Slashdot Mirror
IBM's Colorful Notebooks
Jacek Fedorynski writes "This Yahoo article says that the new ThinkPads will have swappable snap-on covers - something like Nokia 5110 meets the iBook. :) Initially there will be seven colors to choose from, they will probably introduce more later. Another company realized that many people are more interested in how the machine looks that what it has inside. " Slashdot Green please. The interesting thing is that PCs have reached a point where most PCs are "Good Enough" and manufacturers need to get mindshare by doing something, anything special. Pre-Install Linux? Multi-Colors? Internal Wireless Networking?
10 Least Appealing Vanity Computer Colors
10. What-the-hell-is-that-gunk Green
9. Cubicle Beige
8. Barbie Doll Pink
7. Aging Plastic Yellow
6. The Color Formerly Known As Purple
5. Pepto-bismol
4. Encrusted Black
3. Alien-skin Grey
2. Spewed Puce
1. Screen of Death Blue
10 Most Appealing Vanity Computer Colors
10. Palladium-card Chrome
9. Justalil-Too-Overclocked Red
8. Slashdot Teal (thanks Hemos)
7. Mountain Dew Lime
6. Circuit Board Green
5. PNG-not-GIF Transparent
4. Geekier-than-thou frost aqua
3. Penguin Foot Orange
2. Isotope Blue
1. Darth Black!
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- A.P.
--
"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
Slashdot Green is people! It's PEEEOOOOPPPPLLLLE!!!!
Anyway, I seemed to have two considerations that no one else listed:
There's a much longer list of things we all look for, but I'm surprised that so many people forget those two.
The iMac packs plenty of power for its size/cost, and so will the iBook. The colors aren't for everyone, but most of Apple's target audience falls pretty much into three categories--
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
Apple has popularized the notion of "computers as Art/Industrial Design," where the computer is designed to look attractive, as opposed to being more purely functional.
It may represent a movement towards "computer as appliance," although the complexity of running a computer still largely prevents it being truly treated as such.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.
This can get out of hand. Soon kids start competing over who has the coolest laptop, then parents end up spending too much money on customization panels, then some kid gets killed when somebody jacks his Timberland® panel, then the school orders uniform laptops in a smart blue tartan plaid.
I can see it now . . .
The first is Apple which was smart in realising that you could take a normal computer, put it in a new case, add a splash of color, and voila - rampant sales.
But Apple only had a limited vision. After all, one does not always see red, or feel green with jealousy, or feel grape colored.
Along came IBM, and swiping an idea from Nokia, decided that swappable colors would be even better. Now instead of deciding what to wear in the morning, you also had to decide if it would coordinate with the colour panels you had for your laptop.
So what is the third company? The third company is mine. I'm going out and manufacturing swappable color panels for everything under the sun. There is no way I cannot make a couple of billion based on peoples past purchasing habits.
Don't like the color of your car? Let me introduce to you the strawberry Ford - oh! you're wearing a navy suit, well just give me a couple of seconds ... there we go, please step into your blueberry car.
KER-CHING!!
The Only cover that anyone from slashdot would need for their laptop:
In large, friendly letters, it says "Don't Panic!"
-Chris
In the '50s, cars were very large, clunky, relatively expensive, and unreliable
/. is like a steer's horns, a point here, a point there and a lot of bull in between.
Actually, the analogy holds a lot better for operating systems than PCs (esp from you know who). And the competition for them is here...
Even the most bland and grey PCs are built for functionality (I can't see any fins on my Celeron).
-
You have no idea what you're talking about.
It's as ridiculous as saying that Apple invented the windowing GUI (which, of course, they did not, therefore nobody else should ever come out with a windowing GUI.
If Apple did it "years ago" and isn't doing it now, what the #$#*(& do they care if IBM does it with Thinkpads today? This isn't art class. This is business. There are no extra points for originality.
The Apple Baking Soda Company comes out with a baking soda box that has a shaker built into the top. International Baking Soda (IBS) sees that this sells well and designs their own shaker for their own box. Does Apple BS Co. then have the right to say that IBS cannnot have a box with a shaker? or do they only have the right to say that IBS's box can't look so much like the Apple box that there is no "consumer confusion"?
The answer, at least the LEGAL answer, is the latter.
And in a couple of years everybody's going to forget that the Apple BS Co. was the "innovator" behind the built-in shaker. The consumer is simply going to expect that any baking soda they buy, except maybe the store brand, is going to have that built-in shaker.
Apple may have done the very first laptop with translucent panels, but legally, big whoop. They didn't invent translucent panels. They didn't even invent translucent computers for Jesux's sake, they just came out with the first brand computer using the concept.
lake effect weblog
{Network engineer in Chicago--looking for work!}
Why not clear snap on covers, so we can either find some of our artsy friends to paint them, or so we can just print out stuff to put in under them (like um...some Apple PowerBook model from 2-3 years ago, which could conveniently hold 2 CDs in its snap-on cover)
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
I know that people who use computers as tools for word processing and email will think this is a great idea.
