Slashdot Mirror
When Beige Won't Do
An anonymous reader writes "The days of the beige box are behind us, as computing becomes ever more a consumer electronics field. A New York Times article, hosted at News.com, discusses the newest trends in moving away from standard beige for PCs and laptops. Designer colors, artfully designed notebooks, and personalization are just some of the options outfits are now offering." From the article: "Apple Computer is widely credited with long ago shattering conventions that had for years dictated how a computer had to feel and look. Windows-based personal computers generally lagged far behind in fusing function with form in ways that consumers found exciting. But that is changing, executives from mainstay computer companies like Dell and Toshiba say."
There's no such thing as a Windows-based personal computer. Microsoft does not manufacture personal computers, and Windows is not integral to PCs. It is perfecty possible to use various other operating systems on a PC, and you can buy a PC without Windows on it, although a lot of people seem to think that it 'just comes with the computer' (even though they do of course pay for it). It annoys me to see the two get confused.
I hear there's rumors on the Slashdots
I'm way ahead, I already use retro-themed hardware, it will be hot in 10 years!
Any color you want as long as it's black.
If computers follow the lead of consumer electronics. then can we say that black and silver is the new biege?
Looking at the box near my left foot gives a data point comfirming this, so it must be true!
I'll buy the £18.99 one instead. Oh look, it's beige.
Perfume, cars, phones, clothes are all subject to the whims of fashion in order to extract extra cash from vict^H^H^H^Hcustomers, there's really no reason that computer buyers can't be fashion customers as well.
Deleted
Then I looked it up and I remembered . . . and realized that with VOIP and cell phones abundant these days, a box to steal someone else's phone line really isn't all that useful anymore . . .
Man, I feel old.
Beige is OK, if the rest of a computer is designed well. The "beige box" is something that's often berated not because of its color, but because of the flimsy components, cheap design, tacky add-ons and crap fit & finish that often went with it. The fading out of the beige box isn't all because of a shift in case color, but the realisation from designers after colorful computers appeared that it was OK to be different in all manner of other ways.
A friend has a well-preserved collection of old beige machines ( http://www.danaquarium.com/gallery/beige/ ), and the photos show to me that a tidy appealing design isn't dependent on just color.
One trend I've noticed leaking over from the consumer electronics field is the use of bling: high-gloss or (even worse) chrome design elements, ultrabright blue LEDs etc. Apart from looking awful, chrome is annoying on a laptop because it deteriorates quickly. Nothing looks worse than flaked-off chrome. High-gloss surfaces highlight dust and fingerprints, and ultrabright LEDs dazzle.
Can we please avoid the mistakes of the fashion world (where everything looks the same during a given 'trend') and actually have the choice of buying something more understated? I want my electronics finished in matt black, not silver.
after reading some of the comments here, it's safe to say that "Black is the new Beige" ;-)
Exercise caution when modding this message up: the author acts like a jerk when his karma is excellent.
The worst thing about beige is that it gets dirty. Or rather- the fact that dirt easily gets visible.
Anyone remember high school public computers? With layers upon layers of ingrown grease and dirt on the keyboard, mouse and case? That would be my biggest problem with the color beige.
Nobody can possibly enjoy working in an environment where the best reason for learning to touch-type is that you'll keep your lunch (if I can't see it, it won't disgust me).
Three rings for the Elven-kings in the sky
That doesn't only apply to computers. Actually, computers are (again) the last ones to hop onto the fad.
A few decades ago, you bought brands because they were 'better' than nonbranded stuff. They offered more functionality, or they didn't wear out so fast or they simply worked (while that generic stuff didn't). You bought a Mercedes because it didn't break down, compared to that Beetle that required constant tinkering. You bought the brand name chips because they were crispy while the generic ones were bland. You bought an IBM because those "IBM compatibles" were more or less compatible, but not necessarily so.
Now, that has changed. Mid level cars offer the same kind of protection and reliability the luxury cars offer. Generic chips are just as crispy as that overhyped brand stuff. And it's the same with computers. Some very, very cheap boards and cards aside, they all offer the same value. It works. Some run faster, some run slower, but they all work.
