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At first, there were only full-sized tower cases. Then came mini-towers, and mid-towers, which were a compromise between full-sized towers and minis. Then the marketing people got to work--Scott Adams had it right on them--and produced the "midi" case. It's hard to get a consensus on exactly what a "midi" case is. Some contend that the name is based on a cutesy combination of "mid" and "mini", and that the midi tower is therefore one that is smaller than a mid tower but larger than a mini. Others use the term "midi" interchangeably with "mid"; this seems to be more common in Europe than in North America. Considering that even the terms "mid" and "mini" are subjective and inconsistently applied between manufacturers, the best thing to do is probably to rely on the specifications of the particular case rather than its labels.

Note: Another reason why this name is especially poor is that "MIDI" already has a meaning in the computer world: it refers to the term "musical instrument digital interface". Obviously, "midi towers" have nothing to do with "MIDI". You can read a bit about MIDI in this section of Leif Gregory's article on sound.

Next: Mini Tower Case

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