“Right about now, Dell has to be wondering: ‘Intel was it something we said?’ If Dell actually gives voice to the question, though, I expect Intel would confide, ‘Nah. It was something you did — building boring computers. But it’s not just you. Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, and Lenovo pretty much bore users to tears, too,’;” Rich Smith writes for The Motley Fool.
“Recognizing that the EBA (‘Everybody But Apple’) computer makers have gotten stuck in a decades-long rut of churning out plain beige, or occasionally grey, boxes as their primary form of desktop computing power, Intel CEO Paul Otellini announced a new contest on Tuesday. Intel will pay some lucky computer-maker $1 million to design a desktop computer with a modicum more style than the floor protectors sitting under our desks,” Smith writes. “As a computer user, I can only hope Intel gets some good bites with its offer. As Apple has proven time and time again, there’s no reason on earth why a PC must resemble a big tin box. Style and performance need not be mutually exclusive properties. In short, we EBA users have suffered under the Beige Regime for far too long, and it’s time for a change.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: What exactly about “Macs can run Mac OS X and WIndows natively” doesn’t Mr. Smith understand? We’re just wondering why he hasn’t already gotten himself a Mac, if he really wants the best designed Intel-powered personal computer, that’s all. He is right about one thing: for most of the world, “it’s time for a change.”
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Intel launches $1 million contest for more Mac-like PCs – September 27, 2006
Apple Boot Camp’s ‘Windows Insecurity Blanket’ helps buyers decide to switch to Macs – May 19, 2006
Dude, you got a Dell? What are you, stupid? Only Apple Macs run both Mac OS X and Windows! – April 05, 2006
Why buy a Dell when Apple’s Intel-based computers will run both Mac OS X and Windows? – June 08, 2005
hint: Dell sells business PC’s. They don’t care about you.
“If Dell actually gives voice to the question, though, I expect Intel would confide, ‘Nah. It was something you did — building boring computers.”
The deal to sell computers with AMD chips probably didn’t go over well, either.
Does this Intel prize exclude Apple? If not, then I would assume Apple has already won.
Partner and I once tried to sell Gateway on the concept of custom casings — we had some very simply designs that would appeal to aerospace enthusiasts.
A suit with a smile charmed his way to the inevitable “not really our thing’.
Serve them right — we did stickers instead!
When are people going to realize that people who buy Macs do so for the OS not because of the case design.
Never it appears.
MW few, as in a ‘few’ do.
The thing with Windows box makers is that they haven’t had to spend a dime on R & D. They give it lip service, but really what they call R & D is nothing more than the cost of figuring how to glom all the components together inside the beige box.
To actually spend money on box design (you know, consumer stuff) goes completely against their save 5¢ here, save 6¢ there mentality. Considering how low Dell’s and Gateway’s margins are, they aren’t going to spend much, even if they decide they need to.
In the meantime, Apple will continue to build computers that people want, building marketshare, and making it harder for the box makers to generate a profit.
I keep reading about this contest…
But I mean, what is it? What are the criteria? When’s the deadline? Can anyone enter?
The PC bottom lines won’t support it.
PC companies are ran by Bean counters who don’t take chances. (which explains windows, floppies, and parallel print cables)
Apple is ran by a visionary with rocks the size of Buicks!
Who gives a fuck if Macs run OSX? That’s not what the fucking contest is about. It’s about making better looking computers. It’s a good start. Once people start to actually care about their computer, they’ll care HOW they compute. This is a process, not an event. Lay off, MDN.
Uh, nobody makes beige computers anymore do they? The beige regime has been over. Now it’s the black and silver with blue LED regime. Hello?
Let’s all send the writer email telling him to buy a Mac and skip all of the other junk out there.
MDN word: Seems – as it “seems” clear to me.
No, problem is that Dell don’t pay their bills until 90 days past due . So the companys that supply the parts to Dell won’t get their money until then. So in the past Dell burn alot bridges with other companys. So they wanted to be number one so bad that that they started to cut their own thoats just to be number one. Like selling a cheap computer.