Earlier, the brand tried to offer more functionality as a selling point. This worked to some degree, but we're now at the point where the generic version offers anything the customer might want, and he is not willing to spend more for functionality he doesn't want. A good example are cell phones. They offer an MP3 player, digital camera, PDA functionality, some play games and with some I heard you can even make a phone call. What else could you cram into them?
So the next logical step is design. There is no other way to distinguish yourself from the bland, generic versions anymore if you're a brand product. You cannot offer more primary use to your customer, so you have to appeal to his other senses. Not only his logic, but also his emotions. You try to reach him through the 'look and feel' instead of the facts under your hood.
This is anything but a surprising development. It is the logical next step in the attempt to distinguish brand merchandize from generic one.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I like beige so much I'm still using an old compaq-mouse from the early 90's. It weighs about as much as five optical mice, and it only has two buttons and no wheels or any of that fancy stuff. Not to mention it's beige.
GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
You didn't get it, true hackers simply do not put their machines into cases.
Are you trying to say that Apple didn't invent the non-beige computer case? Clearly the SGI indigo or onyx computers would only came in beige, right? What's next, are you going to tell me Apple didn't create the first mp3 player with their ultra-revolutionary ipod?
For what, 10 years now?
Plus, they're not all wonky-shaped, so they fit into a rectilinear desk.
The latest Slashdot meme.
Dunno about that; my Apple ][ was beige...and so were Macs for a while.
I think you have to give the nod to Dell for the "black" revolution here; I know many server admins who bought Dell's crappy hardware in the early 2000's just because they thought it looked sexier in the fucking server room. (Yeah, like any eligible female would ever make a trip down there.)
I would similarly like to state a set of opinions.
1. Taco Bell should only serve food products made of mexicans
2. All countries should have electrical fences around them. Someone wishing to immigrate are allowed to attempt to climb this fence, but if they are electrocuted in the process then anyone passing by in the receiving country can help themselves to their clothes or anything in their pockets
3. We should build underwater nuclear reactors since all humans are on land
4. Anyone assassinating a president or someone in a senior government post should then inherit that position
I am interested in your views but please don't turn it into a big debate or argument
Also, I recognise that this will of course be modded flamebait but I feel compelled to share the truth regardless
Apple Computer is widely credited with long ago shattering conventions that had for years dictated how a computer had to feel and look. Windows-based personal computers generally lagged far behind in fusing function with form in ways that consumers found exciting. But that is changing, executives from mainstay computer companies like Dell and Toshiba say.
It wasn't the Life Savers style of Apple's machines that made them good. It was the combination or hardware, OS and customer support that spoke English and actually gave a damn.
Dell and Toshiba are only going to reproduce the least important reason why Apple survived the dark times. And when it doesn't help them, they still won't get it.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
Have a look at the picture here and judge for yourself ...
WANRING: This warning is misspelt.
Ringtones on a phone can actually serve a purpose tho...
We live in a world where 90% of the people around me at any one point have cells on them. If we all stuck with the default tone we'd have everyone looking at their cells every 3 minutes when any phone rang. For me, unless I hear Tubular Bells I don't even think twice about a phone going off.
My PCs and laptops at home? Who's ever going to see them anyway?
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
Most PC case designs look atrocious. Current PC design apparently is dictated by how many LEDs, windows and vents can be forced onto a case.
I miss the days of clean, beige cases simply because most of what's available is over-designed and gaudy. There are the rare exceptions, and companies like Dell, Sony and others are designing some decent looking machines. The problem is that companies like Dell aren't involved in the entire manufacturing process. They're normally designing an existing shell, so they're always going to be constrained in how creative they can get. It doesn't help that they're normally trying cut corners to reduce costs.
That's the huge advantage Apple has. They're involved in the design and engineering process at every step. So they can get creative not only with design, but the use of materials and construction. It's also why the software integrates so well with the system. That's not really possible in the PC world, unless Microsoft began designing and manufacturing PCs. Although, somehow I doubt most people here would welcome that.