Finally, isn't this hitting Apple where it hurts a little? I mean, some peole still buy Macs for the OS and the name....but an increasing number of people are buying IMacs (and probably IBOoks) because they look cool. This could be an interesting saga in the evolution of computers.
Werd.
Don't forget "John Deere" green as well... *snicker*
What would be cool is if they(or someone) came out with the "Slashdot" commemorative laptop. One that had the slashdot green cover, emblazoned with the "/." on it. Only make 5-10k of these and have them all hand signed by CmdrTaco and Hemos!
Ooo, collectible laptops...the next "beanie baby."
I bet even Nitrozac would buy one of these.
Is it Fawn with the "/. Me" T-shirt? She'd probably even be toting around on one of these.
Of course, they'd only be REALLY valuable if they came with the Nitrozac@home screensaver. >;)
-Vel
There was a ThinkPad with a removable cover some years ago too. You could pop it off and then 'invert' the transparent screen for use with an overhead projector. Kinda cool, but probably not that practical in real life because of all the rigging necessary to hang the thing off the overhead.
(Model number was 755AV or something.)
Business. Numbers. Money. People. Computer World.
I did that with the Sony VAIO I have. All the panels on the damn thing annoyed me but without them it looked wrong, so I replaced the panels with blue tinted plastic and it looks damn cool now. I'm working on making a mold out of the plastic on the CPD-120 monitor so I can make that translucent too.
I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.
for way too many years your computer was a beige-turned-yellow flat sided box that looked really bulky and just not something you wanted to show anyone. They were bland because that was the style of the tyme, both socially (in the tech workplace at least) and functionally, the big boxes helped the chips not overheat. Now the social trend is to have an office that works for you but also has a sense of fashion, it impresses people. It's also possible now to stick processors in small boxes because they don't run quite as hot. Once you get to the point where the technology to build something isn't hindering you it's natural to explore with it. We saw computers turn black (I think Acer started with black PCs) so fit in with your living room decor, then IBM made their desktop look like some techno-art piece. Apple came along and changed everyone's view of the desktop with the iMac. The iMac was a complete reversal of desktop design, while you may scoff it's a natural cycle. When a technology is hard to produce and maintain it's designed to be extra serviceable and accessible but when you reach the point where it's maintenance is negligible and it's easy to produce you work on the visual design of it. Look for example at cars in this century. At first they were designed for ease of manufacture because they were difficult to manufacture but then the technology to manufacture them was improved and you begin to see a more artistic approach to them. Computers are now entering the artistic design phase, don't get pissed off at computer companies cuz you don't have to buy a coloured computer. The technology is getting to the point where speed is beginning to become irrelevant to all but power users since everything is so fast now, how much a difference do you notice in Applix or StarOffice running on a 600mhz Athlon and a 200mhz Pentium? In another couple years you'll start seeing super slim computers stuck everywhere in your house purring along with a 1Ghz processor, it'll run Quake 5 fine at 14400x10800 resolution on your 30" screen.
I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.
I can just see it now. Kids smuggling in their parents' brightly colored ThinkPads into school.
"What's that?" the teacher asks.
"It's my new lunchbox."
"Okay, put it away for now."
...
Later, he's typing, getting answers for his math pop-quiz.
"What are you doing?" asks the irritated teacher.
"Just getting a snack."
"You're not supposed to eat in class. Put it away... why does it sound like you are typing?"
"Uh, that's the wrapper on my twinkie."
Or something like that.
I'm not sure why no one makes transparent computer cases right now, but I can make a few guesses --
And, as for the bit about painting your computer,
the problem with painting over plastic is that you then have problems with the paint rubbing against things, and flaking off.
With clear covers, you'd be able to paint the inside (which well, takes some practice, as you have to paint everything as a mirror image, and it has to be done detail-first, so it's at what will then the top-most layer)
Some things, that don't take as much wear, can be painted without too much difficulty (I have a number of friends who have painted leather jackets, etc.), but I know I stack stuff on my portable, it gets bounced about, etc.
The only real reason that I can see for not introducing clear covers is that if you can't specifically design your cover, you'd be forced to buy designs from other people, helping to pad someone else's wallet.
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
Now look at computers today. Most people are unwilling to, or don't need to, spend a couple thousand dollars on a large, clunky, and unreliable box just to surf the Internet and do some word processing. At some point in the next ten to twenty years, one force (maybe Japanese, maybe not) will make computing light and reliable enough for everyone.
That's the future of computing -- computers haven't gotten "Good Enough," they've just gotten more colorful and powerful. I'm waiting for IBM, or any company for that matter, to release a computer which (1) you don't need to boot; (2) accepts new software and hardware upgrades without question or incident, ever; and (3) has an operating system that the user never has to interact with directly.
Many platforms have some degree of this level of usability -- many handheld systems, for example. However, I can only wonder when we'll see this level of simplicity everywhere, in every home and business system.
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Being of the frugal sort, I'm not really excited about the designer computer trend. They tend to be more expensive and more proprietary. Expensive because the stylish cases cost more to make and they sell less of them, and proprietary because they like to do things like include motherboards and monitors in the same case, making them often difficult to upgrade, etc.
-- Moondog