How do people feel about Apple pro towers and notebooks anodized black?
In my order of priorities, it rates well below how fast they are, how cost-effective they are to buy, how likely the Macintosh is to maintain a competitive technology roadmap against WinXXX, and how well supported the developer community is to build great software.
"Black/silver/blue?" is a superficial question, but if you want a superficial answer - I don't mind one way or the other.
I would personally prefer to see Apple move back to a more curved/ergonomic design for the PowerBook. I think that the current design looks good in a stark/industrial way, sort of like a comericial kitchen. however I much prefer the Pismo/Wallstreet design esthetically. As far as using them, I also feel that the current form factor is too flat, though I admit that I have only pecked at the keys a few times on display models and collegues computers and have not spent much time getting used to it.
According to AAA World, the trend in car colors is to blue for next year.
Personally, I don't like black (too dark) or white (gets dirty quickly) or beige (turns yellow). The all-aluminum look is kind of unfinished-looking to me, like an experimental chassis. I'd favor a light metallic blue, biased a little in the purple direction.
I'll take a TiBook or AlBook over the old rounded huge black powerbooks (and most current PC's) any day. I love the look. It's sleek and cool. Just like Apple.
Priority-wise, I agree with Mark-Card Carrying FanaticRealist. Aesthics, although important (especially in the consumer products, eMac / iMac / iPod), don't rank as high on the list when talking about the Pro-Line.
JCG - Yah, the gentle curves on my Wallstreet are nice, but for Apple to incorporate those curves into metal would increase the price tag of manufacture and create more of a QA problem with fit and finish. Still, when done right, it's a work of art ... are you willing to pay for it? They can create those curves easier in plastics, but then the form-factor increases and weight may also increase, not to mention heat transfer and cooling of the processor issues (plastic is an insulator rather than a conductor).
cubist - The blue with purple would look good. It reminds me of SGI workstations or Sony's Viao (not really sure why Viao, because I honestly forget the actual colors of its case). Completely agree with your assessment on biege. White is already used on the consumer-line, and would create buyer confusion. Maybe easing up on the darkness of black to something in a charcoal range would work too. Satchmo was right, the unfinished-looking, experimental, industrial chassis is on purpose. It gives the impression of raw, unrefined, barely contained power (which is what Apple's commercial for the G5 conveyed).
My preferences, if gentle curves are possible without increasing the costs or affecting the priorities Mark mentioned ... do it, otherwise stick with the unfinished-looking, experimental, industrial chassis. I'd go with the charcoal color, because (although I like the blue idea) I first associated the color with SGI and Sony (I doubt if SJ would like that association). Anyway, FWIW
They'll have to do something int he not so distant future. The current design is kind of tired.... a return to round would be a nice touch but anodized stuff scratches really easily and looks like crap when it is!
I should say that if they do stay with aluminum and go black (or any other color for that matter), it will be a hard anodized aluminum. I'm thinking the "black" might have the same appearance as it does on this item:
I would personally prefer to see Apple move back to a more curved/ergonomic design for the PowerBook. I think that the current design looks good in a stark/industrial way, sort of like a comericial kitchen. however I much prefer the Pismo/Wallstreet design esthetically. As far as using them, I also feel that the current form factor is too flat, though I admit that I have only pecked at the keys a few times on display models and collegues computers and have not spent much time getting used to it.
I love my 1ghz Powerbook, but don't find it to be the most amazing looking laptop I've ever seen. I much prefer the old Pismos.
How do people feel about Apple pro towers and notebooks anodized black?
Uhm no. Would look like a cross between an 80's stereo system and a Sony vaio. Terrible.
I sincerely hope - like others here - for a return of the curvy Wallstreet/Lombard/Pismo-style books, those were among the finest designs in computing history.
Since this is obviously not going to happen, I hope they stay with the aluminium look until they develop some color-changing, pulsing, throbbing material
Hmm. I like the idea of a black metal and Apple could probably pull it off. Simply coloring the current pro line, however, just makes them look like boring PCs. My two cents.
