20 years in the past, Steve Jobs constructed the “coolest pc ever”—and it bombed

This G4 Cube ran for several years as a headless server until succumbing to the thermal issues that plagued the device from launch. It's now a decoration in Managing Editor Eric Bangeman's office.

Enlarge / This G4 Dice ran for a number of years as a headless server till succumbing to the thermal points that plagued the system from launch. It is now a ornament in Managing Editor Eric Bangeman’s workplace. (credit score: Eric Bangeman)

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the Energy Mac G4 Dice, which debuted July 19, 2000. It additionally marks the 19th anniversary of Apple’s announcement that it was placing the Dice on ice. That’s not my joke—it’s Apple’s, straight from the headline of its July 3, 2001, press launch that formally pulled the plug.

The thought of such a fast turnaround was nowhere within the thoughts of Apple CEO Steve Jobs on the eve of the product’s announcement at that summer season 2000 Macworld Expo. I used to be reminded of this final week, as I listened to a cassette tape recorded 20 years prior, virtually to the day. It documented a two-hour session with Jobs in Cupertino, California, shortly earlier than the launch. The primary purpose he had summoned me to Apple’s headquarters was sitting beneath the quilt of a darkish sheet of cloth on the lengthy desk within the boardroom of One Infinite Loop.

“Now we have made the best pc ever,” he advised me. “I suppose I’ll simply present it to you.”

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