Sexy Intel Computer Design Worth Big Bucks

An anonymous reader writes From a BBC article, "Intel is offering $1m in prizes to designers and manufacturers who can come up with sexier alternatives to the "big beige box". The competition is open to PC designers and manufacturers worldwide and each company may submit up to five different designs. The grand prize winner will receive $300,000 (£159,000) to enable the mass production of the system and $400,000 (£212,000) to co-market the design with Intel. The runner-up will receive up to $300,000 to help with manufacturing costs."

Comments

I like beige boxes

[NotQuiteReal]

Especially if they have flat tops.

I hate looking at some gaudy colored box in some has-been trendy shade.

The only think worse, is when they have an odd shape so that a CD case slides off the top. If it is going to be ugly you might as well be able to stack stuff on it.

Re:I like beige boxes

[x2A]

I don't think we should stop there. I want my TV curvy, my amp, my speakers around the room... in fact, the whole room, the floor, let's do away with flat.

Or maybe I'll just look at what's on the screen instead, and leave the computer case itself not screaming out for attention. If I ever want everything curvey for a while, I'll just take some of the special mushrooms :-)

Re:I like beige boxes

[47Ronin]

Instead of trying to innovate the outside which everyone has tried (and many fail to do), why don't people work on getting the INSIDE fixed?

I've seen many so-called "pretty" ATX cases that look fancy but the moment you open them up its like staring at the devastation of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Cables snaking and twisting everywhere, sharp metal edges and plastic tabs, screws... its a geek nightmare.

Some may deride Apple for the design of the Mac Pro case, but if you open it, you will immediately notice that they REALLY spent some time designing the layout of the interior parts. Heck even the the old Sawtooth generation G3/G4 towers (circa 1999) had that nifty side-handle design where the motherboard sat on a hinged door.

Re:I like beige boxes

[ColaMan]

The thing about a big beige box is that it's very useful. Big size, lots of space inside to cram all that microelectronics.

So if they get some sexy new design, will it take all my bits without drama?

Sexy boxes seem to be smaller, curvier and you never really know if that new card or motherboard or extra drive is actually going to fit without some metalworking skills. Normal size XT,AT and ATX cases were just one of the standard bits that helped make an IBM compatible machine compatible.

Re:I like beige boxes

[drsmithy]

Some may deride Apple for the design of the Mac Pro case, but if you open it, you will immediately notice that they REALLY spent some time designing the layout of the interior parts. Heck even the the old Sawtooth generation G3/G4 towers (circa 1999) had that nifty side-handle design where the motherboard sat on a hinged door.

The PowerMacs are certainly nice, but there's no shortage of PC cases - in both full-PC and component guise - that are just as good.

Our Dell Optiplexes, for example, are laid out basically the same as the Macs and just as easy to work in - albeit not quite as pretty (the drive sleds don't have covers, stuff like that).

Re:I like beige boxes

[hhr]

So True.

When an IBM designer was asked why IBM laptops were always boxes with sharp corners, he answered that curves waste space. Small, light, space effecient designs always end up being boxes.

Re:I like beige boxes

[bcat24]

Yeah, all the Dell PCs I've had the (mis)fortune to be working on are really nice and clean on the inside. Whatever you think about Dell, they put some thought into their case design.

Re:I like beige boxes

[WuphonsReach]

Define "pretty"?

Personally, I like most of the Antec cases (p160, Sonata II, Overture II). I think they're doing a good job of silent / quiet computing by moving things around and putting 120mm fans in.

Re:I like beige boxes

[Kanerix]

And you also have to figure out which magic tab to push/pull on to take the damn things apart. Why can't they use screws like normal people?

Re:I like beige boxes

[bcat24]

Because screws: are small, come in many different size, can get lost easily, and generally suck?

Re:I like beige boxes

[evilviper]

Cables snaking and twisting everywhere, sharp metal edges and plastic tabs, screws...

If so, it's just because the assembler didn't know what he was doing... Tucking IDE cables out of the way is pretty easy, and with SATA, it's now trivial.

Just route the cables in sane ways. If they're too long to fit neatly, loosly knot them, or tuck the excess in spare bays, around bars, or any other cavities.

but if you open it, you will immediately notice that they REALLY spent some time designing the layout of the interior parts.

You think that having metal pieces blocking everything you'd want to get to, is a good design?

There are many problems, and many good things they could do, but you haven't listed either.

How about being able to remove the motherboard without pulling out every individual (PCI/AGP/PCIe) card? How about standard CPU locations on motherboards, to make fan-ducting practical? etc.

Re:I like beige boxes

[Anonymous Coward]

If so, it's just because the assembler didn't know what he was doing... Tucking IDE cables out of the way is pretty easy, and with SATA, it's now trivial.

That's exactly the gp's point. A slide-click-install is a better design than one that depends on some assembler's whim about how he tucks the cable away (or not.)

You think that having metal pieces blocking everything you'd want to get to, is a good design?

Everything I want to get at? Let us see what most folks want to upgrade:

1) Increase RAM. Slide-n-click. Right there under your nose.

2) Increase storage. Slide-n-click. Right there under your nose.

3) Improve graphics. Slide-n-click. Right there under your nose.

4) Add wireless card. Slide-n-click. Right there under your nose.

And for your gripe about changing the motherboard - I can totally understand. Man, I too would be pissed if I had to have a new heart+lung+liver+kidney and the only way it could be done was to cut a hole in my chest. Damn, what was the designer thinking?

Re:I like beige boxes

[vidaddy]

So I go to Intel's website and look up "contest" and getta lotta nada. Where do I go to get my $1,000,000 for best design?

Re:I like beige boxes

[Anonymous Coward]

Small screws are not sexy.

Re:I like beige boxes

[Fred_A]

Small, light, space effecient designs always end up being boxes.

Actually with those constraints a sphere should do fine :)

Re:I like beige boxes

[Briareos]

Screw beige.

I'll take my Stacker tower over a beige box any day of the week...

Looks sleek, has more than enough space to fit anything you want and it's got quiet 12cm fans instead of noise 8cm ones...

So yeah, I'll just call "black and steel" "the new beige".

Re:I like beige boxes

[hr.wien]

5) Upgrade the CPU. A real bitch

Re:I like beige boxes

[Anonymous Coward]

Ahh.. I'm thinking back at the pizzabox Sparcstations... My SS 10 must have had one of the most elegant AND compact computer interiors I have ever seen.

Re:I like beige boxes

[saider]

but there's no shortage of PC cases - in both full-PC and component guise - that are just as good.

The real trick is getting a case and motherboard to work together. The case can be slicker than snot, but if the motherboard has the sockets in the wrong places, you will still have a spiderweb of wires when you are done.

Re:I like beige boxes

[mikael]

You should look at these places:

Faced with the challenged of building a large home on a small plot on the side of a steep ridge, the solution was to build the entire house on a single concrete column, with the entire floor space made octagonal to maintain stability.

Chemosphere (or Malin House) by John Lautner

Outside and inside the living room

Or maybe even a Pod house

And there's always Dymaxion House

Re:I like beige boxes

[engagebot]

I don't know...

I've been an IT guy for a while, and have worked on many a' Dell in my day. I just got a new Mac Pro at work though, and I've never seen any machine built as nicely. you have to crack one open yourself to believe it.

if you think the build quality of a mac pro == the build quality of a GX620, you have issues.

Re:I like beige boxes

[hhr]

I was referring to computers. Show me a sphere shaped computer, and I'll show you a smaller, lighter computer that fits in a box.

Re:I like beige boxes

[mattxmayhem]

yeah, because comparing people to computers makes for a really valid argument...

Re:I like beige boxes

[pimpimpim]

This is the same reason why people with cats still by crt monitors ;)

Re:I like beige boxes

[Technician]

in fact, the whole room, the floor, let's do away with flat.

Good idea, start here;

http://www.monolithic.com/

Re:I like beige boxes

[beaverfever]

The thing about these computers is that they are nice. Not everything in life needs to be practical, scalable or upgradable. Not everyone swaps motherboards or PCI cards or anything else out of their computer. Not every computer needs to be designed with these in mind.

In most instances, "nice" tends to be inefficient and impractical - luxury, even more so. This is the price of having something which is, well, nice. These computers don't compare to a moddable, upgradable box because it's not supposed to.

Some people want/need a pick-up truck, some people want/need a sports car.

Re:I like beige boxes

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's not forget about windows with rounded corners.
I'm pretty sure M$ was the one to start it but I see Gnome and KDE caught on as well.

Yuck.

Re:I like beige boxes

[TheJaff]

Some may deride Apple for the design of the Mac Pro case, but if you open it, you will immediately notice that they REALLY spent some time designing the layout of the interior parts. Heck even the the old Sawtooth generation G3/G4 towers (circa 1999) had that nifty side-handle design where the motherboard sat on a hinged door.

This is worth a reprise: http://www.lostbrain.com/features/powerstack/index .html

Re:I like beige boxes

[Poltras]

Long time no screwed, eh?

Re:I like beige boxes

[cbreaker]

That's all well and good for pre-packaged pre-fab units that are completely designed to spec. But what happens when you build your own machine?

There's no way to order a PSU with exactly the right length cables, or IDE cables that are exactly perfect, or etc. If you put a little bit of effort into it, you can tidy things up very nicely. Don't blame all PC makers for this crap because Dell is messy with cables.

Of course, on the other side of the coin - as long as the cables aren't impeding air flow, who cares? They're INSIDE the case. Unless you like case mods, you can't see them. Personally, I really don't care if the cables are in knots as long as they all reach and don't hit any fans.

Apple?

[setirw]

Are its machines not "sexy alternatives to the big, grey box?"

They run Intel processors, too.

Re:Apple?

[setirw]

That ought to read "beige box." I was thinking about my own InWin q500, which is more grey than beige.

Re:Apple?

[)parenthesis(]

The system has to be VIIV compatible, and (sadly) Apple's machines are not part of that branding strategy. The main missing component? Windows Media Center Edition. It's one of the integral components of the VIIV brand. (another thing that is missing is the Matrix Storage Technology from Intel.... but nobody really cares about that)

Re:Apple?

[PapayaSF]

Are its machines not "sexy alternatives to the big, grey box?"

Yes, my first thought on reading the story was: Why bother? Just cut to the chase and give Jonathan Ive the money. I'll bet the next case he does for Apple will be better than anything that comes out of this contest.

Re:Apple?

