I had purchased a brand new Pentium II 350 back in 1998 along with a 17' monitor, printer, scanner, and an external 4X CD-RW. I also picked up an extra 128MB of RAM. Doesn't sound like a lot, but back in 1998 that 128MB of RAM was $100 on sale. The burner alone cost $450. All together I spent close to $3,000 bucks. I was working retail at the time and was making about $13 bucks an hour. Needless to say, that all went on a credit card. Soon after, the Pentium IIIs were released. Since I just dropped $3 grand on my PII system, I wasn't ready to buy a new computer. Instead, I opted to pick up a new case and a PIII CPU/motherboard combo. I built my own machine. It probably cost me a good $800. That probably went on a credit card too.
As you might expect, come 2001, I was probably still paying it all off. There's no way I could have afforded a new G4 Cube and Cinema Display.
The sales staff at CompUSA were useless. Half of the employees couldn't tell you the difference between a computer and an espresso maker, let alone give a convincing sales pitch or an in-depth product demo for the Mac.
Me: 'Hey man, I'm hearing a lot of chatter about this whole ‘Mac thing'. Talk to me.'
CompUSA guy: 'Uh, sorry man, I don't know about that stuff, I just stock the shelves man.'
Thanks. Thanks a lot.
Without knowing another Mac User, and there being no Apple Stores, I had no one to talk to about the Mac. No one to convince me how awesome they were. I had heard that some of your stuff wouldn't work on a Mac, and that you'd have to buy new apps, etc, but I had no one to talk to about it. No one to explain it. I couldn't see myself dropping another $3,000 on a computer without knowing what it can and can't do. Where do you buy apps for the Mac? CompUSA only had a small section of Mac software. Was that it? Can you play games? What's a SuperDrive?
It was frustrating. I continued to use PCs for several more years, but I've always longed for one of those iconic Cubes!
The prices of the Cubes have come down in recent years. Far from the original $1,799 price tag, although they sill fetch a hefty price for an 'old' computer. Cubes, and just the Cubes - no power supply, keyboard, or mouse - regularly fetch upwards of $100 - $200 on eBay. A Studio Display will fetch close to $100 with shipping, maybe even higher. Then there's the speakers, the keyboard, and the mouse. Assembling a full setup could easily cost you $400. That's not even taking the condition into consideration.
My wife knows my passion for vintage Apple hardware, as well as the wish list posted on the back of my computer room door. However, I can't expect her to hop on eBay and buy my anything on that list. That would be impossible. Instead, she threw me some 'eBay money' as an extra Christmas present.
As luck would have it, timing was on my side. One seller posted a complete G4 Cube system in the box in excellent condition for only $210. Another posted a 17' Studio Display in the box for only $50 bucks. Both were a steal! I could have a full G4 Cube setup in mint condition for only $260, at the same time sparing myself the agony of piecing together the perfect system of the course of a year.
The box is a little beat up, but it's a box nonetheless. Boxes: good!
It still has the original $1,799 price tag on it. Man, someone was lucky! The bar code was cut out. Probably for a printer rebate.
This G4 Cube is the base 450MHz model that shipped with 64MB of RAM, a 20G hard drive and DVD Combo Drive. The previous owner had made some upgrades. It now sports
• Hard drive upgrade to 80GB
• RAM upgraded to 512MB
• Stock ATI Rage 128 Pro (16MB) - max resolution of 1280 x 1024
• Stock DVD Combo Drive (DVD ROM / CD-RW)
Everything is included.
The keyboard and mouse are in excellent condition. This user really took care of his Mac.
That has to be the cleanest power cord I have ever seen on a 10+ year old computer.
VGA adapter: nice and clean.
The original software bundle is also included. That AppleCare/TechTool CD is still sealed.
And there it is, in all its acrylic splendor!
And I thought the power cord was clean! This power supply looks like it's never been out of the box!
It's absolutely spotless!
Since the G4 Cube does not have any internal speakers, it needs an external USB-powered audio card, or 'digital amplifier' as Apple calls it. The Harman Kardon speakers are connected directly to the digital amplifier.
The speaker are in very nice condition too. I've seen these sold separately on eBay. Some of them look pretty nasty.
