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The Designer Laptop
The Rise Of Designer Laptop Computers
 Designer Laptop Computers
By
Rodolfo D.
Who would have ever thought that it would come to a
point where words only used in the world of fashion would be applied to
electronic devices. The term ‘designer laptops' doesn't mean that the
Louis Vuitton company has decided to venture into the computer and
electronics industry.
However computers have definitely
evolved from the impersonal business tool to become something as
personal a possession as handbags and watches. Our mode of
communication and the way we know things has changed with the
exponential progress of digital technology. Information can be gained
and disseminated at the tap of a keypad.
Practically everyone
is a member or participant of some online community or social network.
The personal computer, particularly in the form of the laptop and its
smaller cousins such as the PDA and smart phone, is the means by which
we facilitate this new way of doing things and interacting with people.
It is not surprising then that the computer has become not so
much a separate instrument but almost a part of our clothing—a thing to
be worn, carried about, and constantly relied upon. It can't even be
called an accessory because it has become quite a necessity. The
phenomenon of designer laptops simply shows that computers now belong
to that category of personal possessions that represent us publicly.
And so we apply the same behavior and personalize its appearance.
Personalize then purchase:
 Designer
laptops have become a marketing tool for some if not most laptop
manufacturers. They perhaps took their cue from the success of the iMac
in the 1990's with its brilliant and flashy colored casings. They
finally realized that hand-held or portable machines that could compute
in gigahertz speeds didn't necessarily have to come in black, silver or
grey.
The automobile industry came to the same conclusion much
earlier with their cars. Dell for example came up with their Studio
series of laptops. The customer purchasing online chooses from a range
of laptop cover designs displayed on the website then Dell ‘tattoos'
the selected design on the purchased unit. It's almost like going to a
designer apparel store and the strategy behind it is exactly the same.
Sony
meanwhile took a slightly different route with their designer laptops.
They took a more build-your-own approach and offered hardware
configuration options for particular models of their Vaio brand. The
extent of customization is of course restrained by issues of
compatibility but one now has the freedom to steer the laptop to a more
specialized use such as gaming or graphics design.
There are still choices for cover design but they are limited to colors and no elaborate patterns or pictures are offered.
Change the skin:
The idea of customization as a selling point has been around since the personal computer became such a ubiquitous appliance.
It
started in software and the birth of the graphical user interface
(GUI). Programs had to be user-friendly and that didn't simply mean
that they had to be easy to use but that the user could also to a
limited extent change the way it worked and the way it looked.
Of
course the developer's main focus is still the core functions of the
program but including such options added value to the product. This is
particularly true for entertainment and media software such as internet
browsers and media players. Thus the concept of GUI skins became
common. With the advent of designer laptops, the term was appropriated
and also came to refer to the physical appearance of computers.
One
method to make designer laptops is to change its skin. That means
putting a thin laminating cover with an imprinted design on the
laptop's top lid. These laptop skins can be easily applied by the
owner. They made use of a special adhesive that didn't leave residues,
thus peeling them off is also simple to do and this gave owners the
choice of occasionally changing the design - almost as uncomplicated as
changing the skin of a program's GUI. Some laptop skin providers even
allow for customers to make their own designs which the provider will
then manufacture on the laminating cover.
Build from scratch:
 A
user who is more proficient with the technical aspects of the personal
computer may opt to build a desktop computer from scratch, listing the
necessary hardware and checking for compatibility. It's a cheaper way
of purchasing a computer and the customer gets exactly what he wants.
Of
course he also takes a big risk and must be competent enough to
actually pull it off. The do-it-yourself method is now also applicable
to laptops and this puts a whole new dimension to the idea of designer
laptops.
Putting together a laptop from the CPU to the casing
is not the same as with the desktop. Most of the choices will be
limited and there won't be enough chances to mix and match. The process
starts with a ‘barebones' model from a manufacturer. This is a basic
configuration that already has (usually) a motherboard and optical
drive. These are the two components that can't be swapped out.
But
the kind of processor, memory, hard drive, graphics card, and network
card to use is still up to you. Examples of manufacturers who offer
barebones laptops are Asus, MSI and ECS. This method is a far more
extensive customization than the ones offered by manufacturers for
specific models of their laptop and unlike those gimmicks; you're going
to have to assemble the whole thing yourself.
It is a more
complicated option to take to achieve the desired designer laptop but
you can't dispute the level of personalization that can be accomplished.
With
the way things are going, personal computers are just going to become
smaller, faster, and more multi-purpose. In other words mobile
computing will inevitably become prevalent and necessary. Laptops are
practically as personal as our wallets and our diaries as we store so
much information in them—contact lists, account details, etc. Stealing
information is now perhaps as lucrative as stealing actual cash.
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