Apple kills Cube?

So farewell then, Apple's Cube. Almost gone, and probably soon forgotten. It didn't even make its first birthday.

Certainly various Web sites are reporting that resellers from around the world have said Cubes are in very short supply pending the machine's removal from Apple's product line.

The ill-fated box was unveiled last July at Macworld Expo New York. Touted as a compact, noiseless designer computer, the Cube proved too pricey for most Mac fans, and some rather poor plastic moulding that made the Cube's translucent case look like it was cracking up didn't help either.

Hardware problems - most notably a heat-sensitive on-off switch that could power up or shut down the system on warm days - plagued the machine from the start. The Cube's much-touted near-silent, fan-free operation proved to be untrue for anyone who bought the version with an ATI Radeon graphics card, which included... er... a fan.

Sales proved way below Apple's expectations, and the company has been trying to sell off its remaining stocks ever since it effectively admitted the Cube was a flop last autumn.

It's a shame really. We're quite fond of the Cube. Two Reg staffers even bought some, though since both have had problems with hardware failures, we're not entirely sure they don't regret their purchases.

Hardware trouble aside, the Cube was a neat piece of design, compact yet accessible, and probably the least computer-looking computer we've ever seen. ®

The Cube: A Life in Stories

Apple abandons Cube?
Apple cuts cost of Cube - again
Apple to fall into the red with $225m loss
Apple marketing chief quits
Apple's switch glitch: Cube affected too
Cube Clones Continue
Apple's Cube-for-Cash deal comes to Britain
Apple offers cash for Cubes
Apple sales chief quits
Apple denies Cube is cracking
Apple Q4 earnings to take a kicking
Apple unveils Power Mac Cube
Apple Cubed (pre-release stories)