Discussions

My first conscious memory of product design deals in a matter very dear to me -- Transformers.  Unlike GoBots, the Transfomers toys were infinitely more sturdy, complex, and metallic.  They were more expensive, but not by much, and they came in infinite sizes and varieties.  Even as a child I could feel the extra money you spent in my hands, so it was no wonder they won the toy robot war.  Years later the Hasbro company dramatically changed manufacturing process and reduced Transformers to vomit-inducing simplified plastic (pictured right) which wouldn’t be corrected for nearly a decade when they decided to release a “masterpiece” series (pictured left).  The cheap one certainly sold more units, but it was brand treason – and cause my friends and I from buying anything anything below the standard they had established for robot toy products. 

So what the hell does this have in common with many modern portable computers?  They’re cheap & plasticky (please accept this as a real word for the purpose of this article).  Netbooks are by far the guiltiest in this category, with gaming PCs a close second.  Not to mention dull.

Last week I was walking through a local retailer’s notebook section and noticed that, from ten feet away, most of the products were indistinguishable.  From value PCs to luxurious offerings, almost everyone was sporting a black and gray generic clamshell.  On closer inspection I was surprised to find that many were brand-name computers wrapped up in audibly cheap plastic that flexed when picked up.  Have consumers chosen (with their wallets) that the most vanilla designs are what we want, or is it a cost thing? 

Look, I want a lighter, cheaper computers as much as the next guy, but if this is where the industry is cutting corners at large I think we’re all in trouble.  How can we could these products if they’re suspiciously flimsy before they’re even powered on?  In the end it’s design that has a direct impact on your overall happiness with the contraption.  Somebody once said that “software” isn’t the product – the interface is the product.  That’s the part of the product you use.  With computers what’s inside is, after all, kinda generic.  In the end most computers available have Intel or the other guy inside, do they not?  If you don’t care about design you’re cheating yourself.

We’ve talked a lot about hardware and functionality on WePC, but I think it would also be useful to the design team if we discussed Asus design practices in general, as this becomes a bigger part of the product than most people would like to care to admit.  This is the age of the emotional consumer, after all. 

Asus Design enters the fight against plastic

I think Asus gets this and is trying to break away from the pack with AsusDesign, a separate web site dedicated to promoting their unique alternatives to dull notebook design: leather, chrome, and even bamboo.  I solicited two-three word feedback about these around the Destructoid office and what I got back was interesting, to say the least:

Joseph: Expensive. Aesthetic.
Tron:  Woodgrain? Really?
Matthew: Shiny, high-end.
Brian: Cool, but busy.
Brad: Sleek.
Jonathan: Bumblebee! Nice.
Anthony: Facepalm.
Hamza:  I’m a computa.
Colette:  Modern, sleek.
Scott:  Masculine.
Rey: Tacky.
Me: Not cheap & plasticky!

Join in this conversation by checking out the differing line of notebook products from Asus.  What’s your three word reaction to the following products?