[zoeblade]

Are [Apple's] machines not "sexy alternatives to the big, grey box?"

I'm guessing this whole campaign is an attempt to stop Apple getting more of the PC market share. From what I heard, Jonathan Ive designed the iMac a long time ago, but market research showed that no one would actually buy it. Steve Jobs came back and was the only person who didn't believe the market research, so gave the iMac the go-ahead. Lots of people bought it, and companies started to realise that some people do actually care about the design of products they buy, even computers.

Re:Apple?

[Fred_A]

Can't you install Windows Media Centre on an Intel Mac ?

I never really looked into what VIIV was, I always translated that as "will probably run Linux".

Re:Apple?

[Osiris Ani]

I'm guessing this whole campaign is an attempt to stop Apple getting more of the PC market share.

And that would benefit Intel exactly how? One of my Macs has Intel Woodcrest Xeons and another has an Intel Core Duo. Considering the relative expense of the CPUs that Apple loads into their high-end desktop systems — at a minimum of two each — what would Intel have to gain by limiting the number they sell?

No.

[Kawahee]

Why don't we use what we've got already? If you want a box with curves you buy a box with curves. If you want a box that's going to sit there and look like you're not a gamer by profession then you can buy a normal box.

Or just buy an Intel Mac.

Re:No.

[Ucklak]

Really. Haven't there been these design challenges before. I seem to remember one from Microsoft when Win98SE came out. Same time of the Hot Wheels and Barbie PC.
What always happens is that some Alienware looking crap gets the attention but the Mac still wins for design.

Re:No.

[Tackhead]

> I seem to remember one from Microsoft when Win98SE came out. Same time of the Hot Wheels and Barbie PC.

The Barbie PC: Proof that a curvy pink box can be less sexy than a plain beige box.

Re:No.

[moosesocks]

That's really not the point.

I don't think Intel's looking for flashy. That would be like Volkswagen hiring a team ofricers to design their cars. Alienware's PCs are certainly flashy, and they certainly look like crap.

I think Intel wants something sophisticated and subdued. Apple's got this down perfectly with their aluminum enclosures, and it's pretty hard to deny the the G5, Mac Pro, and Mac Mini are damned sexy machines.

I simply don't get why dell can't just produce machines with clean lines and subdued colors. Minimalism is the easiest school of art to imitate.

Re:No.

[NMerriam]

I simply don't get why dell can't just produce machines with clean lines and subdued colors. Minimalism is the easiest school of art to imitate.

Minimalism is the hardest aesthetic to do well. Minimalism means every millimeter has to be exactly right. The corner radius has to be just right, every curve has to be smooth, every surface has to be flawless, every edge has to fit perfectly.

Re:No.

[Deadguy2322]

Don't knock the Hot Wheels and Barbie PCs. I picked up a set of the Hot Wheels speakers at a Wal-Mart for $3 when they discontinued the pcs. They had both designs, and the also had the CD cases and the steering wheel from the Hot Whels PC. The company supplying Wal-Mart got them all the accessories for the systems, but not enough pcs and monitors, so Wal-Mart cancelled the contract, and liquidated the extra product. To this day, I still have and use the speakers. (Yes, I have a fucked-up looking system. A Blue and White Power Mac G3, a grey and purple Sun 21" CRT and the blue-with-lames Hot Wheels speakers.)

Re:No.

[pipingguy]

Proof that a curvy pink box can be less sexy than a plain beige box.

Wait - am I supposed to infer that a subtle but crude reference to female body parts is being made here by computer nerds?

Re:No.

[Fred_A]

Minimalism is the hardest aesthetic to do well.

In defense of the OP, he did say "imitate", not "do well". As in, for example, Win 3 vs. Mac OS.
Which is the kind of output I expect from this contest.

However if they did get good industrial design studios interested, maybe something interesting could come out of it (I'm not holding my breath though). And by interesting I mean more interesting than a box. There already are a million casemakers with ranges going from subdued to paint peeling ugly, and also with a few nice clean designs (although I haven't seen the inside of those).

I tend to go with a black Antec tower at home. Not fancy looking but not too visible and well designed inside.

Re:No.

[virgil_disgr4ce]

Minimalism is not simplicity. It is most certainly not easy.

Easy.

[Anonymous Coward]

The big mirror-finish black box.

Can I have my money now?

Re:Easy.

[kfg]

Can I have my money now?

I can't do that, Dave.

KFG

ahem

[Audent]

www.apple.com/store

just deposit the cash in my account, OK?

Is it really this hard? I went to a trade show about five years ago and saw funky PC designs from some division of Hyundai that were orange plastic pyramids and things of that sort... It's Not Hard, just get on with it. Hire a designer, fer cryin' out loud.

Re:ahem

[The MAZZTer]

http://wii.nintendo.com/

I like this one myself. Yes, technically it's a computer. :) Although not Intel...

Re:ahem

[morgan_greywolf]

Have you SEEN the Mac Pro? I know a lot of people like it, but I really don't. I think it's rather utliarian, grey and ugly.

Go ahead, Apple fanbois, mod me down!

Re:ahem

[monopole]

No, No, No!!!
The PS3 is a computer! and There is only One (as verified by the current production news) and It's too cheap!
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/06/08/ 2115235

Re:ahem

[MrShaggy]

Why is this flamebait ?

Re:ahem

[BitwizeGHC]

The MacPro is trying to overwhelm you with GERMAN INDUSTRIAL MIGHT.

Re:ahem

[mblase]

Have you SEEN the Mac Pro? I know a lot of people like it, but I really don't. I think it's rather utliarian, grey and ugly.

So give Apple props for the iMac design instead. Widescreen LCD, computer hardware built into the box with the screen, tiny iSight camera right at the top, and if you spring a few bucks more, wireless keyboard and mouse too. The only thing you need a cable for is power.

You probably think it's bland, white and ugly, too. But you can't deny it's the most elegantly designed PC for sale anywhere.

Re:ahem

[Anonymous Coward]

from TFA:

The only condition is that entries must be powered by Intel Viiv technology, using the chip giant's Core 2 Duo processors.

Apple: only MacPro gets 1 out of the 2 requirements and it's not exactly Apple's sexiest machine.

As someone else put it, VIIV means Windows Media Center Edition - so Apple is a no/no.

Why is the parent not flamebait again?

Re:ahem

[drsmithy]

You probably think it's bland, white and ugly, too. But you can't deny it's the most elegantly designed PC for sale anywhere.

I think the internals could have been a lot nicer.

For example, I'd be more than happy to sacrifice a bit of size - particularly thickness, which is rarely even seen - to have a machine using a standard , replaceable PCIe video card (even if it was only half-length and/or low profile), a more easily accessible drive sled (like, say, the MacBook) and better ventilation so the damn thing didn't get so hot.

It's a bit surprising (well, apart from the non-upgradeable video), actually, as the majority of Apple machines have excellent internal layout.

(Talking about a G5 iMac w/iSight here, but as I understand it the Intel iMacs are very similar).

Re:ahem

[Anonymous Coward]

It doesn't use intel. Submission rejected. Next.

Re:ahem

[John Nowak]

The G5 iMacs do have an excellent internal layout. Open yours up and check.

Re:ahem

[drsmithy]

The G5 iMacs do have an excellent internal layout. Open yours up and check.

It's not actually mine, it's my mum's (although I did pay for it, so I suppose it is mine in a way...), and since she lives a long way away, it's hard to just pull it apart at a whim :).

However, this, this and this would suggest it's not as nice as earlier ones - particularly since you have to go in through the front, past the screen, to get at the guts of the newer models.

And I still think they could have used a (replaceable) PCIe-slotted video card without changing the iMac form factor much...

Re:ahem

[Jeff DeMaagd]

Supposedly the 24" iMac uses the MXM card slot, so you do get modular graphics.

The problem is, I think that's the least of the problems. There isn't much driver support for third party add-in cards, and there aren't (m)any add-in cards available that have EFI firmware.

Re:ahem

[toddestan]

So give Apple props for the iMac design instead.

Why? It's basically a big, ugly, white slab. You can't adjust the height of the display, and like a PC from 1998, all the ports are on the back. You have to move the entire computer to point the iSight camera at something. Open it up, and there isn't any thing you can add except for more ram. I don't really see the appeal of the iMac's design myself.

Re:ahem

[TangoCharlie]

OK, I admit it, I'm a Mac fanboi!

But, I agree with you.... the MacPro is ugly. But it's ugly in a stylish mean sort of way. I like it that way... however, there's no way I'm going to have one in my living room. Nor my Dell Dimenion. The Mac mini is, OTOH, a beautiful bit of kit. However, it's just a little bit under powered.....

The clear winner of the Intel money is the iMac. HP's and Dell attempts to do "integrated" PC's are just dogs dinners.

However, I think Apple could still release a small "desktop" computer, using the Core 2 Duo Conroe chip which would complement the iMac and the Mac mini. It would be a little more expensive than the Mini, but be more powerful. Becuase it would use less expensive components than the Mini (3.5" HDD, normal optical drive, Conroe CPU), it would benefit Apple's margins. Being somewat less powerfull than the MacPro would ensure it didn't eat into those sales. The only issue is whether it would compete unfavourably (for Apple) with the iMac.

One more thing.... Apple's iTV concept will be the nail in the coffin for the Media PC. It's a dead duck anyway, but the iTV box (and the cheap clones) will do what the Media PC has tried, and failed, to do.... PC's and TV's do different things. Apple has finally worked it out. The iTV brings the two together in a way that doesn't cripple either.

Gosh, that went a little OT. So, just toi recap... Apple's iMac gets my vote for Intels money!! :-)

(Did I mention I was an Apple fanboi?!)

Re:ahem

[o-hayo]

Here's some reasons why...

One power cable, there is one power cable that drives the whole machine. No power brick, just the cable. No VGA/DVI cables because of the integration. As it sits on the desk its very clean and neat. The only cables coming out the back of mine are Power, 1 USB (my G15 keyboard hosts the mouse port), 1 Ethernet. On a few occasions I've moved it from the office into the living room and plugged in the S-Video dongle to connect to our TV. I would never try this with a whole 'setup' machine but this thing was only a bit more trouble than hauling a laptop around, because of the lack of integrated keyboard and mouse.

Moving the entire computer is pretty easy because of the VESA compliant optional mount. My whole computer swings up and down, tilts, rotates, and I can push it out of the way if needed. Your argument is wierd anyway, *most* lcd monitors dont offer height adjustability so thats pretty normal for most folk.