These are really clean and don't have any scratches or scuffs on them.
Finally! The Cube. Spotless!
Absolutly amazing.
This is the first time in over 10 years that I've seen one in person and I do have to admit that it is a little bigger than I remember. I guess pictures of it don't give you good sense of scale. I guess I've seen so many turned into aquariums and tissue holders that I assumed it was smaller than it really is. Not that I'm complaining. It's a marvel of engineering and a true work of art. Jonathan Ive really outdid himself.
I've seen so many Cube on eBay with chipped, cracked, and smashed corners. They're still asking for close to $100 for a beat up Cube! All 4 corners on this Cube are pristine.
All the I/O looks great. No smashed or dinged up ports. Very clean.
I've always loved the way the internals pull right out of the Cube. Apple really made it super easy to take it apart without any tools. I remember when Jobs unveiled the Cube at MacWorld in 2000. When he pulled the core out of the enclosure, the crowd was like 'What???'. Pretty amazing.
You just press down on the latch. It pops up…
…and you simply lift the whole core out.
You can also remove the interior chassis by removing the screws at the bottom.
Four screws secure the grill while the 2 on the sides secure the chassis to the acrylic enclosure.
After you remove those, you can pull the chassis out. You'll have to do that if you want to wipe out the dust between the chassis and the enclosure.
The G4 Cube sports 3 RAM slots that can take up to 512MB of PC100 each for a total of 1.5GB of RAM. That definitely sounds like something I'm going to have to upgrade since my Cube has 2x256MB installed. It has OS X 10.3 installed too. It would be nice to install 10.4 on it and I don't know how the performance will be with only 512MB of RAM.
Look, the previous owner never opted for AirPort. True, I'll take wired Ethernet over AirPort any day of the week, but cards are so cheap nowadays, it's worth it to upgrade it.
That's why I always keep a few AirPort cards lying around. You never know when you're going to need one. Having the machine open now was the perfect opportunity to pop a card in.
I checked my box of RAM sticks for some PC100. Alas, no 168 pin sticks. For the first time in my life, I seem to have more SODIMMs than full sticks. I'll have to look on eBay for some RAM. With that, I put everything back together.
Lets check out that 17' Studio Display.
The box is in pretty good shape, despite the fact that someone thought it would be a good idea to put the UPS tag right on the front of the box instead of the side or top. You'd think by now that people on eBay would know that we buy this stuff in the boxes because we're collectors. The box also has value to us. This seller didn't even wrap it up in brown paper. They shipped it just like that. I'm lucky UPS didn't just steal it.
No paperwork or anything was included with this one. I was just happy to get one in the box that looks like it's never been used.
There's plenty on eBay with broken stands, chips, cracks and dings in the screen. This one is in great shape.
I had to move some Macs around to fit it in. I moved my 128K and my 512K to a shelf for now. I never have those powered up anyway, so they don't need to be front and center any more. I can always take one down off the shelf and plug it in if need be. I like the way the iMacs complement the Cube. They look really good together.
I powered the Cube up and it booted right into OS X 10.3.9. As soon as I entered the Network pane of System Preferences, OS X notified me that it had detected the AirPort card.
I hopped on my Wi-Fi and I was off to the races. It just works.
Yuk. I couldn't take that gray background any more. I changed it to something more reminiscent of Panther. I fired up Quicktime and it proved that I was indeed connected to my Wi-Fi.
iTunes 4. Gotta love it. The iTunes Music Store no longer works, but that's to be expected.
I popped a CD in the drive to see how the speakers sounded. It's a little distorted when they're cranked, but not bad. I'd never have it that loud anyway. I'm sure they sounded better 10 years go, but I'm a little spoiled with the $300 speakers on my Mac Pro. Those sound ridiculous. Everything else just sounds like tin cans to me.
OK, let's see how the Cube fairs with OS X 10.4 Tiger.
I popped in my install DVD.
.and let ‘er rip.
Once I was in the installer, the first thing I did was fire up Disk Utility and blow away those two 40G partitions on favor of a single one.
Once I configured the installer with my options, I let it do its thing.
I then set up my new account…
…and logged in.
My install DVD is version 10.4.6.
I hit up Software Update to bring me up to 10.4.11.