I think in general many electronic devices have gotten uglier. Where devices used to have nice clean lines and designed in more thoughtful colors too many products today are bloated, overly organic, covered in contrasting textures and almost always come in frosted silver or black. It's like manufacturing has gotten easier, allowing for more unusual shapes and designers have gotten carried away. Another part of the problem is that because of cost cutting measures companies are putting less effort into design, having the Chinese manufacturers handle design. It's either that, or they're just trying to rip off Apple's design. Although, as nice as current Apple designs are, the previous generations, starting with the first iMacs, were horrendous. They look even worse today, and they unfortunately spawned an entire generation of ugly electronics.
I don't know what it is about the American electronics market, actually, because in Asia, well, Taiwan, Korea, in Japan there are plenty of cool-looking products to be hand. Phones out there are light years beyond anything available in the US, not only in terms of technology, but design. And this applies to all electronics, PCs included.
A mark of good design is how it ages. If something was well-designed it should look good 10, 20 or 50 years later. Its style might look out-of-date, but it should still be appreciated for it's good design. The vast majority of current PC cases don't look good today, let alone how they will look 5 years ago.
My Thinkpad if you removed the keyboard, monitor, battery would not be any bigger than its power supply.
Your thought process is off here. Market Share does not speak to innovation. Innovation is _usually_ driven by the high tear niche in a market. Automobiles for example. Benz or Bmw certainly do not have the market share that a Ford or a honda have, but they break to market with the newest features (HID headlights ABS and SIPS come to mind) and then as technology and cost decrease, and demand increases, the "features" (in this case form over or equivalent to function) trickle down to the mass market.
"God is a comedian playing to an audience too scared to laugh"
Am I the only one that has noticed the proliferation of meaningless posts like the one above, of late?
Shame on Slashdot's editors for passing on this piece of PR crap disguised as a story...
That is all.
In the movie Brazil the tv adverts are for the latest ventilation ducts in amazing new colours, rush out and buy them. It was deeply depressing then and still is now.
As an ex-Intel developer I've had first hand experience "trying" to develop new form factors - new looks - "new excitement" for the PC industry. Back in '99 whne the defacto PC was a full ATX tower running a Pentium III and making 45dB in noise. We designed a radical pyramid shaped legacy-free PC (only USB, Firewire, LAN, VGA) that would fit on a mouse pad ad produced only 37dB in noise. It was an experiment in shock therapy for the PC industry. We went on to do many others - but the bottom line is the PC is what it is because of strict standards ... standards for each and every component from shape of motherboard to cases and screws. This is one of te reasons PCs can be built so cheaply -- think cookie cutter to the nth degree.
Our work on form factors really went no-where as both the industry AND consumers are hooked on cheap PCs (cost cost cost). In the end we did manage to influence acoustics - ergonomics - and a slight reduction in size for some PCs. But all along my overall major issue was that the "real user experience" is more than color and plastic ... its the OS that you interact with - its useability / intuitiveness / stability / and security. Making a PC blue and silver does not cover up the warts that XP sprouts on the screen and the user experience. In the end - the data plainly indicated that what users really wanted was a PC that just *%$#(@ works !!! Clearly indicating major issues with XP (complexity to basic security to stability). Of course such things (stability - security) are boring ... they don't have the pizzaz of "Aero windows" or what ever else is in Vista.
I type this comment on my G5 iMac -- it has a small foot-print - quiet - and OS X just works (stable & secure). It costs more than a PC - but then its not a PC - thats the point. It sits next to my custom built Pentium 4 PC (quiet and power efficient) in a standard mico-ATX case running Ubuntu Linux - it just works and its stable and secure. Both can create compatible documents to share with the "XP world" - thats all that matters.
The "standard PC" will continue to evolve based on advances in CPUs & highly integrated chips / memory / hard drives. But cost is the primary driver for the masses be they businesses or individuals. Most importantly the true "user experience" of the OS is perhaps coming to point of change -- Vista - OS X - Linux - Google OS(?). In the very near future you will be able to run multiple OS's concurrently -- couple that with a hot pink PC and you just might be on to something .....
Its not the years, its the mileage
Cut down on your fiber (fibre?) a bit. You'll be fine.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!