If Apple pumped gaming-class hardware in their iMac (which my older G5 definitely does NOT have) I could see it being the ultimate LAN party machine. Its so easy to carry around compared to lugging basically an whole extra box (the computer).

Opening the case is pretty impressive, actually. It was very easy for me to upgrade RAM and add my Airport card. If I had to R&R the harddrive it looked rather straightforward too. I'm not sure what else you are supposed to be able to do with an integrated machine like that though...

So, none of that is appealing? Or are you just Mac Bashing for the heck of it?

Re:ahem

[toddestan]

Or are you just Mac Bashing for the heck of it?

It's just the reasons *I* don't like the design, that's all. I can live with cables, portability is not a big concern, I like the flexibility of being able to have the monitor seperate from the computer (yes, my monitor does height adjustment), and I like the upgradability of a tower over an all in one. So yes, the iMac does not appeal to me.

Why do they need a contest?

[mrchaotica]

If they want to give Apple an extra million bucks, why don't they just do it?

Re:Why do they need a contest?

[SeaFox]

If they want to give Apple an extra million bucks, why don't they just do it?

The machine has to be an Intel ViiV-platform PC.

Re:Why do they need a contest?

[Ken_g6]

Like the man said, if they want to give Apple an extra million bucks just to install Windows MCE (with BootCamp, of course) and a few extra bits of hardware, why don't they just do it?

Mini

[da_penguin]

I'd like SFF with only USB, ieee1394 ethernet and external power supply.

Re:Mini

[mrchaotica]

No DVI?

Re:Mini

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd like SFF with only USB, ieee1394 ethernet and external power supply.

With proper airflow that leads to the feature I want most: silence

Re:Mini

[maxwell demon]

Real hackers don't need a screen. If you need output, use the HDD LED.

Re:Mini

[SlOrbA]

I too.

The idea of useing USB or similar as a backbone is intriguing. I Don't mind if there is going to be a shift towards Entertainment systems modular structures.

Re:Mini

[jack_csk]

Interesting... the real hackers use COM ports for console
and I'm not talking about those hacker-wanna-be who redirect the output to headphone as morse code.

Re:Mini

[evolseven]

yah.. I always hooked the wires from the com port straight to my skin and interpreted the binary shocks..

Limiting Factor

[Kotukunui]

Just remember, unless the sexy new design can be stamped out in a factory in taiwan for the same cost as a biege box, it will be consigned to a niche of "interesting" designs and ignored as an oddity. Why do you think off-white is such a popular interior paint colour? Because its cheap and it doesn't clash with any other colour.

There are already cool, sexy pc case designs out there, but the biege box still rules. I suppose that Intel are trying to force this design into being a "success" due to their company-marketing-mass. Good luck. They are doomeed, dooooomed I tell you.

The biege box will just be tinted a shade or two, squished in shape a bit and then touted as a "breakthrough" in PC design. Leave the innovation to niche manufacturers like Apple.

Re:Limiting Factor

[westlake]

There are already cool, sexy pc case designs out there, but the biege box still rules.

I would have said it is Dell's wolf gray and black box that rules.

Re:Limiting Factor

[binarybum]

Leave the innovation to niche manufacturers like Apple.

  From Intel: We tried this, but then they went rouge and released a gigantic cheese grater. It was funny for a little while, but now we feel that something needs to be done.

Re:Limiting Factor

[NinjaFarmer]

I hear black is the new beige these days.

Re:Limiting Factor

[AtomicBomb]

The Intel competition is not really targetting for amateur, but companies who are already in the field. They probably want someone to make a cool but not necessary odd-looking box... Many generic PC cases are produced in China by small factories. A set of customised machine tools cost big money. Generic biege boxes allow a lot of standardisation. A lot of small components (e.g. the cover of the DVD slot, various plug and sockets) can be bought from the factory next door.

For something like the shuttle PC case, small factories do not have the resources to manufacture because of the tooling issue. Intel wants to see if anyone has this sort of cool idea in mind. If so, their prize money can possibly help launching a new line of PC product.

Sexy but still functional

[moore.dustin]

I do not think case mods fall under this as they are looking for a more attractive version of what they have. Hopefully we get some different options from this, but speaking generally, how much can you do different? If these are going to be mass produced, they have to have utility as well. By that I mean easy access to the hardware and logical placement of said hardware.

Apple has some good ideas on the boring concept of cases and they have been done well. I am expecting something that looks like a case, but has some extra features on the outside, both functional and visual. I hope this effort results in some serious advancement in how cases Work, Look, and Feel.

Re:Sexy but still functional

[kfg]

speaking generally, how much can you do different?

Ever see a cigar sphere?

Me neither.

KFG

Re:Sexy but still functional

[Anonymous Coward]

these are going to be mass produced

They are going to be CLONED.

--
I like my computers
as I like my women:
Big and Beige

cool looking computers

[celardore]

For a while, I was into case modding. I had my stepfather do the metal cutting and so on, because I'm an accountant; I don't know how to cut metal and if I can get others to do a better job for me for free then cool. I had him cut stylistic holes in the side panels and I installed neons and light cables etc. That was a couple of years ago though.

Now my PC is under my IKEA desk, so nobody sees the sides. I have a missing drive bay cover so you can see the coloured fans but thats it. Stylish PCs may be a big deal to some, but I lost that interest quite quickly.
Sure, your PC looks cool, but who really cares?

Re:cool looking computers

[Feyr]

people with more space and money than brains. males under 17 years old, and tarty females of all ages

Re:cool looking computers

[admactanium]

Stylish PCs may be a big deal to some, but I lost that interest quite quickly. Sure, your PC looks cool, but who really cares?

i think it all depends on what your concept of "stylish" is. i don't consider lucite windows, neon and leds on fans stylish myself but evidently a lot of case modders do. i like this initiative from intel. the main concern, of course, is anyone willing to pay a higher price for a nicer looking computer other than apple users? computers are a pretty significant part of whatever space they're in. doesn't seem too much to ask that they're not embarrassingly ugly.

Re:cool looking computers

[Descalzo]

"people with more space and money than brains. males under 17 years old, and tarty females of all ages"

... and mac-heads. That's not meant to be flamebait. Apple makes a good looking computer, and that's important to their users.

Re:cool looking computers

[Neoprofin]

I certainly do, ever night when I have to cover my computer from highschool with a blanket so I can sleep. One of these days those LCD fans are going out the window.

Re:cool looking computers

[Feyr]

and in your opinion, mac-heads don't have more money than brains?

Re:cool looking computers

[Richy_T]

Most likely when the PSU catches fire and the capacitors explode if you're covering it with a blanket.

Rich

in 5.. 4.. 3..

[v1]

we will see a comment mentioning apple getting copied.

Silly...

[Anonymous Coward]

Why didn't they just look at what the case modding community is doing? They've come up with some pretty awesome stuff already. And there's literally thousands of design ideas there to use.

It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this

[Virak]

Even though I won't be using any of them; why spend twice as much on something that's only going to be seen when I reboot my computers or install new hardware?

Completely transparent or lego

[Kamineko]

I think folks underestimate how striking completely transparent PC cases can look, or cases made from Lego bricks.

But then again, last time I brought this up, I was modded 'flamebait', :(

Y'all don't think that a rack-mount sequencer style PC (or console) case, together with rack-mount Hi-Fi (and other accessory) units would look the dog's nads?

Re:Completely transparent or lego

[ozbird]

I think folks underestimate how striking completely transparent PC cases can look ...

The FCC called; they want their radio frequency spectrum back.

Re:Completely transparent or lego

[tomz16]

Great... a display case for my dust collection!

-Tom

Re:Completely transparent or lego

[Drooling Iguana]

We need to find a way to make completely transparent circuit boards, chips, hard drive platters, etc. Look! An invisible computer!

Or, well, don't look. 'Cause it's invisible. Infer! The invisible computer!

Re:Completely transparent or lego

[bunions]

> I think folks underestimate how striking completely transparent PC cases can look,

No, I don't think they do.

I see that and think "ugh, fingerprint bonanza."

Also, you'd never sell it due to the FCC thingie that's already been mentioned.

Re:Completely transparent or lego

[cyfer2000]

how about a layer of salt water enclosed within two layers of Polycarbonate sheets. It should be able to hold the RF radiation while transparent. But my DVD rom looks really ugly...

Re:Completely transparent or lego

[frank_adrian314159]

Y'all don't think that a rack-mount sequencer style PC (or console) case, together with rack-mount Hi-Fi (and other accessory) units would look the dog's nads?

I think that's the problem...

Re:Completely transparent or lego

[Anonymous Coward]

dog's nads?
thats disgusting... oh wait i get it, excelent analogy.

Re:Completely transparent or lego

[Anonymous Coward]

I've got one of those cases. I like it a lot (although cooling is an issue), but then I'm a geek who thinks bare electronics looks cool. But it's not for everyone. Some people... cough females cough... think electronics is something ugly that should be hidden in nice friendly looking boxes.

Re:Completely transparent or lego

[Anonymous Coward]

There are several transparent cases already being mass produced and are selling.

Re:Completely transparent or lego

[Aladrin]

Yeah, it's not like anyone would have an entire page full of them for sale or anything.

I owned one of these, and they look great. But they are 'fingerprint bonanza' and mine turned yellow after a while. It was also very poorly designed and a serious pain to work on, so I upgraded to a Silverstone TJ06. Not real impressed with it either, but oh well.

rip off

[Besuro]

"You do the work, we'll reap the profit$"

Re:rip off

[larry bagina]

at least their prize is better than the slashdot (pt cruiser, alienware laptop).

Re:rip off

[geekoid]

who won that car?

Re:rip off

[jbourj]

The grand prize winner will receive $300,000 (£159,000) to enable the mass production of the system and $400,000 (£212,000) to co-market the design with Intel. The runner-up will receive up to $300,000 to help with manufacturing costs .

Who are they advertising this competition to? They are giving rewards with criteria on how to spend it---and criteria, I may add, that few people could meet. Indeed, the only 'people' that can effeciently use '$300k to enable mass production' are corporations.

And anyway, it doesn't look like there are any direct financial awards to the winners at all---maybe just a job offer from Intel.

Stackable? Modular?

[presidentbeef]

Something where you could have a few side by side or on top of each other or both would be nice, although I'm sure there are some like that already.

