Wednesday 17 March 2010, Sydney Australia

On Friday 12 March, I attended a viewing of the top 100 entries in a competition run by Dell in which designers were invited to come up with funky, personal designs for their laptop covers. Those attending were also encouraged to enter, the prize being a laptop to keep! Having the capacity only to appreciate art (and definitely not produce it), I wisely stood back.

Robyn Gough, from Hodgson Vale, Qld, won the real competition and gets to keep a Studio 15 laptop emblazoned with her ponderous coffee-cup rings. She also won $5,000. The design can be viewed here: http://www.makeityours.asia/au/ (though that is not her holding the laptop).

The evening also served to showcase the colourful Studio range, including a group inspired by the O.P.I. nail-polish. Swirling variants of red are a dominant motif, as one would imagine. Other designers in the range include Mike Ming, Derek Welch, Deanne Cheuk, Korakrit Arunanondchaiheuk and Andrea Rosenberg.

One interesting fact: did you know that since colours were introduced, only 30% of Dell customers continue to opt for the plain black finish. Perhaps it sees the writing on the wall, but Dell does not currently extend the Studio range to PC boxes.

Personally speaking, if I were in the market for a new laptop, the exterior would not excite me nearly as much as the specs, as well as a keyboard that types well (obsessive will know what I mean) as well as a non-reflective screen.

I’m sure there are many people for whom a colourful personal touch will be extremely appealing. In these days of iPhone madness, it’s nice to make a splash with an unusual laptop.

The Studio range can be viewed (and purchased) here: http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/global/shared/design_studio/en/ap/dell_design_studio?c=au&cs=audhs1&l=en&s=dhs&redirect=1. And as always, the insides are customisable.

Felix Staica