After that, there were a few more updates to be done. Safari, QuickTime, Java, etc. It's a good thing I threw that AirPort card inside or else I'd have to run a wire. AirPort isn't the fastest way to download data, but it's good for casual surfing and light downloading. Even with the large 186MB download for 10.4.11, it was done in just a few minutes.
iTunes 6. The Music Store is still hands off.
I hopped on the internet and headed over to Apple's site to see if I could play a commercial or something. Just like my other 10.4 machines, they're no match for the requirements of the modern day web browser.
The video and audio was choppy, sometimes as choppy as 1 frame about every 30 seconds. I don't know if it's the G4, the lack or RAM, or the slow Wi-Fi. In any case, it's unwatchable. I even tried YouTube. That was just as bad.
I ran an Ethernet wire over to the Cube and tried that. The audio streamed a little better, but the video was still unwatchable. Even when I dropped the quality down to 240p.
I figured at that point, I'd try Camino. Camino is popular with older Macs. I also updated Flash to see if that would help.
Still, the results weren't that much better. It's a little better at playing some YouTube videos, but videos like iPhone commercials, etc on Apple's site are unwatchable.
Despite the lack of multimedia, I'm so happy with the Cube. It's just like I always imagined it. It's just an amazing little machine. The design is like nothing else you've ever seen. It's not going to be a workhorse or anything. It's more for display. Other than the lack of good video playback, it's a snappy little machine even with only 512MB of RAM. Hopefully with an upgrade to 1.5GB, it'll be that much better.
The original G4 cube held a 450Mhz PowerPC processor and max 1.5gb RAM. Apple manufactured the G4 cube from 2000 to 2001 at a price around US$1600. It ran Mac OS 9.04 to OS X 10.4 (PowerPC, not Intel). It is approximately 7.5 x 7.5 x 10 inches, with all ports on the bottom, not the back.
- FEATURE: 07.27.20 – This month and year marks two decades since the world was introduced to the Power Mac G4 Cube and for its 20th anniversary, Wired magazine took a look at how the 'coolest computer ever' to come from within the walls of Apple's former headquarters at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, California epically (and miserably, to Steve Jobs's misery) failed.
- It's funny how Apple badges all Power Mac as G4 towers. It would have been nice to see the Cube with an appropriate icon, but if you change the icon in CoreServices, you change it for al Power Macs. If that wasn't easy enough, sharing the desktop is even easier. I can connect to the Cube and the mini from my Mac Pro and have at it.
Rating: | |
Category: | |
Year released: | |
Author: | Apple |
Publisher: | Apple |
MacOS90CD.ZIP (456.09 MB)
MD5: 59cf3a63c0148e087a180d240323aa7f
For Mac OS 9
MacOS90CD_JP.ZIP (427.35 MB)
MD5: a212b959a1771c208b948621cccff6b0
For Mac OS 9
MacOS90CD_ES.ZIP (447.96 MB)
MD5: 1016297690602e515f8f4f0a2ff2fab2