It would also be nice to have one that's like a table...as that's why they end up being for me anyways. Coffee table/computer? It's an idea...

Re:Stackable? Modular?

[Lehk228]

screw holes to mount Rack style brackets to conect as many devices as you want to a part of the case strong enough to support that much weight.

Who gives a shit?

[QuantumG]

Unless you're a student of design, who cares what your computer looks like? It'd be nice if it made slightly less noise, but then I'd just complain about the volume of the air conditioner.

Re:Who gives a shit?

[geekoid]

I would, and so would most married women.

Someone who can design on small, quite, and as few cords as possible would be a winner.

Mac Mini is a great design for 80% of computer users.
The remainder will build there own anyways.

Re:Who gives a shit?

[marko123]

Mac mini looks great until you need to plug in a bunch of peripherals, then it looks like a retarded spider. But to each their own. It does the job nicely for me.

Re:Who gives a shit?

[cowscows]

All other things being equal, I'd rather have a computer that looks nice than one that's just a plain box.

Plus, there's the hope that a company that would take the time and effort to make their machine look really nice cared enough to make the machine's insides work and perform well also.

Re:Who gives a shit?

[evilviper]

Mac Mini is a great design for 80% of computer users.

80% of computer users want 3.5" hard drives, that can store FAR more, transfer much faster, and aren't ridiculously expensive.

A good number of computer users will eventually use their expansion slots. TV-tuner cards are popular. Upgrading videocards isn't uncommon. USB2.0 PCI cards were common because people didn't want to buy a new computer for that improvement.

Mac Mini is fine for a good percentage of computer users UNTIL something significant comes around that the Mac Mini doesn't have. And it *will* happen in the near future.

Re:Who gives a shit?

[rjcarr]

"80% of computer users want 3.5" hard drives" Huh? More than 80% of users don't know the difference even if you told them which they have. "A good number of computer users will eventually use their expansion slots." A good number? Is this a joke? I can't think of a single non-technical person that has ever used an expansion slot. I can't think of the last time I needed to. I think you're a bit out of touch as to what the common computer use is.

Re:Who gives a shit?

[evilviper]

More than 80% of users don't know the difference even if you told them which they have.

No, but they quickly find-out, after purchase, that normal drives are cheaper, faster, and store more.

I can't think of a single non-technical person that has ever used an expansion slot.

You need to get out and meet people.

well, it's just about the case so...

[brunascle]

how does my case look? it's got 3 windows. 3!!! of course, the window on the side with the motherboard tray is pretty useless...

and, it may not be the smartest decision, since they get hella scratched up, but i've always been fond of the clear design

Re:well, it's just about the case so...

[Tadrith]

Hey, that's the same case I have!

No, literally. It's sitting right next to me. Awesome!

Other materials

[inKubus]

I always thought a nice high-end wood cabinet would look nice. Something you could slide a metal case into, it would protect the computer and look real classy.

Other than that, I think the real problem isn't the case but all the fucking cords. I have dual monitors so I have 4 cables just for the monitors under my desk, one for mouse and keyboard, ethernet, 2 for printer, plus an extra one for my portable devices. I know it's been tried before to make one fat connector to the monitor (apple..) but cords suck!.

Ok, plus fitting it into places. They should make a modular case that can transform between a desktop, tower and a cube so you can fit it into anywhere. Also, no screws, dammit! I like the Dell cases for PC stuff, they are pretty slick. MACs are almost antiseptic inside. For a server, a nice LCD on the front would be cool, for temp, fans, activity, etc.

A lot of people have their shit on the floor, so maybe carpet? would be a good covering. Ceramic tile looks nice too, for a kitchen box.

I think this is a stupid contest. What's wrong with the box? If I need compact, I get a rackmount. Otherwise, just make sure it proportioned, flat on top and maybe have wheels on the bottom, with brakes.

Re:Other materials

[Eivind]

Rigth-on about the cables.

A perfectly average nerd-pc these days may have cables for:

• Power
• Power to screen *2
• DVI to screen *2
• Ethernet
• USB-to-keyboard
• USB-to-mouse
• Digital or analog link to amplifier/speakers.
• USB-to-USB-hub (because the alternative, separate cables to camera,scanner,printer,mp3-player is worse)

Lots of people have more, but the above is pretty average. (for a nerd, not for a grandma)

It's out of control.

All devices that aren't physically tiny should be chainable. This means the USB-keyboard, USB-printer and USB-scanner should simultaneously have a built-in USB-hub. (I'm aware that there *exists* keyboards that are like this, but it's the exception)

Same goes for the screen. It should have a built-in USB-hub. It should-have built-in speakers of sufficient quality for grandma atleast. And it should do all this over *1* cable. (It should be perfectly possible to bundle DVI and USB without the cable getting much thicker)

Power too, should be chainable, it's frankly silly that you have 5 or so wall-warts each supplying perhaps 5W of power. A single, larger more efficient wall-wart would save power and clutter, in those cases where power-over-usb or power-over-ethernet can't be used.

Cheap advertising and development for Intel.

[The Living Fractal]

Let me get this straight, for only one million dollars Intel makes a 'contest' in which the true winners are.. Intel themselves!

Cost of the contest aside, they get free advertising (via word of mouth from places like /.) and, in the end, possibly even free development of a nicely designed PC.

Not that there's anything wrong with it... I guess it's just good business. Just don't ever think they're not purely doing it for their benefit.

I have to admit though, I like the idea. Maybe people will stop thinking that a PC that looks like an Alien is cool once this contest possibly produces something actually nice looking.

TLF

Re:Cheap advertising and development for Intel.

[rts008]

Lian Li is your friend:
(http://silverpcs.com/index.php?cPath=2_38&osCsid= f58ca57d979a54aca4d03dd5a07f876f)

Functional, good airflow, stylish to garish!

Moot point?

[Anonymous Coward]

I actually haven't seen a beige box for a few years now. There seem to be plenty of designs to choose from. What was the point of this contest again?

Why Just Companies?

[miyako]

I think the concept of offering a reward for someone who can redesign the beige box is a good one, but it seems like Intel is going after the wrong audience. It seems to me that if a company had an idea to make an amazing new design then they would already be doing it. I think a better idea would be to offer up a reward for individuals who have ideas, but not the means to actually start producing these things. Either buy the design and pay a reward, or else give the person seed money to start a business producing the things. I can think of a number of things off the top of my head that would improve the current design of the beige box, but I have no way of building one for the contest, nor do I suspect that what Intel is offering would be sufficient to get started in the business of manufacturing them.

simply send them a Mac Pro...

[MMHere]

... spend $4k, get paid $1M, profit $996K!

Err...built-ins?

[lymond01]

The most stylish thing you can do with a computer is hide the bloody cables. Ask anyone's wife.

My idea (and if you steal it and can manufacture it with $300K, my wife will love me for it):

Wall-Mounted LCDs with built-in computer hardware, wireless keyboard/mouse. Hide the wires in the wall the same way you do with any wall-mounted TV. A bluetooth DVD-CD drive built into the keyboard for data transfer and installs and you're golden.

Re:Err...built-ins?

[sottitron]

Just wall mount an iMac. No Viiv out of the box, but you could install windows to get Window Media Player.

Re:Err...built-ins?

[Anonymous Coward]

they did this as a case mod on tech tv's Screen Savers a long while ago. should be easy enough to do with laptop hardware too (already made for a slim form factor). as for inputs, use cordless devices.

Dr Who!

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.oricomtech.com/projects/whobot.jpg

I WIN! Muhahaha!

"Sexy" computer?

[Kelson]

What, like some sort of fem-bot or Steel Angel or something?

Or maybe with WWII-style cheesecake art painted on the side of the case?

I realize our society has become saturated with sexuality, but come on, people -- it's a box. You can (and probably should) make it more aesthetic, you can make it visually interesting, you can make it artistic... but I've always thought the term "sexy" was overloaded.

Just how arousing can a bunch of metal and plastic be, anyway?

Re:"Sexy" computer?

[Anonymous Coward]

Or maybe with WWII-style cheesecake art painted on the side of the case?

Mmmm... Cheesecake!

Far too many negative or...

[stubear]

...stupid "get a Mac if you want curves" comments, and many being modded as insightful. Granted, there have been very few Intel based PCs that have been contenders to win design awards but I've seen a few that are easily as good looking as many believe the Mac to be. Dell's M2010 is far better looking than then notebooks being sold by Apple. The Sony RS Series and LS Series are great looking desktops, the LS being the all-in-one like the iMac. The Sony Digital Living System is a great looking media center PC. It's all a matter of taste.

One of my favorite comments was this one, "Hopefully we get some different options from this, but speaking generally, how much can you do different?" Ummm, perhaps you are a) not the target for PCs like this and b) are not creative enough to design an elegant, stylish PC case. I'm always amazed with this attitude from geeks given that they'd be extremely passionate if one we re to say something equally as inane as, "why spend billions of dollars to go to the Moon or Mars? They're just lifeless rocks with no interest to anyone."

Re:Far too many negative or...

[trytoguess]

Rule of humanity. Few things are important, everything else is either not my concern, or asinine. Just because as geeks most folks here can care about things that society categories as the last option doesn't mean we're immune to this.

Re:Far too many negative or...

[coyotecult]

Er, except I don't see how Dell's M2010 would fit in my backpack. It's HUGE. (I wonder how much it weighs--I can't find that info.) And when I go to Design->Overview, it starts talking about staying connected with OPTIONAL a/b/g WiFi. Optional? On a $3,500 machine? What?

You may call it a notebook, but I call it a portable desktop replacement. It's kinda nifty looking, certainly, and has some really interesting design features, but I really think it's meant to fill an entirely different niche than Apple's notebooks, and so it makes sense that the design was formed under entirely different constraints.

Re:Far too many negative or...

[stubear]

The 17" MacBook pro is no lightweight system either. I will agree, however, that this is more of a portable desktop replacement (hence my interest in it actually) but it's also a full blown media center PC as well. I don't think there is a Mac of any flavor that can do what this machine does and remain portable. I commute to work but it's all of 15-20 minutes on a train. I don't need the most lightweight system available, I need a good desktop that I can sometimes take with me on vacations (to process my photos - RAW takes a little horsepower to process) and bring back and forth to work if necessary (would love to have After Effects on my system at work but this would do in a pinch).

Re:Far too many negative or...

[Jeff DeMaagd]

The 17" MacBook pro is no lightweight system either.

I think that unit weighs about 7lb.

