You can get everything today as a USB device. USB harddrives and storage, USB to Ethernet/wifi adapters, USB to VGA adapters, etc…

So I propose a minimilast cube shaped PC, containing nothing but a processor, RAM, and one or two USB ports. Optional accessories would include a 4, 8 or 16 port powered USB hub that snaps seamlessly onto the cube PC. Of course, the user is always free to use any external USB hub of their choosing.
-- ServoMan314, Apr 03 2009

Mac Mini http://www.apple.com/macmini/
even better than a PC, because it doesn't depend on a crap, virus ridden, operating system [xenzag, Apr 03 2009]

I don't know if USB is fast enough for everything, but I'm sure there are applications where would this would be cool. Slap on a terabyte USB drive and a wifi adapter and you have a nice tiny remote network storage device... Bun!
-- Alpharaul, Apr 03 2009


"one or two"? I'd say to be useful, you'd need a minimum of 8. Like the idea, though. [+]
-- gisho, Apr 03 2009


Baked by Apple years ago, in the form of the Mac Mini - see link.
-- xenzag, Apr 03 2009


[xenzag] - neither does a PC, unless you're using "PC" to mean "Windows machine only". This would be a cool hobbyist/small business product, in which context it would almost certainly have to run Linux, for lack of money to throw at Microsoft.
-- gisho, Apr 03 2009


//it would almost certainly have to run Linux//

excellent point gisho, I should have mentioned that originally.
-- ServoMan314, Apr 04 2009


I can see where this would have applications, but I don't see it as a viable future for general purpose consumer computing.

- USB is a CPU-driven bus; every transaction over USB requires processor intervention, and thus takes away cycles which ought to be available for other things.

- I don't agree that the main system GPU should be offloaded to USB, for bandwidth, speed and latency reasons.

- The new point-to-point motherboard buses are far superior.

- USB networking can be problematic.

- Lastly, adding USB to every device makes each one more expensive than a bare, internal device.
-- BunsenHoneydew, Apr 19 2009


...but on the plus side it would make it much easier to take the computer apart while it's running in order to re-enact that HAL9000 "My mind is going" scene.
-- hippo, Apr 20 2009


[Ian], Are you the elder or younger Ensor?
-- wjt, May 30 2017


[Ian] It's a fictional surname.
-- wjt, May 31 2017



random, halfbakery