For Mac OS 9
MacOS904CD_Intl.ZIP (396.78 MB)
MD5: a1b0494f1629aa7e18426449c0ee7732
For Mac OS 9
MacOS904CD_DE.ZIP (398.47 MB)
MD5: 8dd7d8cdb5e62b04cf1dcc0cc5883890
For Mac OS 9
MacOS904CD_ES.ZIP (384.37 MB)
MD5: b7aa8f51c9021719ae699216b6e258fe
For Mac OS 9
MacOS904Updt_WW.ZIP (151.32 MB)
MD5: e20e96948a2028b0b874e39333c4bfb8
For Mac OS 9
MacOS904_Internal.ZIP (488.72 MB)
MD5: 9513bcfd73ab3c8510125f383fb9ddfe
For Mac OS 9
iMacDV90CD_Inst.ZIP (427.80 MB)
MD5: fc9f28d538d30d29988e383bc7e26881
For Mac OS 9
iMacDV90CD_Rest.ZIP (515.25 MB)
MD5: b3942599d23cee467f4ef38f208564b8
For Mac OS 9
iMacDVJP90CD_Rest.ZIP (499.22 MB)
MD5: db5e304618cd230583efd5aca7ba1531
For Mac OS 9
iMacS200090ZCD_Rest.ZIP (278.88 MB)
MD5: 508170c5133aeb9de1e177693bdd2882
For Mac OS 9
iMacCH90CD_Inst.ZIP (340.21 MB)
MD5: 3de99e1816802b2b1dfc26098b8f92d4
For Mac OS 9
iBookNoFW90CD_Inst.ZIP (419.42 MB)
MD5: 6afc4e2c2226bef0ed2db636bb33f207
For Mac OS 9
iBookNoFW90CD_Rest.ZIP (456.65 MB)
MD5: 41e5ef0f827e303882c0b849df643e64
For Mac OS 9
PBFW904CD_Inst.ZIP (316.44 MB)
MD5: 9a3fca13b7d3f7e5ff4a0e1228e3504d
For Mac OS 9
PBFW904CD_Rest.ZIP (193.42 MB)
MD5: 59680abe890de5cc34dc6d612f03a810
For Mac OS 9
iMacS2000904CD_Rest.ZIP (531.37 MB)
MD5: aeb0ed02eff30b0bdd641ee557f2baef
For Mac OS 9
PMG4AGP90ZCD_Inst.ZIP (374.39 MB)
MD5: ed3c006426f421a1b45fb5dcd97792ec
For Mac OS 9
PMG4AGP90ZCD_Rest.ZIP (174.10 MB)
MD5: 5b715f5161d5541f860c0f81fc166ecf
For Mac OS 9
PMG4AGP904CD_Inst.ZIP (317.11 MB)
MD5: bd074fb2382aac912b042415eed8bb00
For Mac OS 9
PMG4AGP904CD_Rest.ZIP (183.83 MB)
MD5: f340e04ce089831e8723017961fcf327
For Mac OS 9
PMG4AGP904ZCD_Inst.ZIP (320.76 MB)
MD5: 8e1a0e9e39868cdc8521a07b25d8ca5d
For Mac OS 9
PMG4AGP904ZCD_Rest.ZIP (187.85 MB)
MD5: 2f4310543d099ba2798c9c111945794b
For Mac OS 9
PMG4GE904ZCD_Inst.ZIP (395.14 MB)
MD5: d1d19a44c663f417fa8ea51b124a4b8c
For Mac OS 9
PMG4GE904ZCD_Rest.ZIP (385.76 MB)
MD5: 37edbf000def179426b3ebdd6b0fee65
For Mac OS 9
G4Cube904CD_Inst.ZIP (465.18 MB)
MD5: 4e432605be1b44df8a1cdfa3b1318fdb
For Mac OS 9
G4Cube904CD_Rest.ZIP (471.50 MB)
MD5: 3394eea18863567620907c795a97d3ea
For Mac OS 9
G4CubeTA904CD_Inst.ZIP (401.08 MB)
MD5: f8f21cabd3c5697f72a80ce1187e130b
For Mac OS 9
G4CubeD904CD_Rest.sit (523.62 MB)
MD5: 7916fdb55a14468131376dfcba8e2273
For Mac OS 9
G4Cube91CD_Rest.zip (463.98 MB)
MD5: 4d2d14829413af711237db2c150b3f34
For Mac OS 9
PowerMac_G4_AGP_Restore_9.0.2.zip (185.13 MB)
MD5: 1b4bd5c6f175de95ba09491e17d3aeea
For Mac OS 9
Mac_OS_9.0.4_US.zip (392.70 MB)
MD5: 38067e0415adc3b6501bec974bcb0170
For Mac OS 9
PMG4_9.0.4_CH.zip (188.28 MB)
MD5: 7a77103f2e0922974f499c2a53d59176
For Mac OS 9
Installing_Mac_OS_9.pdf
This is Mac OS 9.0, the most latest and final Classic Mac OS release before Mac OS X. This page contains downloads for Mac OS 9.0.x series (not Mac OS 9.1 or later).
See also: Mac OS 9.x Integrated Page, Mac OS 9.1 + extras, Mac OS 9.2.1 Universal, Mac OS 9.2.2 Universal
- Machine-Specific Installers
Mac Os Catalina
Mac OS 9.0
MacOS90CD.ZIP: Mac OS 9.0 Retail CD-ROM image.
