1) There's the person who wants to restore the classic to it's original condition, right down to scouring the world to use actual vintage new or rebuilt parts -- modern counterparts will not do. These collectors want to keep their Macs in mint condition, taking them out for a spin rarely if ever. They have all the original documentation, disks and original accessories and (most importantly) dust covers -- some even with their own rooms complete with merchandising items. It is the beauty of these Macs that attract them, but the effort and luck of assembling the parts that provide the reward, not the use. Indeed, they choose to preserve in their original states the flawed Macs that were modified shortly after their release. It's these very flaws that make them rarer and harder to preserve which makes them valuable to this collector.
2) Then there's the practical Mac user. These collector's realize the Mac's dependable operation and workhorse characteristics and restore their Macs to working condition using the most robust modern parts. They relish getting under the "hoods" of these Macs to tinker with a level of mechanics that modern Macs make almost impossible with their miniaturized components and proprietary technology. It's the same phenomenon where people will work on the '69 Mustang in their garage themselves, while they take their 2005 Mercedes to the dealer for service. They want nothing more to get this baby out on the road and show it off -- often, but will think nothing of hauling a load of lumber home from the hardware store on the weekend. It's as much about demonstrating the reliability and durability of these Macs as it is their good looks. These users are vindicated after years of abuse at the hands of Windows users whose 486 clones bit the dust years ago. They love nothing more than to pull up next to a Windows user at a traffic light and test the ability of their Mac to stand up not only against a comparable clone, but even a more recent one!
3) The hot-rodders. These Mac users see the potential of the Macs that Apple chose to short-change or leave behind. They see behind the timeless beauty of the case design, brut power. These are the hackers that think nothing about gutting a Mac case down to a shell and rebuilding it, in come cases with little regard for preserving anything, much less the case. Exhaust pipes extend out of previously smooth veneers increasing airflow and convection for the G5 dual processor that now resides inside that SE case. It's not about blowing away a Windows machine of the same era, it's not even about blowing away a modern Mac, it's about blowing them all away and leaving them in the dust with STYLE! Who cares if a new iMac will process circles around that Mystic Color Classic -- that CC has something the iMac will never have: personality. It's also a sense of pride, of ability, imagination and expertise -- these Macs are soooo beautiful, the idea of throwing them on a trash heap is unthinkable when they can be made so relevant by updating their capabilities. But, the harder the upgrade, the more difficult the challenge, the greater reward for this collector.
Now where do I go to see these Sun coffee makers?
On Apr 4, 2005, at 6:49 AM, lopta wrote:
WL> -- to liken it to other "appliances" imagine a > coffemaker where the pot/grounds are in one place, > with wires that run down the counter to a control > panel and still other tubes running to a water > reservoir. It will get the job done, but not as > elegantly as putting all the parts together in one > place.
Nice analogy, and I think that qualifies as a benefit of the compact Macs and iMacs.
WL> And unlike a clunky Mr. Coffee of years past, a Krups > actually invites you to make coffee...
Have you seen the Sun Microsystems machines code-named "Mr. Coffee" and "Krups"?
I have to go and make coffee now... ;-)
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