Concept PC 2001

Rami Kassab writes: "Check out this sweet PC developed by HP. It runs on the Intel P4 and features a wireless keyboard, mouse, even a wireless 18" flat screen LCD monitor. The wireless mouse and keyboard run over RF. All of the components are connected to eachother via Bluetooth technology. Included with this PC is USB 2.0 and an ATI 7500 AGP card." The screen looks a little strange, but I always love seeing interesting new designs for these boxes since I spend so much time in front of one.

Comments

If a component goes bad

[TheFlyingGoat]

I've seen systems before where the cd drive is built into the monitor (like this one). I'm curious what happens if the CD drive goes bad on you. Obviously, it would be a bit too expensive replacing the entire display, but the drive itself looks like it would have to be very slim to fit in there. Has anyone had experience with something like this, and if so, how hard is it to find a replacement drive? Just curious. :)

Other than that, this thing looks nifty. It would make a great in-car computer if it doesn't draw too much power.

What's the point?

[gUmbi]

Sure, it uses Bluetooth, but you still have to run power cables to each one of these things, a VGA cable to the monitor and worry about replacing batteries in the keyboard.

Smells fishy...

[houston_pt]

As anybody noticed the image on the screen is always the same in all the pictures? And no power cables shown...
Looks more like a model to me than a real working PC...

Re:Prettier outside, same junk inside

[Soko]

Yup.

No one realises that if the PC is going to be an information appliance, then it's not likely going to be very upgradeable. How many times have you swapped out parts on your toaster, or even your TV? Likely, you just go buy a new, better one that's already the way you want it. Only chipheads like us want an appliance that we can hot-rod for next to nothing. Welcome to the world of disposable goods.

There's also the argument that things like batter memory architectures and CPU-Perepheral interconnects are rapidly improving and changing, and it's WAY expensive to future proof a PC against changes in foundation architectures. A valid argument, it would seem.

However, when you think about it, why would a manufacturer make a PC that someone would want to keep for years and years by getting simple, cheap upgrades? The perpetual upgrade cycle keeps the PC makers (and the toxic waste disposal companies) in business. Supply/demand in action. Meh.

Soko

What's so special about it?

[Vess V.]

... besides the matching cute exteriors of the devices? We already have the "concept" of wireless mice and keyboards. Besides, why the hell would anyone want a wireless mouse, with its horriffic refresh rate?

Re:Only one problem...

[victim]

First off, design is cheap. Divide design cost by 1,000,000 computers and it vanishes. Second, problem is that PCs are designed. They are designed to minimize production costs while still being marketable. When people say paying for design they frequently mean paying for better usability, longevity, or aesthetics at the expense of low cost.

This can't be the product of a serious HP design effort...

Look at the pictures again and consider ergonomics.

• In the first picture (tall skinny) your right knee is going to be bashing into the CPU.
  
• In the second picture the helpful model has turned to face his cpu box which has no user interface funcations at all and will be twisting his head to the right all day to see the monitor.
  
• 3rd picture, not enough context to tell. Looks like it is back in knee bash position. Why is this cpu box taking up my desk? The CD is in the screen after all.
  

Now let's talk design. Just because this is different from the 20 year old PC form factor doesn't make it `designed'. Look at the display. Why is only 50% of the object's area useful display? Why is there a big handle on the bottom of it? I suspect it serves some other function, but it looks like a handle to me. Maybe I can hang my keyboard on the monitor handle? And no patententing the keyboard hanger HP, thats my idea.

I suspect we are not looking at a design effort, but rather some engineers were tasked to show what a bluetooth maximized PC would look like and produced a minimal vision.

Questions for future consideration...

• Why isn't their a bluetooth headset there. Integrate my music grade headphones, my voice control mic, and my telephone. Give me voice dialing while you are at it.
  
• Why isn't my PDA sitting there syncing through the bluetooth? Aren't we trying to sell a vision? show me!
  
• Why am I looking at the same old cubical design? You just took away 16" of monitor depth yet you are showing me a cube designed with a corner desk to hold deep monitors. This monitor is incompatible with corner desks! Revisit that. Shrink the cube or use the space. $20/sqft/year. Use it or lose it.
  
• I don't want to hassle with batteries. My freaking electric toothbrush charges inductively by sitting on a special base. Wacom powers their pointers and mice by wireless power transfer. Give me a little power mat I can place my keyboard an mouse on that will charge them. Make sure their battery can go a couple of days so I can forget once in a while, but let them recharge when idle. Consider solar power. It works for calculators in offices. Do my headset too while you are at it.
  
• Where is my video conferencing camera? Stick it in my display like a little pointable eyeball. you've got enough room! and give me a little shutter I can flip over it so I don't feel watched all the time. maybe one of those round things in the display is a camera and one is a speaker?
  

Intel marketing has been getting on my tits...

[glwtta]

ever since the P4:

"'Concept PC 2001' uses the power of the Intel® Pentium® 4 processor platform for future PC innovation."

What does that sentence MEAN?? How can a computer (even a Concept PC) use a platform to achieve future innovation?? Or is it just using a platform that's itself is a platform for future innovation? In that case, since when is a proccessor a platform for innovation? And lastly, what the hell does "platform for future PC innovation" mean in the first place???