Tiny Cube Might Be Your Next PC

[profdlp]

Since I have trouble fitting even the smallest Shuttle on my yacht (hey, times are tough - I had to sell the big one), this might be an alternative:

The Xi3 can fit anywhere: crowded desktops, sales kiosks or attached to a high-definition display to support interactive advertising. Dedicated and expensive server rooms aren't necessary to house these PCs. They can be stacked densely in small racks in just about any room or closet.

Read it all here:

Why This Tiny Cube Might Be Your Next Office PC | Entrepreneur.com

Manufacturer's Website: Xi3 | Introducing Xi3 Architecture

 

[mr pc]

gotta bring the price down - a standard machine (without the bells and whistles and Linux) is close to $900

 

[seekermeister]

It won't be my next PC. I'm still working on HAL.

 

[Phone Man]

Its cute, but .... Comes with a 16Gb SSD. Can't run much on that. Processor and Ram are old technology. (dual core Athlon and DDR 2). They say is will last longer then a regular PC since the parts are modular and you can upgrade just what you need. Duh, I do that now. The price is too high for what you get.

Jim

 

[M1GU31]

looks like a pencil sharpener anyways pretty amazing what they can run in such compact space, wonder how hot the parts get.

 

[bug67]

:huh: I'd rather have a Mac Mini.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

Actually imo what's much more likely to happen is a Smart phone that can have an external keyboard ,an HDMI external monitor, and a USB hub for attaching external disks etc.

Portable, already Wifi enabled, plenty of processing power, 64 GB available on micro HD card so enough to load any version of Windows / Android or whatever. Sound card already enabled etc etc.

I'm surprised this actually happened already.

Now this would be a portable and robust system and a lot cheaper too.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[ken9122]

Have to agree with Jimbo on this.

Ken

 

[profdlp]

No argument here. I wouldn't pay $400 for a phone, nor $600 for a tablet. I sure wouldn't pay $800 for this. The yacht can lump it.

The only thing I can see as being even marginally practical is the following:

...The Xi3 can also be used as a virtual work station. The company sells an outboard processor ($250) that allows four users to work on a single device...

At roughly $1,000 (Base Unit + Outboard CPU), setting up four users might not be an awful value, assuming your company was deep into the cloud computing game.

If they sell any of these for the above scenario, it will probably be due to this reason more than anything else:

...And it can save on electricity costs. The Xi3 requires only 20 watts of electricity to operate compared to most other units that drain 100 to 400 watts on average...

 

[windude99]

I would rather keep my current config. I have a Seasonic power supply that is an energy saver, so power isn't much of an issue.

 

[profdlp]

For normal folks, all that power saving stuff doesn't generally make a huge difference. For an office with 400 computers it adds up to some serious money.

I'm certainly not making a case that it's a viable replacement for a "real" computer, but I could see where it would have its niche uses.

 

[chev65]

They have had those little box computers for years. They don't have anywhere close to the power of a basic PC.

By the way I can build a basic dual core PC with 8GB memory for under 500 bucks minus the screen, keyboard or mouse.

 

[FuturDreamz]

Hi there

Actually imo what's much more likely to happen is a Smart phone that can have an external keyboard ,an HDMI external monitor, and a USB hub for attaching external disks etc.

Portable, already Wifi enabled, plenty of processing power, 64 GB available on micro HD card so enough to load any version of Windows / Android or whatever. Sound card already enabled etc etc.

I'm surprised this actually happened already.

Now this would be a portable and robust system and a lot cheaper too.

Cheers
jimbo

This actually makes sense.

I can imagine a smartphone running something like Windows 8/9, which can be plugged into a dock for access to faster components and a bigger screen.

 

[Azearoth]

This..heh...

I cant see this at all going "big"...
I mean you have smartphones etc now..

also you could make something close to this FOR A L O T less..you could make a really good PC for the price of this thing.

I agree that it is tiny and will fit most "anywhere"

This would have to be more powerful than a smart phone..which It's not.
This would have to be more powerful than the cheapest FULL PC with basic needs etc.

I would rather go on ebay and buy a Laptop with a 75GB HD and 8GB of RaM for 200 bucks.

I do see this coming in the near future..well the insanley small computer part...but all in all the price needs to drop..the memory needs to be upgraded..I mean this thing is pretty much..where it sits..a portable internet browser that you can hook a monitor and keyboard into..

Scale 1 - 10

I'd give it a 6
Mainly for the concept etc.

I'd like to see something of this kind in about another 5 years or so..it'd probably be a lot cheaper and a lot more like a "portable PC" other than a "portable web browser"

 

[lovewin7yea]

looks awful