Dell really don’t care about the people, just business. They make more money on selling to big business who trying to cut corners on computers cost. Can’t blame the CEO trying to save money , GOT HAVE THAT TEE OFF MONEY. These companys knows that the computer sucks and it make it harder for the people to get work done. So make a long dead story short DELL SUCKS
I know that design is not a priority with these morons, but I think we have seen their best. They just don’t have the talent to produce beautiful industrial design. When they try to climb above boring, they end up cheesy. There must be another Jonathan Ive out there somewhere, but these guys could never afford him. It might raise the price of their boxes by a few cents and ruin their bottom line.
And if anyone of these companies did manage to make a beautiful container, it would still have windows inside. nuff said
What this competition should also acknowledge is that the interior is just as important as the exterior.
Ever since the PowerMac G4, Apple’s pro users have had chassis/mobo designs that have been easy to open and enhance. Compare this to something like the Fujitsu-Siemens Scenic P that I had to open several days ago. Easy to open, sure! But then the challenges of taking the fan assembly away from the truly monolithic P4 heatsink and then inserting a DDR RAM module in a space that’s only accessible if your name happens to be Gollum.
There have been many attempts in the past to get PC makers to produce stylish boxes and they’ve all been short lived. One example: shortly after the original iMac they made a big push, but it didn’t last long. The simple reason is that it takes money to design cool looking products and PC makers are selling a commodity at very thin margins. With no way to truly differentiate between a Dell, Gateway, HP, or Lenovo, none of them can afford to spend time and money designing different boxes when their buyers are all more concerned with the price than anything else.
Another problem is that if your computer looks good but suffers from viruses, spyware, and usability issues you aren’t going to be happy with it. Style is good, but only when you’ve got function nailed.
“I know that design is not a priority with these morons, but I think we have seen their best.”
That’s so true. Ever taken a gander at the so-called ‘custom’ cases supply places? PC box makers’ idea of ‘design’ is ‘how many blue lights can I put on it?’. I swear, their catalogs look like low-rider night on the strip.
I have never seen a PC box I’d be proud to put on my desk, or on my floor, for that matter.
(And, hey, fix the spelling on the headline, MDN.)
Chris is right on. Who would want to buy a great looking computer for more that didn’t work that well. You know when you buy a mac it’s going to work even at the cheapest level of the mini (which still looks good).
Easy to design a cool looking product; hard to fit components inside a cool looking product.
Absolutely no innovation other than Apple and Alienware when it comes to cooling a desktop computer.
“Apple is ran by a visionary with rocks the size of Buicks!”
A Buick hasn’t been the size of a Buick since 1996.
HP Computer Design Studio: A proud industrial designer displays his latest prototype. The 2007 HP Pavilion EXTr3me. A cherry red tower with flame stickers, rear fins, dual chrome exhaust, fuzzy dingle balls and blue undertower neon effects. For $200 more you can get the tricked out chrome keyboard and mouse. And of course, it’s Vista ready.
Dell is cheap. Their design reflects that.
A Mac Pro is a thing of beauty. But if you look at how it is built, you realize that costs.
Courtesy of Apple Computer in Cupertino, Ca USA
MDN, give it up already. The industry as a whole needs to up their standard, and Intel is providing the motivation. This has nothing to do with Macs, other than them setting the standard. Just think, now that Apple “might” have some competition on the design front, it can only push for even better design for Macs.. now sure how, though.
DON’T ANYBODY SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING!!??
The Wintel treachery is in full swing!!
1: Microsoft copies Mac OS X with Vista, makes it secure and reliable.
2: Intel encourages PC makes to make sexy computers.
They aim to finish Apple once and for all!!!
Because what else does Mac’s have over PC’s but looks and security?
If PC makers make cool looking computers and Vista is secure and reliable, then why buy a hardware/OS monopoly machine when you just buy a OS monopoly and ANY hardware you want?
There is a reason why Apple came out with “Boot Camp”, they are hedging their bets and make it easy to jump to Vista.
Once, I saw a PC that was not beige or off-white, it was black and had some chrome plastic accents.
And there were some secret doors on the front that opened to reveal some ports and external storage bays, wow, very cool stuff, like James Bond…….
And now for something completely different, Phil Schiller was passing by a couple of minutes ago and said he’d like to have his way with the red-bikini Funjet girl