If weight is a concern for a semi-mobile system, keep an eye on the tech specs. The Dell 2010 weighs nearly 19 pounds. That's getting pretty close to the weight of standard desktop, even though it is only using notebook chips - the T-series C2D Merom. So really, it's more competition for the iMac, not a Mac Book Pro. Dell sells far cheaper notebooks, I don't see the point in paying 2x-3x for a Dell desktop as a large Dell notebook.

Re:Far too many negative or...

[Jeff DeMaagd]

I must say, I really like that Sony Digital Living System. While the disc changers look really nifty, I think it's also unfortunate that it still relies on optical disc changers when all that data can be on a hard drive with much less physical space taken. I wish that type of system was available five years ago.

Re:Far too many negative or...

[Shag]

Dell's M2010 is far better looking than then notebooks being sold by Apple.

Yes, in much the same way that a Corvette is far better looking than an apple pie.

(The M2010 isn't a notebook. It doesn't even pretend to be a notebook. It weighs eighteen pounds, for Pete's sake - it's a luggable, at best. You could carry three Apple notebooks and be weighed down less. :)

Re:Far too many negative or...

[dr.badass]

The 17" MacBook pro is no lightweight system either.

6.8 pounds is decidedly less than than 18.3 pounds.

"Sexy" computers are crap!

[Anonymous Coward]

I am surprised anyone at a so called tech site like Slashdot would ever want a "Sexy" computer. I like my computers to be generic so they are upgradable and repairable by me. Its one of the reasons I would never buy an Apple. Anyone on this site purchasing a "Sexy" computer cannot call himself a technology enthusiast.

Emotional looking computers

[Anonymous Coward]

"Sure, your PC looks cool, but who really cares?"

Do you hide your car under your desk?

---

A small hint for all the potential designers out there. Try using a game engine (and tools) as a poor mans solidworks.

Re:Emotional looking computers

[fotbr]

"Sure, your PC looks cool, but who really cares?"

Do you hide your car under your desk?

What a silly analogy. Both should be form following function. Plexiglass windows and cold cathode tubes have as much place in a computer as carbon fiber wings and neon lights have on honda civics.

Computers are TOOLS people. TOOLS. They are NOT fashon statements. Go back to treating them as tools, and not as the object that your entire life revolves around.

Re:Emotional looking computers

[Jerom]

So cars aren't tools but PCs are?

Care to expand a bit on that.

Not flaming just curious.

Regards,

J.

Re:Emotional looking computers

[fotbr]

They're tools too, but by their nature they're not stuffed under a desk. And yes, people that let their life revolve around their car(s) are just as silly as people who insist that their computer needs windows and glow-in-the-dark cables and cold cathode tubes to show off their oh-so-special-yet-outdated components.

Sexy Computers?

[Anonymous Coward]

I am not so sure I would even want to go there.
I am not so sure that sex and computers go together.
Money is good, but then some hookers get paid well.

Computer as consumer appliance

[BearRanger]

It's probably obvious, but it seems that Intel wants to remove the business stigma associated with beige boxes. Non-geeks just aren't going to want to have they typical Wintel box in their living room. Rightly or wrongly, marketeers believe this is the reason for the failure of the media PC.

Intel wants a platform to showcase their multimedia technologies. They can't convince Apple to use them, so offering a US$1 million prize is a lot cheaper than Intel doing it themselves.

Re:Computer as consumer appliance

[photomonkey]

Somewhat offtopic, but I think the reason for the failure of media PCs are that people simply do not have the technical aptitude/want to use them. The average person doesn't even want to learn that a PC is a possible way to watch a DVD on their TV. They have DVD players with less than 10 buttons to do this. People don't want to worry about which TV will work with their computers either. I really can't believe it is the aesthetics of the case keeping them away from media PC's.

Hardware?

[Aphoric]

We still talking about computers here?

Re:Hardware?

[Ucklak]

Story with a small picture of the 'designed' personal computers.
http://news.com.com/Barbie,+Hot+Wheels+PC+delivery +lags+in+holiday+crunch/2100-1017_3-234533.html

Epinion of the PC
http://www.epinions.com/kifm-Toys-All-Barbie_PC/di splay_~reviews

NeXT Computer shaped like Human Head

[SimHacker]

Steve Jobs already turned down the sexiest shaped computer possible (well, excluding naughty bits):

Sometimes his quest for creativity had comical results, like when Steve Jobs searched for the most innovative designers of the day to create the shape and look of the new machine. He noticed a London firm that won a contest for its styling of a flashlight, and he hired the firm to build a prototype for the NeXT computer.

When the work was completed, Steve and Bud Tribble flew to London. They sat in a conference room looking at a shrouded form on the table. These guys had the same sense of drama Steve did! The British designers talked at length about the thinking that informed their approach. Then, finally, they pulled off the shroud and revealed... a computer in the shape of a human head!

(from "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs")

With a case like that, you'd need to hire a Phrenologist to fix your computer when it goes on the fritz.

-Don

Re:NeXT Computer shaped like Human Head

[SimHacker]

Another advantage of standardizing computers to be shaped like human heads: Rich computer-phobic people can hire real humans to sit under the table and stick their head up through a hole.

-Don

Re:NeXT Computer shaped like Human Head

[Richy_T]

And protecting your important data is as simple as taking off your tinfoil hat and placing it on the computer.

Rich

Barbie PC: no math co-processor

[SimHacker]

Math is hard, so the Barbie PC uses the Pentium to guess at the answer in software.

-Don

Re:Barbie PC: no math co-processor

[AoT]

And the Pentium says "Floating point operations are haaaaaaard!"

How is that flamebait?

[Anonymous Coward]

I also have the same pet peeve - "design for design's sake" sucks! How about design for functionality?

Re:How is that flamebait?

[Anonymous Coward]

I completely agree. I believe Dell has finally fixed this, but why they ever put USB ports behind a flap that doesn't completely open, that opens from the bottom, is at an angle, and has a concave back preventing many USB devices from plugging in correctly is still a mystery. The person that designed that rode the small bus to school and still isn't sufficiently potty-trained.

This should worry you all...

[gsn]

It is not just about getting things to look sexy - its about getting things to look different. Getting things to look different cosmetically is the first step towards actually making them different.

I think the trend is to get rid of the PC as we know it and slowly replace it with devices that can only do specialized tasks - an Xbox for gaming, a Media Ceter PC that replaces your TV and audio system, a buisness PC for making that ugly slide show. Sell the same basic hardware, throw in a few specialized devices like that fancy new graphics accelerator and physics processor for the Xbox, a nifty tuner card and remote for that Media center thing and and make sure that printer and scanner only work with the BizPC. Make the software dumb "Click this button and everything will just work its so simple." Ofcourse you make the case and software look different so that Joe Schmoe could never even dream that his Xbox could run his little spreadsheet app no problem.

Sell all three to Joe, charge obscene license fees for the software - maybe pull a TiVo to ensure only your own software works with your hardware. While you are at it charge an extra 500 bucks because the Xbox case was designed by Armani and looks sexy.

This is great for buisness but it should scare most of you since /.ers do more with their computers than Joe Schmoe.

[/tinfoil_hat]

Why is design so expensive for PCs?

[Anonymous Coward]

...stupid "get a Mac if you want curves" comments, and many being modded as insightful. Granted, there have been very few Intel based PCs that have been contenders to win design awards but I've seen a few that are easily as good looking as many believe the Mac to be. Dell's M2010 is far better looking than then notebooks being sold by Apple.

The M2010 starts at $4000, or $1200 more than the biggest MacBook.

The Sony RS Series and LS Series are great looking desktops, the LS being the all-in-one like the iMac.

The LS starts at $2100, or over twice as expensive as an iMac. At that price, it's not really a consumer PC.

The Sony Digital Living System is a great looking media center PC. It's all a matter of taste.

Apparently, if you have "taste" on the PC side you have to pay an arm and a leg for it.

Why is it that PC folks used to go on forever about how expensive Macs were, and now that Apple switched to Intel processors (and kept their prices almost exactly the same) comparable systems are so much more expensive from Dell?

Re:Why is design so expensive for PCs?

[stubear]

We weren't talking abour price, we were talking about style. I demonstrated three PCs (by the way, did you compare the options of each before spouting prices?) that were easily as stylish as Macs, and in my opinion more original and stylish than Macs. I'm thinking about getting the M2010 as a portable dektop replacement when I retire my current system. It's easily powerful enough to use a graphic design system and it's portable so I can bring it back and forth to work and use Dreamheaver on the PC instead of my crapintosh (Dreamheaver sucks on OSX). I wouldn't mind getting a Sony Living System when I get around to finish remodeling my family room and purchase a 40-50" HDTV.

Re:Why is design so expensive for PCs?

[toddestan]

Why is it that PC folks used to go on forever about how expensive Macs were, and now that Apple switched to Intel processors (and kept their prices almost exactly the same) comparable systems are so much more expensive from Dell?

Of course the novelty form factor PCs are the ones that cost so much, as the volumes are low since most people opt for the cheaper, faster, and more upgradeable biege/grey/black boxes instead. Besides, why does the cheapest tower from Apple cost $2500?

Re:Why is design so expensive for PCs?

[zeroduck]

Because the cheapest tower you're refering to isn't aimed at Joe Sixpack.

Re:Why is design so expensive for PCs?

[toddestan]

Because the cheapest tower you're refering to isn't aimed at Joe Sixpack.

Obviously not, at that price tag.

The box should not be visible in the first place..

[dinther]

Who gives a flying rats arse about how the box looks like as long as it is quiet and doesn't accumulate dust. The big problem with today's PC design is that they think I want to interact with the box. As a result they put user periferals in the box which is stupid because now I have to place the box where it is accessible and thus visible. My design would place the DVD drive in a keyboard with a single multi function cable (Audio, USB, SATA, power control, and various indicators like PWR and HD) running to an invisible box hidden well out of view and if possible on the other side of the wall in the toilet or above the ceiling. The key to a good PC design is not in the box! It's in the keyboard (pun intended) Single USB/Multi card reader socket at the top for your flash drive and so on, USB hub at the read and a DVD slot on on the right side.

Sexy

[iminplaya]

That means fast, right? I thought so. Just like blue neon lights make my Honda hover and go faster. Oh... it says it's worth "big bucks". Well, that's true, I guess. You what else is worth big bucks? Sexy intelligence reports. If I want sex, I think I'll stick with people...Eeewww.