Comments
Originally posted by DHagan4755
How do people feel about Apple pro towers and notebooks anodized black?
In my order of priorities, it rates well below how fast they are, how cost-effective they are to buy, how likely the Macintosh is to maintain a competitive technology roadmap against WinXXX, and how well supported the developer community is to build great software.
"Black/silver/blue?" is a superficial question, but if you want a superficial answer - I don't mind one way or the other.
Personally, I don't like black (too dark) or white (gets dirty quickly) or beige (turns yellow). The all-aluminum look is kind of unfinished-looking to me, like an experimental chassis. I'd favor a light metallic blue, biased a little in the purple direction.
Not high on my priority list, but it wouldn't be bad if the next revision would be anodized with a warm grey colour or bronze finish.
JCG - Yah, the gentle curves on my Wallstreet are nice, but for Apple to incorporate those curves into metal would increase the price tag of manufacture and create more of a QA problem with fit and finish. Still, when done right, it's a work of art ... are you willing to pay for it? They can create those curves easier in plastics, but then the form-factor increases and weight may also increase, not to mention heat transfer and cooling of the processor issues (plastic is an insulator rather than a conductor).
cubist - The blue with purple would look good. It reminds me of SGI workstations or Sony's Viao (not really sure why Viao, because I honestly forget the actual colors of its case). Completely agree with your assessment on biege. White is already used on the consumer-line, and would create buyer confusion. Maybe easing up on the darkness of black to something in a charcoal range would work too. Satchmo was right, the unfinished-looking, experimental, industrial chassis is on purpose. It gives the impression of raw, unrefined, barely contained power (which is what Apple's commercial for the G5 conveyed).
My preferences, if gentle curves are possible without increasing the costs or affecting the priorities Mark mentioned ... do it, otherwise stick with the unfinished-looking, experimental, industrial chassis. I'd go with the charcoal color, because (although I like the blue idea) I first associated the color with SGI and Sony (I doubt if SJ would like that association). Anyway, FWIW
... and just for Matsu: more pixels on my screen!
AlBooks are the echo of DeLoreans in brushed aluminum.
anything faster than 88mph becomes moot
but... NeXT machines looked awesome in anodized black kit
a nice fit for panther
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...tchen&n=289819
Edit: Imagine the keyboard a somewhat subdued look of the handles of the above item. The contrast might look "fashionably hip."
Edit 2: Anyone care to Photoshop what something like that may look like?
Originally posted by JCG
I would personally prefer to see Apple move back to a more curved/ergonomic design for the PowerBook. I think that the current design looks good in a stark/industrial way, sort of like a comericial kitchen. however I much prefer the Pismo/Wallstreet design esthetically. As far as using them, I also feel that the current form factor is too flat, though I admit that I have only pecked at the keys a few times on display models and collegues computers and have not spent much time getting used to it.
I love my 1ghz Powerbook, but don't find it to be the most amazing looking laptop I've ever seen. I much prefer the old Pismos.
Originally posted by DHagan4755
How do people feel about Apple pro towers and notebooks anodized black?
Uhm no. Would look like a cross between an 80's stereo system and a Sony vaio. Terrible.
I sincerely hope - like others here - for a return of the curvy Wallstreet/Lombard/Pismo-style books, those were among the finest designs in computing history.
Since this is obviously not going to happen, I hope they stay with the aluminium look until they develop some color-changing, pulsing, throbbing material
http://www.exoticcoatings.net/Ceramic.htm
Some of these would look way cool (no pun intended). Oh yeah, mind the graphics on the above site.
Originally posted by DHagan4755
Edit 2: Anyone care to Photoshop what something like that may look like?
Originally posted by tak1108
That laptop looks EXACTLY Like the Widescreen Compaq we have around here. Please, no. Let's either keep them Ai or let Ives fix the problem
Except the Compaq is probably 3/4" thicker...
Originally posted by Barto
I think the dual color would look awesome on a dual G5
Good Photo-Job!