planning on getting the oscillating fan, next.

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Quadra 605 Obsessions

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Since we don't have JET CARS and LASER WEAPONRY like they promised us in the 50s, we could at least get chrome back.

dana (and a MOON BASE!)

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Edited by - Trash80toG-4 on 27 Sep 2002 19:17:59

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekometer reading required!

for a conservative design, i'd have to give to the Mac LC or the IIsi, which fit perfectly in with small keyboards and manageable 12" and 14" monitors.

I'm sad to say it, but my Acer Aspire minitower, is a very well designed minitower, at first glance, it's just a floppy drive and CD drive, near the top of a curvacious black minitower, but there's really a door that hides a second big bay and a handle that you use to pull the whole case off (except the backplane.) On the backplane, we have the PS/2 ports on the top of the range of ports, then come 2 DB-9 serial ports, a paralell port after which, we see (where it belongs) a 15 pin VGA connector)
Also, we get both PCI & ISA slots, any of which are actually very recessed into the unit I'd say a nice touch, sometimes if you have a large connector on the back (hmm... need a scsi card...)
The unit has Feets too! not like the feets on the Espresso design language of late 68ks and nearly all PPCs up till iMac, you can have the feet faceing front-back, or all in, or all out towards their side, giving the system a much better stability.

hmm!!! iThink that this would be the perfect case to put a mac into... actually, one shortcoming of the case though, it's HARD to get the case on and off if you're not experienced at it.

My favorite overall form factor for most computers is a low profile desktop, but NOT as wide as the 6100 was UGH, that wide, and it should be taller, but if we had a 7300, in a case that was half as tall would be GREAT (one of the reasons i want a 6360 that would be)

my favorite design in a laptop would be probably the PowerBook G4

I LOVE the way that the NintentoGameCube is designed, and i'd buy it if i weren't saving for a 'BookG4

if i had to pick a favorite of something else, for it's design... well let's see shall we?

AllInOne computer: PowerMac g3 AIO
why: PCI slots, 3 of them, just as expandible in EVERY way as DT model

LaserPrinter: HP LaserWriter IIp
why: had one, worked very well, simple, easy to follow design

monitor: Original Apple Studio Display
why: with a design and color that defies all known standards in a world of beige, and AV input, HOW could this perfect display go wrong? (there's simply no way)

Keyboard: Apple Adjustable
why: it just works, it works well, i don't dislike other keyboards so to speak, just like this one more

mouse: M$ intellimouse Explorer
why: well, when it comes to comfortability, there's not a better mouse, and this one'll match the PBg4

THAT was good looking hardware.

I'd like one, gut the back end to make it "livible" as well as hav networking in it, computer hook up... it has FINS!

~Maarchie

NeXT hardware was also nice, especially the cube.

The best looking gadget of all would have to be my 55-year-old Hammarlund HQ-129X. Twelve tubes, a huge metal case, an eight-inch speaker resting on top of it, and sixty pounds of dead weight. That radio has CHARACTER! Even more than that rusted-out mellaphone they gave me to march, but that's another topic.

I love some of the SGI stuff - and the early boxy purple & beige sun stuff is pretty nice too. Microsparcs and the pizzaboxy ones especially...

dana

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valves look -cool- :D. I was once given a radio/record player which had a cabinet about 2 feet cubed in the middle, which was packed with valves.

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Valves? The context says "vacuum tubes" to me, is "valve" AUSian for tube or is it called that in the UK and other places that speak "foreign languages."

jt ™.
Trash Hauler: call sign: eight-ball
C.O. AC-130H SpecOps 68kMLAAF

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Valves? The context says "vacuum tubes" to me, is "valve" AUSian for tube or is it called that in the UK and other places that speak "foreign languages."

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Quadra 605 Obsessions

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hmmm....

and the grandaddy of badass design:
Mac SE

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You got that one right anyway!

I can't believe nobody mentioned the IIcx yet, Now THAT was a revolutionary case design and very sexy, especially with the Portrait Display on top of it.