International Mac OS 9.0
More International Releases are found in Mac OS Anthology '99 Disc 7-8.See Also Mac OS 9.0 (Italian)
Japanese CD Scan
MacOS90CD_JP.ZIP: Mac OS 9.0 Retail CD-ROM image (Japanese).
MacOS90CD_ES.ZIP: Mac OS 9.0 Retail CD-ROM image (Spanish).
Mac OS 9.0.4
Here is the Mac OS 9.0.4, mostly some system fixes and enhancements.
Cube Hit Mac Os Catalina
See Also: Mac OS 9.0.4 US Vegerevenge mac os.
Mac_OS_9.0.4_US.ZIP: Odds on 0 roulette. Mac OS 9.0.4 Retail CD-ROM image (US English).
MacOS904CD_Intl.ZIP: Mac OS 9.0.4 Retail CD-ROM image (International English).
MacOS904CD_DE.ZIP: Mac OS 9.0.4 Retail CD-ROM image (German).
MacOS904CD_ES.ZIP: Mac OS 9.0.4 Retail CD-ROM image (Spanish) [Note: Disk is not bootable].
MacOS904Updt_WW.ZIP: Built CD image containing worldwide Mac OS 9.0.4 Update disk images. Missing updates: Danish, Dutch, Korean, Portuguese-Brazilian. Not available separately, you have to download them all instead
Mac OS 9.0.4 Internal Edition CD-ROM
This is the Mac OS 9.0.4 CD-ROM special edition provided by Apple IS&T for internal use only. It includes the base Mac OS 9.0.4 installer with the guided way to install (such as unlocking disks, check drive using Norton Disk Doctor, etc.) as well some extra goodies that were exclusively available internally for Apple employers such as Apple software like AppleWorks 6.0.4 and QuickTime 4.1.2, several site licensed software such as Acrobat Reader 4.05a, Microsoft Office 98, FileMaker Pro 5.0v3, and Norton Utilities 5.0.3, and other nice software.
MacOS904_Internal.ZIP: Mac OS 9.0.4 Internal Edition CD-ROM image.
Machine-Specific Installers
iMac DV 400MHz
Here are the install/restore discs for iMac G3 DV Slot Loading 400MHz. The install CD includes the base Mac OS, other programs, and also a special installer for iMac G3 DV Slot Loading 400MHz, with some extras on the CD. And the restore CD includes the original hard disk settings disk image with Mac OS 9.0 and some bundled software such as AppleWorks 5.0.4, Bugdom 1.0.1, iMovie 1.0.1 and Quicken Deluxe 2000 v9.0.
Install CD Scan
Restore CD Scan
iMacDV90CD_Inst.ZIP: iMac DV 400MHz installation CD-ROM image.
iMacDV90CD_Rest.ZIP: iMac DV 400MHz restoration CD-ROM image.
iMacDVJP90CD_Rest.ZIP: iMac DV 400MHz restoration CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0 Japanese).
iMac Summer 2000 350MHz
This is the restore CD of iMac Summer 2000 350MHz, came with Mac OS 9.0 International English and other programs such as AppleWorks, FAXstf, Bugdom, and more, all in one hard disk image.
I was wondering why the iMac Summer 2000 can boot Mac OS 9.0 since the minimum system is 9.0.4?
iMacS200090ZCD_Rest.ZIP: iMac Summer 2000 350MHz restoration CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0 International).
Mac Os Mojave
iMacCH90CD_Inst.ZIP: iMac installation CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0 Chinese-Simplified).
iBook G3 Clamshell without FireWire
Here are the install/restore discs for iBook G3 Clamshell without FireWire. The install CD includes the base Mac OS, other programs, and also a special installer for iBook G3 without FireWire, with some extras on the CD. And the restore CD includes the original hard disk settings disk image with Mac OS 9.0 and some bundled software such as AppleWorks and Bugdom.
iBookNoFW90CD_Inst.ZIP: iBook G3 Clamshell without FireWire installation CD-ROM image. Casino on blue diamond.
iBookNoFW90CD_Rest.ZIP: iBook G3 Clamshell without FireWire restoration CD-ROM image.
iBook G3 Clamshell with FireWire
See Also: Mac OS 9.0.4 (iBook 'Clamshell' FireWire)
PowerBook G3 FireWire
Here are the install/restore discs of PowerBook G3 FireWire. The install CD includes the base Mac OS 9.0.4, other programs, and also a special installer for PowerBook G3 FireWire, with some extras on the CD. And the restore CD includes the original hard disk settings disk image with Mac OS 9.0.4 and basic applications.
