" PowerMac Cube Upgrade Announced
We are happy to announce the addition of a PowerMac Cube Processor Upgrade to our product line-up. This upgrade uses a Motorola 1GHz low power processor and is equipped with user selectable processor speed and voltage jumpers. The board is pretested at 1.2GHz.

Operation without the addtion of a cooling fan is supported under specific voltage and hardware configurations, which are listed in the G-celerator Cube Jumper Settings and Operation Guide. This guide is located under the Support section of this website.

The upgrade is currently available thru MacWay in France, or Other World Computing (OWC) in the United States. The G-celerator Cube comes with a three year limited warranty. "

Their support page has a HTML and PDF version of the Cube upgrade settings/guide.

" I recently purchased an 12" iBook G4 800mhz, 640MB RAM, 40GB HD from the Apple Store Online. After moving the estimated ship date by a week, it finally arrived yesterday. As soon as I turned it on, I was horrified by what the screen was doing!

While on my lap, If I typed with medium firmness, the top right corner of the screen would jiggle. Not the screen physically, but the image jiggled like the plasma effect when you press on an LCD screen. When it's on a solid surface it's not as bad, but still there. We brought it to an Apple Authorized service center and they pretty much said it was normal, but then I dared them to show me any laptop in the store that did the same thing and there wasn't even one, but they sent me on my way anyway.

Apple's 800 number listened to the problem and said that they would accept it for repair, but I'm torn about sending it away or keeping a while since it's so cute and fast. Has anyone else had this problem with the current iBook G4 or previous models?
Alexander "

From the comments on keyboard pressure - sounds like that's being transferred to the display housing somehow. There were some Powerbook G4/15in AL (new model) owners reporting 'white spots' on the display (some thought this was due to pressure points on the back of the LCD), but again I've not heard of any other iBook G4 display complaints from readers to date. If any new iBook G4 owner has seen a problem like this, let me know. (Since I'm sure this is rare - to cut down on emails, there's no need to write unless you have seen a display problem. Thanks.)
Reader replies to this post:

"Hi Mike. I believe what the reader is reporting is, in fact, pretty much standard behavior for recent Apple laptops. At least, my iBook Dual USB/500MHz/Combo Drive had the same problem, as with my new 12" PB/1GHz, which replaced the iBook.
I uploaded a short video clip at
http://homepage.mac.com/rawhead/wobble.mp4
check out the right edge of the screen (12" PB/1GHz). I'm "tapping" the screen multiple times with my finger. Notice how the image near the edge "wobbles" each time I tap. With my iBook, this was limited to the lower right corner of the screen. With this PB, it looks like the bottom half of the right edge of the screen is affected, although, in general, to a lesser degree than my former iBook. I believe each 'book will display behavior in different regions of the edges of the screen, often the right top or the right bottom corner.
All in all, it's something I can totally live with. Typing on a hard surface won't cause this wobble at all, and when it does, like on a soft surface or on my lap, it's mostly not that annoying. Although, I do have to confess that with the iBook, it took some while to get used to and learn to ignore this behavior. Now that I've been tamed... ;-)
I'm sure there are different "degrees" to this behavior. Perhaps if it's really bad, he should just get Apple to replace the screen.
Satoru M."

Another reader wrote:

" Have a Rev. A Powerbook G4 12" not iBook. My screen has done what is described since I purchased it last February. In my case jiggling the display will (tapping the side of it while it's raised) will result in screen distortions as described on the left-hand side of the screen. Since it is in the direct vicinity of the housing screw, it is clearly related to the housing fastener.
I've never concerned myself about it since it is only a problem when the laptop is on and moving (such as travelling in a car) and I actually suspect that a number of these laptops (12" PB and iBook) have the same issue but their owners never notice it. In any event, there have been such discussions on the Apple Support pages for the PB 12". I am guessing that the writer either is typing with more force than most of us use, or else his display is simply worse than others. I doubt that there's a long-term issue, but I believe that PB's have been sent in and the problem resolved. If, indeed, there is NO movement of the display housing at all when this happens, then it sounds like a different issue altogether, but my guess is that it is the identical issue.
Timothy N. "

Although the problem really sounds like a mechanical (pressure transfer) issue, this reader claims it's not.