The Powerbook 100 and its descendants in the Duo series were the basis for every modern sub-notebook, VERY elegant hardware design.

jt ™.
Trash Hauler: call sign: eight-ball
C.O. AC-130H SpecOps 68kMLAAF

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I agree with you on the IIcx, a very nice, small design, and LIGHT! If you've got a decent hand span, you can carry it easily in one hand.
I got mine with the portrait display, too!

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Quadra 605 Obsessions

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I agree with you on the IIcx, a very nice, small design, and LIGHT! If you've got a decent hand span, you can carry it easily in one hand.
I got mine with the portrait display, too!

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jt ™.
Trash Hauler: call sign: eight-ball
C.O. AC-130H SpecOps 68kMLAAF

i also believe that the SGI workstations, at any time are όber-cool, but as it turns out, in Japan, there's MANY MANY much cooler looking computers out there that still retain some whiteness (it's funny, now that every other PC made is black, i'd LOVE to have a white computer...
like an Acer Aspire (recent ones, in japan)

http://www.rkirkpat.net/about.html is one of the little lunchbox sparcs - kind of a fat square 605. No - perhaps not. similar-ish speeds though... a friend has a 50Mhz one.

http://www.fst.umac.mo/lab/soft_tech/ has a few pics of the bigger pizza-ey kinda ones. I think I'd like one of these. Never used a sun before in my life (that I can remember anyhows!) but with purple feet - how could you go wrong?

dana

On the other hand, give a case modder a dremel tool, some neon lights, and some plexi glass and you'll get a work of art.

I dig the VW Beetle cases I've seen, not to mention the "puzzle box" (ie Clive Barker's Hellraiser.)

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feetsPhone!

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666th poster and 666th thread-creator
Mod of the Mac II series Forums
Total 68K Macs liberated: 7
My Site: http://cine.sytes.net
My Hotline Server: 840av.sytes.net

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"I keep my friends close, but I keep my enemies closer" - Unkown

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all PBG3s

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Quadra 605 Obsessions

16 bits, Commodore 64 was the prettiest(the white one).

My Quadra 840av is the prettiest as far as serious computers go.

laptop is probably ibook.

I have a PSone which is lovely.

But nowts as pretty as you "danamania" duck [;-)]

(duck, colloquial north Derbyshire term of affection)

shaktiman

Actually, I like looking at my blue G3, even after three years--or is it four? I think it's a masterpiece of industrial design, and extremely functional, too (easy to lift--handles!--easy to open, and cavernous inside); and as graceful as any computer made; the form perfectly follows the function.

Re the Michael Graves stuff, Cinemafia: neat-looking, but sort of a cross between Art Noveau and Fisher-Price, wouldn't you say?

/Mr Lynn

shaktiman

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Commodore 64 was the prettiest(the white one).

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all PBG3s

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Oh! absolutley... black and curvy and all gothiclike. yummo... I liked the fatter ones - wallstreets or lombards

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Hmm... I like my women like I like my PowerBooks? :)

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WOOT! Thin, fast, sleek, and harder'n stainless steel? LOL!

jt ™.
Trash Hauler: call sign: eight-ball
C.O. AC-130H SpecOps 68kMLAAF

Edited by - Trash80toG-4 on 01 Oct 2002 10:04:55

Started this thread as which hardware is prettiest & now we sully her ideal by making our machines out to be sexual objects?

sexy things can be pretty but..........

Anyhow,

your lucky you let me know your not hardware dana, I was just heading your way with a huge serial plug.

((((((((((((((((((((((((dana))))))))))))))))))))))))))

shaktiman

All you young whipper-snappers are making this coot feel pretty old,

G4From128k

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your lucky you let me know your not hardware dana, I was just heading your way with a huge serial plug.

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Curator of: SE (6.0.4), SE w. 020 accelerator (6.0.8), SE w. no HD, IIfx (7.1), IIci (bad HD); plus various PPCs in family (blue G3/350 is main Mac these days).

http://perso.club-internet.fr/musepat/z88.htm

I should take mine for a spin, but I have too many toys and not enough thim! But my collection pales in comparison to the images I found of the collection on that site!

http://perso.club-internet.fr/musepat/collec.htm

He's got a great calculator collection too!

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Re the Michael Graves stuff, Cinemafia: neat-looking, but sort of a cross between Art Noveau and Fisher-Price, wouldn't you say?

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