Haunting

[kahrytan]

I suddently got a mental picture of Disney barbie case.

and

A Open Source project group should get together and build a case. And the money won could be used to fund the project.

Re:Haunting

[Dynedain]

There was a Barbie PC, and a Hot Wheels one as well... Just rebranded/colored HPs if I remember correctly.

Re:Haunting

[kahrytan]

I am aware of this. It's why I was reminded of it. They were ugly pcs.

mmm...tarty....

[Anonymous Coward]

[n/t]

Why are we still putting computers in a box?

[Yremogtnom]

I mean... haven't we (the computing industry) been doing that since computers were invented! Isn't it about time we stop putting computers in a box, and put them where they'll be useful? For example, why can't my Arnette's include a VRD that's wirelessly connected to the processors in the sole of my shoes, which are also wirelessly connected to my belt buckle, which also doubles as a high-speed removable USB flash drive?

Department store shoppers give a shit.

[Freaky Spook]

You may not give a shit about what your case looks like, but in the retail market where PC's sit on shelves the shoppers do care more about how their PC looks then really what it does.

Just recently I build a computer for a friends parents with a nice low profile Micro-ATX desktop/tower case and a 19" LCD monitor. It replaced a huge white box & 17" CRT on their desk and after some cabling cleanup it made their study look bigger and much nicer.

They were so impressed they showed it off to their friends, and within a week I had requests for 4 more.

People do care about the asthetics of what they buy when they want it for more then just basic functionality, the computer speed & jargon goes right over their head and they just want something that works well and looks good.

Re:Department store shoppers give a shit.

[QuantumG]

What do you people not get? The home market is miniscule compared to the corporate market.

Re:Department store shoppers give a shit.

[Freaky Spook]

The home market may be miniscule compared to corporate, but its still a market to take. Why would intel want to surrender their Viiv platform to other competition simply because the market isn't as big?
Its still a market, people are still prepared to pay for it, so that means there is demand.
If there is demand for the product then its worth making it, and shipping it.

Now more then ever we have MS/Intel/AMD/Apple starting to try to push PC's into living rooms and people want them to look good and stylish.

Re:Department store shoppers give a shit.

[QuantumG]

So the concept of diminishing returns means nothing to you. Fine.

Re:Department store shoppers give a shit.

[evilviper]

It replaced a huge white box & 17" CRT on their desk and after some cabling cleanup it made their study look bigger and much nicer.

I hate to tell you, but the tower didn't have anything to do with it. It was all the large CRT wasting space.

Put the tower it on the floor, under or beside the desk, and nobody will ever notice it (unless we're talking ultra-cramped New York apartments).

Re:Department store shoppers give a shit.

[Fool_Errant]

Perhaps, but in this case, the home market is what is targeted with the 1M dollars in prizes. It doesn't matter that it's a smaller market than the corporate one; it matters that guaranteed money is there and that whosoever wins in the consumer market can potentially make a killing in the corporate one. After all, Dell started in the home market and made itself a corporate powerhouse by winning mindshare and marketshare there. It's now the number one corporate manufacturer. Guess what? Intel realizes that the home market influences the corporate one. There's other benefits to Intel too; if the VIIV platform works well enough, AV servers are likely to become big bucks, and while many US families have only one or two computers, most US families have a TV per person. If all of them are VIIV-enabled with Intel processors, Intel's just gotten a massive boost to their bottom line in the consumer markets.

Case modders...

[EmbeddedJanitor]

... are generally technical wannabes who can't hack the real stuff.

Re:Case modders...

[Anonymous Coward]

yes - the "real stuff". Working in IT is as interesting as being a plumber.

Re:The box should not be visible in the first plac

[Joe The Dragon]

nvidia does have a cool looking box for video cards we should be looking to things like that. I think a Monitor stand with video cards in it is a cool idea.
http://www.nvidia.com/page/quadroplex.html

Re:The box should not be visible in the first plac

[dinther]

Oh, and while on the subject of keyboards! Can someone tell these morons to stop messing with the keyboard layout. Cursor keys, Page up/down, INS,DEL,END and Home used to have a standard place. It worked fine for decades so leave it alone unless you find a breakthrough that makes me type twice as fast!

I recently bought a new keyboard and had to return it because if had these keys laid out differently causing untold grief. I instead managed to score an "old" keyboard somewhere so at least work and home have the same keyboard layout.

SGI

[Midnight Thunder]

SGI also had a few mighty fine designs for their desktops, but looking at their product range now it seems like the gave up on the desktop. Some links: http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=SGI&ie=utf-8&o e=utf-8&sa=N&tab=wi

Another old design which still looks good comes from what was NeXT: http://www.channelu.com/Turbo/NeXT/i/cube1a.jpg

Obligatory

[iroll]

Anybody remember the last time intel came up with a sexy new desktop design

Re:Obligatory

[Ster]

That's not a computer, that's a model of a Ha'tak! The Goa'uld have invaded Intel! Call SG-1!

Television component

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the solution is to design computers (home computers) as black boxes with a similar form-factor to other television components so that it can be piled into the stack, invisible because its just another component. Then link to it wirelessly with your laptops or create a wireless SunRay type box to link to it from the office.

For the enterprise SunRay type boxes are the solution. Perhaps designed to hang off the back of flatscreen monitors or small and bland to sit next to the monitor unobtrusively.

Re:Television component

[ratboy666]

This is already available. My media computer was in a "beige box" -- I considered bulding a cabinet for it, but instead bought an "HTPC" case. The one I selected was the "ThermalTake Tenor". It looks like a piece of Audio/Video kit. Indeed, it is stacked with my VCR, and looks like it belongs. There are also the Mozart and Bach cases from ThermalTake; but my next case will probably be the Silverstone LC20M.

What is important is that (1) the HTPC case has feet (with some cushioning), (2) has a flat top and (3) be a standard size. All of which facilitates stacking with the other Audio/Video stuff.

Cables are another issue -- My HTPC has 10 cables connected to it. Some kind of external cable routing system, or an elimination of some of the cabling would be good. My surround sound/DVD player has 21 wires plugged into the back of it (so the HTPC isn't the worst). The TV has 13. And I can't be the only one with this issue.

There probably is a market in cable organizing and labeling sets for HT installations. Label both ends of a wire; collect and bind some of them, and attractive covers (say 3) for the major cable nexus points. In a choice of colours.

I do applaud Intel for sponsoring this effort; it may bring the price of nice looking cases down. Because right now, the HTPC case is 3 times the cost of a beige box (and more expensive than the "super cool gaming box").

YMMV
Ratboy

Don't start so high next time

[flooey]

Too slow!

Jonathan Ives Is Going To Do This One

[rogerborn]

But he is going to do it under a pseudonymn, since he works for Apple,
and has designed all the Macintosh and iPod devices.

His super-secret pseudonymn will be ROGER BORN.

He will also use the following addy -

*** ****** ***
Ridgecrest CA 93555

(that's where they can mail the prize money)

Regards,

Actually it's the introduction of fashion...

[Colin Smith]

An attempt to get people to change their system on a yearly (or less) basis. It's all about selling more chips. Why do you think they made mobile phones into fashion items?

You know...

[Mantrid42]

Some of us like the big beige box. My current PC was a gift, so its got a sexy case, but my old PC was in a gray box. Or, rather, it had the frame of a gray box. I like leaving my computer open. It helps with ventilation, and I like the cyberpunk look of exposed electronics.

Re:You know...

[Phroggy]

If leaving the case open helps with ventilation, your engineering sucks ass.

Apple

[sethwm2]

Yeah I think that Intel is finaly getting it. They need to try to be cool, just like there partners Apple are. I think that the should not waste time and money on the cases and leave it to Apple and third party companies. Microsoft tries to be cool and all they come out with is more seg-faults and failures. Who ever can be smooth, calm and popular with people will win

What are we really talking about here

[Original Replica]

That is the real trick isn't it? Getting the smaller curvier ones to take all of your bits without drama...

Re:What are we really talking about here

[rts008]

How true, how true!

Re:What are we really talking about here

[freakmn]

I'm not so worried about the taking of the bits as I am with the processing of the bits and bytes. I mean, you don't want a mistake like the old Intel Pentium chips back in '94, where the math is all wrong and everything. I mean, that's what a computer is for, right? Processing bits and bytes?

...

Oh crap, you were talking about women? Dang, and I thought this was slashdot.

I like big boxes and I can not lie...

[Anonymous Coward]

"The only think worse, is when they have an odd shape so that a CD case slides off the top. If it is going to be ugly you might as well be able to stack stuff on it."

Well you're going to hate the Sir Mix-a-Lot computer case.

I can think of several ideas

[davidwr]

Computer disguises that just might sell:

1950s-starlet-manniquines, with the CD drive in just the right place.
[for those geeks who know they'll never get the real thing]

A toaster, with 2 cd drives.
[Also makes for a good Battlestar Galactica pun]

A table lamp. Yes, a real, working, lamp with an honest-to-goodness 60W incandescent light bulb.

A stack of WIRED magazines.

A stack of Sports Illustrated magazines for the incognito look.
[Software includes PDFs of every swimsuit issue ever made.]

A couch. Yes, the couch you sit on while watching TV.
CD drive is the crevice between the cushions.

A cell phone. Oh wait, today's cell phones are computers. Nevermind.

Wall decorations. Oh wait, that's been done too.

--
In most cases, the monitor will be the TV, the primary control will either be a TV-remote control-like device or voice command, with a wireless keyboard optional.

I agree.

[neoshroom]

I agree. The Mac Pro is a horribly ugly, grey, utilibrarian machine.

However, the PowerMac G5 is an beautiful, silver, understatehood work of art.

They both come with built in native spell-check for all major applications.

Re:I agree.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm confused. If you're being serious, I don't think you seem to understand that the PowerMac G5 and the Mac Pro have nearly identical external appearances. If you're trying to be funny...stop. You don't have the knack.

Thinkpad?

[spud603]

Call me crazy, but I think the IBM Thinkpad, at least some of the older models, are really pretty machines.

Simple black box

[Ankur Dave]

I find a completely black, very rectangular box to be very good-looking. Completely black, meaning no lights on the outside (except maybe a small, dim power light), no windows, no silver fan grills, etc. Two black buttons, located at the top of the front of the case: Power and Reset.
So that the final thing looks solid, stable, and powerful, but still doesn't attract any attention.

early sony vaios had more design effort than macs

[Anonymous Coward]

at least, any macs since the original 128k Mac.

http://www.vaio.net/sonyvaio34.html

One designer, who picked the name for a specific reason, the colors for a specific reason, etc.

