There's also a new composite video output, so users can connect a cable from an iBook to a TV or VCR and play presentations, video or, on the Special Edition model, a DVD movie on the TV screen. Apple's idea was to bridge the gap between the iMac and the G4 desktop line. The result is a computer that is nearly silent, beautiful, all-digital, but expensive. But when you add a monitor to it, the price point got too high. As Hallmark noted, Apple admitted as much in October when chief executive Steve Jobs told financial analysts that a less expensive Cube is coming next year.
Workman agrees that the price is an issue.
It's cool and it's extremely quiet. To compensate, Apple put two processors in its 450MHz and 500MHz G4 systems. Apple frequently uses Photoshop to compare the speed of its G4 systems with a Pentium machine running Windows, and it's a valid comparison, Workman says. The people buying the G4s are Photoshop people. The Photoshop tests have been the most relevant statistic for people in the graphics field.