Install and Restore CD scans
PBFW904CD_Inst.ZIP: PowerBook G3 FireWire installation CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0.4).
9.0.2 Restore CD Scan
NOTE: The 9.0.4 CDs has the special build of Mac OS specifically designed for the G4 AGP Graphics and will not boot in other G4 models.
PMG4AGP90ZCD_Inst.ZIP: Power Mac G4 AGP Graphics installation CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0 International).
PMG4AGP90ZCD_Rest.ZIP: Power Mac G4 AGP Graphics restoration CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0 International).
PowerMac G4 AGP Restore 9.0.2.zip: Power Mac G4 AGP Graphics restoration CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0).
PMG4AGP904CD_Inst.ZIP: Power Mac G4 AGP Graphics installation CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0.4).
PMG4AGP904CD_Rest.ZIP: Power Mac G4 AGP Graphics restoration CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0.4).
PMG4AGP904ZCD_Inst.ZIP: Power Mac G4 AGP Graphics installation CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0.4 International).
PMG4AGP904ZCD_Rest.ZIP: Power Mac G4 AGP Graphics restoration CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0.4 International).
PMG4_9.0.4_CH.zipPower Mac G4 AGP Graphics restoration CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0.4 Simplified Chinese).
![Cube hit mac os download Cube hit mac os download](https://static.macupdate.com/screenshots/5244/m/cubemovie-screenshot.png?v=1568049964)
Power Mac G4 Gigabit Ethernet
Here are the install/restore discs of Power Mac G4 Gigabit Ethernet. The install CD includes the base International English 9.0.4, other programs, and also a special installer for G4 Gigabit Ethernet, with some extras on the CD. The restore CD includes the original hard disk settings disk image with International English 9.0.4 and some bundled software like Acrobat Reader 4.0, iMovie 2.0.1, and everything else.
PMG4GE904ZCD_Inst.ZIP: Power Mac G4 Gigabit Ethernet installation CD-ROM v2.2 image (Mac OS 9.0.4 International).
PMG4GE904ZCD_Rest.ZIP: Power Mac G4 Gigabit Ethernet restoration CD-ROM v2.2 image (Mac OS 9.0.4 International).
Power Mac G4 Cube
Here are the install/restore discs of Power Mac G4 Cube. The install CD includes the base Mac OS 9.0.4, other programs, and also a special installer for G4 Cube, with some extras on the CD. The restore CD includes the original hard disk settings disk image with Mac OS 9.0.4 and some bundled software like Acrobat Reader 4.0, iMovie 2.0.1, and everything else.
G4Cube904CD_Inst.ZIP: Power Mac G4 Cube installation CD-ROM v2.0 image (Mac OS 9.0.4).
G4Cube904CD_Rest.ZIP: Power Mac G4 Cube restoration CD-ROM v2.0 image (Mac OS 9.0.4).
G4CubeTA904CD_Inst.ZIP: Power Mac G4 Cube installation CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0.4 Chinese-Traditional).
G4CubeD904CD_Rest.sit: Power Mac G4 Cube restoration CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.0.4 German).
G4Cube91CD_Rest.zip: Power Mac G4 Cube restoration CD-ROM image (Mac OS 9.1). https://red-hot-daycasino-hu-machine-triple-sevens-slot.peatix.com.
CompatibilityArchitecture: PPC
Mac OS 9.0.4 is the last version to boot successfully in SheepShaver. For G4 AGP install, it has the special build of Mac OS specifically designed for the G4 AGP Graphics and will not boot in other G4 models.
Telley mac os. To run on Mac OS 9.0.4 on QEMU, you need Mac OS ROM v5.2.1 (which can be found from PM G4 Cube CD-ROM).