They were beautiful until Sony transformed them into differntly-colored beige boxes with the R* series.

why not link to the intel comp?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why oh why oh why oh why do so many posters to slashdot link to an article about something, instead of linking to the thing? You could provide the link to the bbc article *as well* but you should link to the comp. You idiot.

And most of the articles you people link to are almost word-for-word copies of press releases, so please take the time to find the press release on the companies web site in that case, and link to that, not the shoddy journo's crap copy. You idiots.

http://www.intel.com/idf/corechallenge.htm

Very "Sexy" computer?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Just how arousing can a bunch of metal and plastic be, anyway?"

Own a fleshlight?

Cigar boxes

[Original Replica]

Maybe a nice laquer cigar box is the answer. Imagine this as your desktop. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/churchill/interactive/ _html/wc0001_1c.html

There you go....

[CyanDisaster]

http://www011.upp.so-net.ne.jp/kat2/pc/ern005/ekan a.htm

Sexy enough for you?

Hope be with ye,
Cyan

The problem with PC companies...

[SuperKendall]

You know what's funny about the Dell laptop you listed, it has a picture with big radio waves coming out of a woman's head on the screen.

I'm not complaining about that looking kind of goofy. What I am complaining about is that it had big "1.3 Megapixels" over it, telling you the resolution of the camera built into the screen.

It occurred to me then - I don't even know the resolution of the camera in the screen of my Macbook Pro, nor do I care. Undoubtedly you could find it in one of the many specs listed in small text for the Macbook Pro, but they don't sully the ability to examine the computer with giant text like that. As it is, I really have a hard time from the product shots saying if I think the Dell laptop is a good design or not.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that even if a PC company comes up with a good design, users may never know because so much PC marketing gets in the way of being able to actually see the computer, and not the specs. This is a holdover from years of PC sales but companies need to get over it.

Re:The problem with PC companies...

[pimpimpim]

Yeah, I tried to get a better view of how the thing was constructed, before I'd buy it I would like to see how solidly the keyboard attaches to the rest, for example. But nowhere you can see a picture of that. On an apple website they would probably have put up a closeup of such details on it.

The concept on itself is nice, I know a lot of people who don't want a box, be it beige or anything, in their house and end up buying a laptop. These laptops are not used at any other place then at home, often even at the same desk all the time. Point is they are light and small. In such cases you could of course buy an iMac, but in the case you would transport that you run the risk of damaging in it as it is not really made for that. This Dell tries to be the computer for these people but it's a little bit ugly looking in some way I didn't figure out yet. Maybe they should realize that probably half the people that buy a pc by now are women, and that most women don't want a thing in their home that looks as if it was a prop in a 90's sci-fi movie.

Why do that

[SuperKendall]

Why should we mod you down when we can all laugh at you instead?

Thus, all your Funny mods... :-)

no longer beige

[harlemjoe]

in my personal experience, almost all cases now come in black, grey, blue or a similar dark shade. I haven't seen a beige box in a long, long time.

Deskracks

[agendi]

I'd like for someone to design a desktop rack. Modular yet small enough for a PC or two with some space for firewalls and smallish patch panels etc. just something that can be used to keep things tidy without the size (and weight) of commercial racks.

My box is sexy...

[8ball629]

Am I the only one who dresses up their box in sexy lingerie? O_o

tangent: laptop replacing desktop/tower anyway

[jmacleod9975]

I have noticed that many people just use a laptop instead of a full pc nowadays. Now that you can get 1 from dell for around $500 with wireless, why bother with a whole pc. Most people are happy with the power of a p3, so any new laptop you get will be more than sufficent for most stuff people want to do (browse internet, send email, process words). Someone mentioned the cable mess, which laptops with wireless mostly eliminate.

I really think that laptops are where the consumer and corporate market are going. What improvements could be made to the basic laptop design?

Re:tangent: laptop replacing desktop/tower anyway

[Anonymous Coward]

batteries that don't explode????

Re:tangent: laptop replacing desktop/tower anyway

[JustNiz]

The only reason I don't use a laoptop is becuase they suck at gaming compared to the same money spent on a desktop solution. Plus desktop GPUs and lots of ram are pretty much a necesssity for hardcore gamers.

Re:tangent: laptop replacing desktop/tower anyway

[enrevanche]

It's really nice to have a workstation I leave on all of the time. I can check email etc. with no wait time. Plus storage capacity etc. is so much easier on a desktop. I have a laptop as well, but at home, the desktop is so much more comfortable to use. On the other hand, it does take up space that could be used for other things. Also, I have a low-power desktop, but most desktops are power hogs.

Re:tangent: laptop replacing desktop/tower anyway

[dave420]

Upgradeable components? It's rather expensive to upgrade the integrated GPU on a notebook :)

Look no futher then SGI ...

[lorg]

SGI are borderline pushing up the corporate daisies arn't they? Look no further then the SGI O2, doesn't get much better then that, all other boxes can eat blue dust.

So just toss some of that Intel cash their way and it could be theirs.

Re:It'll be interesting to see what comes out of t

[mr_matticus]

That's the point of the contest, though--to design a computer that you don't need to hide in a cabinet. If you keep your boxes in a closet somewhere, then obviously what comes of this is totally irrelevant to you.

I got a new idea

[CrazyJim1]

Put the computer inside the keyboard.

Re:I got a new idea

[zoftie]

laptops are way too fragile, i think with decent amount of flash ram a computer that i can bring around anywhere without worrying that i might drop it. screen and harddrive will always be the issue. Well if they can may magnetic connect display connectors like apple has for the powercord, will be feasable -> wear and tear of monitor connection. Something like some 1-2 ghz celeron-ish with passive 9600 card and 8 gigs of flashdrive ram.

Re:I got a new idea

[Anonymous Coward]

Amiga called, they want their A600 back...

well, you need a roomba...

[Anonymous Coward]

...and the Clapper, and some sensors under the rug in front of your sleeze-E-boy chair (or uberGPS if you are good). You sit down, two sharp claps! The roomba, with your mounted computer on it (inside another roomba shell, stacked), comes sliding into the room and and arm extends up and over to you with a tray on the arm and it has the remote, the keyboard and a mouse. It's all wireless with your 100 inch projector. Done with your session, one clap and the roombaPC goes back to the electronic slave quarters, out of sight. Added bonus if it has a tow hitch for your kegbot.

sgi computers!

[jigjigga]

Especially the indigo, so simple, looked awesome. They work, but 100 dollar brushed aluminum or 10 dollar cheapo plastic cases are not much to choose from.

Big Bucks? Hah!

[Tsu Dho Nimh]

A million is not enough to get anything into production.

It's a cheap ad campaign.

Resistance is futile....

[CFD339]

...you will be approximated.

Re:GNAA

[goarilla]

you should be ashamed !!!

Don't misuse the death for your trolling fuckface
i hope the slashdot ops once come to realise to just scrap your damn account!

Scanner as consumer appliance

[Anonymous Coward]

You'll note that scanner makers partially solved their particular problem by putting functional buttons on the front. e.g. Fax, print, copy, E-mail. Keyboard makers do something similiar.

Re:The box should not be visible in the first plac

[Anonymous Coward]

Throw in a PCMCIA port and you've just described a laptop without the screen.

Now what would be cool would be a laptop with a removable screen. Mount it on the stand when your in "desk" mode, attach it back to the puter when your in "travel" mode. Make it adapatable so if you want an ultra swank 64" laptop screen to impress the people sitting next to you on the airplane attach it on, or if you want an ultra portable 12" so you can actually open your computer while on the plane go with that one.

-Coward who prefers to remain anonymous

So why is it beige not white?

[kt0157]

Because everything in America is beige? Talk about a country founded by puritans..

K.

Just give that money to Antec

[sinij]

Just give that money to Antec

The plain box works

[Monsuco]

Why would intel change things, the box works. It is efficient, inexpensive, and intel has made millions off of it. Apple has not done nearly as well as the :beige box" Dell and HP have. Plus Apples are very expensive and they have crappy nonstandard hardware.

That's just the thing!

[Gorimek]

The main attratcion of Macs is that they're utilitarian. They're practical and easy to use. You get things done quickly, easily and enjoyably (if that's a word).

They're also made to be neat looking. And that's nice too, but quite secondary.

In the case of the box, the attractions are that it's very easy to carry, very easy to open up and well organized inside. Not that much it seems, but it makes them vastly superior to any PC case I've seen.

Zero Footprint PC

[Czaries]

A company has already gotten rid of the "big bad box" and put an entire computer into the keyboard. They are calling it the zero footprint pc. It has a cd-drive on the side, usb ports, and flash card readers on the front, just like many other people have already suggested for computer designs. Why not just give them the $1Mil and call it good?

Yes please...

[Nicolay77]

I really want better designs.

I have a nice case, it's black and metallic, and has a handle on the top with some curves.

I also want to buy a new one, but current designs are sooo dawnnnn uglyyyyy...

To me... any F@#$% change in the current "we are squared cars, without wheels, but with radiators and front lights" is an improvement.

Armor

[Anonymous Coward]

Sleek looking laptops are effeminate. A man's laptop should be bright yellow with black rubber armor around the corners. Put a name like De Walt on it and you've got a winner.

Here's my entry...

[Brad1138]

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/6172/photos /fembot2.jpg

Incase link has already been slashdotted, It's an Austin Powers Fem Bot :)

How about....

[Anonymous Coward]

Penis Computer(TM)

Men would want to buy the "big one" and there would even be a market for slow ones for the ladies. You could market the "hard disk" etc.

"That's a pretty powerful Penis you've got there (TM)"

Re:The box should not be visible in the first plac

[dinther]

Yep PCMCIA port sounds fair. A laptop it is not. It's the user end of a computer. The noisy stuff, power supply, graphics card and CPU are in the box, hopefully sound proof somewhere deep below your desk where it can serve as a way to warm your feet in winder. Basically, a PC is an appliance of which as little as possible should be seen. It is the Keyboard and screen design that defines tomorrows computer.

Knockers!

[Tablizer]

If your gf is flat, make her wear a PC shaped like big knockers. Geek pleasure and sexual pleasure at the same time!

Not a straight line in the place.