" Hi, Please keep this anonymous since I'm an ex- Mac Genius but the display wiggle that your user saw is actually common on EVERY model iBook since the white case premiered. The PowerBook 867 was also plagued by this. Its a defect in the grounding of the unit/display and is a simple repair that all users should have done since it may get worse over time. Most units that we saw had this wiggle in the upper right corner and it only goes about an inch down. The entire display gets replaced.
(name withheld by request) "

The cause/effect really sounds like a mechanical problem - but if any iBook/PB owners have had a display replaced due to this problem, let me know.

" Reindeer Graphics, Inc., developers of Optipix 2.0, are providing a free update to the Digital Fine Print Workflow, by George DeWolfe. The supplemental material shows how to best utilize 16 bit layers in Photoshop CS to increase the quality of your final print. This free update can be downloaded from the Reindeer Graphics website.
The Digital Fine Print Workflow is a lavishly illustrated guide for the professional and hobbyist photographer, explaining tips and techniques for managing a fully 16 bit workflow from the shot to the final print, and is available on the Optipix 2.0 CD or as a separate purchase from George DeWolfe's website
Optipix, a suite of Photoshop(R) compatible plug-ins for Macintosh OS 9.x, Macintosh OS X 10.1+, and Windows 9x/NT/2K/XP, includes tools for correcting common problems in digital images. The Optipix package works on both 8 and 16 bit images and includes tools for automatically improving contrast, image averaging, blending bracketed exposures, enhancing edge detail, sub-pixel nudging, and color-safe sharpening. Optipix 2.0 retails for US$149.95 "

• Daystar G4/550 in (pismo) Powerbook G3 2000 (rated 10)
• Giga Designs G4/1.25GHz (at 1.4GHz) in (sawtooth) G4/AGP (rated 9)
• Other World Computing G4/500 (at 550MHz) in B&W G3 (rated 8)
• Powerlogix G4 Dual 1GHz in (QS) G4/AGP (rated 10)
• Powerlogix Bluechip G4/500 in Powerbook G3 lombard (rated 5)
  (My reviews of G4 and G3 upgrades w/apps/game tests, install info, etc. are linked here. OC/CPU module articles are on the Systems page.)

(Warning - Overclocking may not be reliable and could lead to hardware failure or corrupted data.) You can find the full reports by searching the database selecting the indicated Mac model and upgrade card brand/type. If you've upgraded the CPU on your Mac, please post an entry in the database. Search the database for entries from most every upgradable Mac model *before* you buy. (Searchable by mac model/upgrade brand). For detailed reviews with performance tests and install tips, see the CPU Upgrades page.)

Combo DVD+CDR Drives:
• IDE Philips CDD5101 (from eMac) in G4 no AGP (OS X)
  (not bootable from CD he said, didn't note drive speed rating)
  (Illustrated CD drive install guide here covers G4 towers up to the Digital Audio Model, Beige G3 MT, B&W G3 and 8600/9600 Macs)
  
  DVD+R/RW + DVD-R/RW Drives:
• IDE LG 4040B in Dual G4 DDR (MDD) (OS X 10.3)
  (no native iapps burn support, includes link to db/diskcopy enabling mod file, but the only method for full burn support for unsupported drives in 10.3 was posted here earlier this year - replacing the entire disk recording frameworks with an edited earlier build frameworks. )
• IDE Pioneer DVR-106D in (QS) G4/AGP (OS X 10.3)
  (noted finder DVD burning failure - maybe drive sleep/spindown issue.)
• IDE Pioneer DVR-106D in Dual G4 DDR (MDD) (OS X 10.3)
• IDE Pioneer DVR-106D in Single G4 DDR (MDD) (OS X 10.3)
  (noted drive sleep/spindown issue)
• IDE Sony DRU-510A in (DA) G4/AGP (OS X)
  (using modified burn support plugin for 10.2.x in the FAQ)

You can find full owner reports (latest shown first) by searching the database by drive/brand/interface/mac models (the latest reports are shown first in searches). For guides to installing CD/CDRW/DVD drives or Hard drives in many mac models, see the IDE Articles page. The Firewire articles page also has guides on case kits, installing drives, etc.
If you've added a IDE, SCSI, Firewire or USB hard drive, CDRW, tape drive, etc. make sure you add a report to the database. (If you post an updated entry - make sure you use the same name, etc. as you did before so I can find your past entry. Thanks.)
(Incomplete entries are deleted. Do not post questions in the database, it's for drive reports not questions on what drive to buy - for that try searching the database for reports from owners of your mac model on the drive type/brand/interface, etc. you're interested in.)

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