[Kadin2048]

I think I know the house for you, then. Not sure what the availability is like -- and do you mind relocating to Vienna?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundertwasserhaus

Scratch that; reverse it.

[Kadin2048]

... and mac-heads. That's not meant to be flamebait. Apple makes a good looking computer, and that's important to their users.

On the contrary: Apple could make a computer shaped like a giant turd (and depending on who you ask, has from time to time gone down this road) and people would still buy it in droves.

Within six months, PC case manufacturers in Taiwan would be making barebones lookalikes, shaped vaguely but not quite exactly like Apple's turds, and onward the world would merrily go.

(Disclaimer: I'm typing this on an iBook right now -- but don't ever assume that Apple's users tell it where to go; Apple tells its users what's cool. When they made a portable that looked like a toilet seat, you damn well bet people bought it.)

Three guesses...

[Kadin2048]

I'll give you a hint: his name involves a tasty Mexican food product.

(And no, "chihuahua" is not a food product.)

Jonathan Ive

[5plicer]

I wonder if Jonathan Ive will be entering the contest.

bus evolution

[cybpunks3]

I think the problem may have to do with the fundamental concept of a computer being an exposed motherboard with a series of slots that house exposed cards. This goes all the way back 30 years to the first micro bus standard (S-100) through most subsequent computers.

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/6757/ images/chassistop.jpg

http://www.oldcomputers.arcula.co.uk/files/images/ intl103t.jpg

http://www.infodip.com/pages/axiom/bus-passif/imag es/ATX60206.jpg

http://www.infodip.com/pages/axiom/bus-passif/imag es/ATX6021_4.jpg

http://www.ixbt.com/mainboard/epox/8npa-sli/board. jpg

This is indeed a practical and economical solution to the idea of putting together and updating your computer. It's really a holdover from the hobbyist days and people have gotten used to it, but it's not really consumer-friendly.

The cartridge approach as used with videogame consoles is better.

I think Atari had the right idea with how it implemented expansion on the 800.

http://oldcomputers.net/pics/cartports3.JPG

The only exposed surfaces were the card edges and the slot. Then you just close the lid.

You see this kind of design approach applied currently to flash memory. If you follow the evolution of the MMC card up through SD and into MINI SD and MICRO SD adapters, imagine the same approach taken with bus specifications. Older cards could be used with newer bus specifications via adapter sleeves. But you'd standardize on a singular form-factor. When you open up your PC, all of the guts would be hidden behind the casing except for the mating surfaces for the cards. All cards would be enclosed.

I don't see this happening because computer technology is by definition transient, disposeable. So nobody wastes money on ergonomics like this. Bus standards change so frequently that you can't even keep your motherboard that long anymore let alone your cards. So you might not even swap cards that much for the lifecycle of the PC beyond the initial system setup.

What I'd really like to see is more effort spent on coming up with a universal backplane that would be more future-proof, maybe something more passive where the glue that binds everything together was itself a module you could swap out. That way maybe the underlying frame could last much longer before becoming obsolete.

Re:bus evolution

[Jesus_666]

What I'd really like to see is more effort spent on coming up with a universal backplane that would be more future-proof, maybe something more passive where the glue that binds everything together was itself a module you could swap out. That way maybe the underlying frame could last much longer before becoming obsolete

Yup, that's a good idea. That way one could switch the mainboard and keep the old expansion daughterboard and thus the old cards. It's pretty frustrating when you just want to upgrade your CPU/mainboard and then learn that you have to upgrade one or more of your expansion cards as well because a certain slot fell out of style. Especially if that means that the whole upgrade becomes twice as expensive as expected.

The cartridge approach has some advantages but also some disadvantages - for example graphics cards would completely break the paradigm because they require that certain parts be exposed due to cooling concerns. Also, cards with internal interfaces (gaphics cards, sound cards, controllers) would require their own cartdridge designs, which would (slightly) raise the cost.

Re:bus evolution

[Diomidis Spinellis]

This was the design of the TI-99/4A peripheral expansion box. You can see some photos here (look at the second row). The concept was neat in theory, but in practice it was a flop. The box would accept interchangable standard-sized expansion cards. Typical expansion cards were an RS-232 interface, 32k memory expansion, and a floppy disk controller. Each card was housed in its own metal casing, and all cards had the same form factor. However, the cards were bulkier and more expensive than anything comparable at that time. I think the cost of expanding the TI-99/4A was one of the reasons the computer failed in the market.

My Dream Case

[Petersko]

My dream computer case is a beautiful oak desk, made to my specifications. There is a slot in the middle where my ultra-flat monitor rises when I call upon it. Another elevation of wood hides the trayless loader for the optical drive. The rest is completely hidden away in the recesses of the desk.

I think computer equipment is inherently ugly. Mac designs are less ugly. In the end I don't want any of them visible.

Re:My Dream Case

[jawtheshark]

Actually, you can have such a thing. You just need a lot of money. My wifes uncle (okay, actually all three of her uncles) is carpenter. You can bet they have the fanciest furniture because they can make it themselves. So, I went there to troubleshoot this guys computer and, indeed there was this ugly-beige box hidden within a compartment in his fancy desk. Now, I know you mean that the machine should be integrated completely. Well, I asked him why he hadn't done such a thing. I then showed him how modular and easy it is to build a PC (I just opened up his). He didn't know that a PC was so simple of structure, after all he never saw one open. So, yes, he said that if it's that easy one could easily create a "computer-desk".

Perhaps he has already started building one ;-) Hey, I'd like one but I can't afford the kind of furniture this guy makes.

Oh, and perhaps you might like a thing I once did.... Not exactly what you want, but much cheaper to do!

Will these apply?

[houghi]

http://gadgets.fosfor.se/the-top-10-weirdest-case- mods/

I once saw a Idea of a PC where the parts that the user needed in a smal box and the rest could be tucked away where you wouldn't see it. It was shown to housewomen and everybody really liked that part that you couldn't see anything.

I guess the reason it did not made it to market was because it will mostly be then male of the house who decides on technical stuff and they want it BIG. BIG tv, BIG pc.

I am planning on buying a dual DVD enclosure. One for a DVD re-writer and another for all the USB/Firewire/memorystick connections I can imagine. I can then put my ugly gray box or the beautifull one they design somewhere where I can't see it.

backwards compatible?

[name*censored*]

With all the components (optical drive, ATX mobo, expansion cards and HDDs), there's almost no reasonable way to make it more space-efficient (ie, takes up less space) without seriously compromising heat dissipation. Since almost every computer component is very close in shape to a rectangular prism/rectangle, and rectangular prisms tesselate most easily with other rectangular prisms, there's no way to radically change the shape of the box without wasting space or making the whole thing very very hard to cool. Also, most computer desks or spaces assigned for towers are rectangular.. so the only practical entries into this will still have to retain the rectangle shape to be 'backward compatible' with the already existing components.

If you're sick of your beige box, why put some stickers on it and paint it purple? or better yet, build it into old hollowed out tv sets, with the screen as the window.

How 'bout one of these?

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.jeffbots.com/fembotexplo.html

User-Created PCs: Wild Speculation

[Garrett Fox]

Let's go the reverse route, then! How about focusing on building a durable motherboard on a tray, in a few standard sizes, with easily-reached sockets and standard-shaped fasteners, arranged so you can plug this tray into various cases? That is, instead of people assembling their own PCs piece by piece versus buying a complete desktop system (case, keyboard etc.) from Dell, you could buy a standard set of hardware picked out some indy designer, and pick from many independently-designed cases that will all fit that same set of chips.

In the slightly longer term, maybe we should reexamine the concept of plugging everything into a central motherboard, partly because that format limits the physical shape of the PC to being based around a rectangle. Is there a practical way (especially given current hardware) to have, say, a motherboard split into three stacked segments? Or to do away with it altogether?

Later, if restrictive technologies like DRM become more onerous and invasive, and mandatory, I expect a whole class of rogue hardware designs that can be printed using 3D printing tech. It won't be the most powerful on the market, and it'll be condemed for "being only useful for illegal and anti-social activity," but it'll have the advantage of being ours, subject only to design requirements that users want.

There's a science fiction story I read once, in which people had various ornate cases for their portable computers, and kept the same one while replacing the innards. They thought of that system as keeping the same computer, but seeing it get more powerful over time.

Re:User-Created PCs: Wild Speculation

[Richy_T]

There's a science fiction story I read once, in which people had various ornate cases for their portable computers, and kept the same one while replacing the innards.

Really? That's about as science fiction as having someone illuminate the road ahead while driving by activating a switch to pass electricity to light producing devices on the front of their car. I.e. it's everyday and commonplace (Three computers in my house have cases 7+ years old).

Rich

Re:User-Created PCs: Wild Speculation

[Garrett Fox]

That's about as science fiction as having someone illuminate the road ahead while driving by activating a switch to pass electricity to light producing devices on the front of their car.

If you drive an English car, that is science fiction.

Sexy Cases have been done

[vtechpilot]

We have an Anime Babe Case Mod, a Bikini Babe Case Mod and a woman's torso case mod.

I tried to find a case modeled after the male form to be a bit-equal opportunity, but Google failed me.

combined girlfriend & computer

[speculatrix]

mini-itx case mod

surely this is the perfect design for most slashdotters?

Why does everything have to be hip and funky!?

[AbRASiON]

I LIKE my case, it's extremely practical, it's good quality, it's fairly quiet due to somewhat thicker steel than most etc.

I don't want some ridiculous case shaped like a half a sphere or any other odd shape, I just want a box ffsake!

I wouldn't complain however about the shrinking of our PC's maybe even to the point of laptop parts being interchangable.
I'd love 2.5" HDD's in my desktop PC or DDR2 ram which is compatible with my laptop.
In fact the whole PC nowadays could be shrunk quite substantially, at least 50% that would be good and quieter to boot but sexy? please, not for me.

Oh and solve cable spagetti mess before making it stylish!

well, $1M for redesign is better than a laptop

[mapkinase]

if you know what I mean...

How can we compete with the Apple design dept.?

[aphor]

I know! Let's have a CONTEST!

You know... infinite monkeys... That's how we can outdo Apple!

Sexy PC ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Mine runs linux. I win. Anything that runs windows is not sexy.

Too sexy for my case too sexy for my case

[iminplaya]

so sexy that it aches...

Ok, that's enough.

Sexy ? or Hot ?

[freaker_TuC]

They probably don't mean sexy; but they mean "hot", like their processor will get ...