Intel Promotes Blue Suede Laptops (pics)

Have you ever thought of dressing your laptop lid with blue suede or customizing your laptop by putting shag carpet on the palm rests? Maybe not, but Intel has.

Blue suede laptop anyone? (view larger image)

Intel teamed up with Toray Ultrasuede Inc. to unveil some "ultrafashionable" concept laptop PCs. Intel claims these designs as being "chic" and providing a "unique and luxurious personal touch to mobile computing."

Green carpeted laptop (view larger image)

The concept laptops feature ultra micro-fiber Ultrasuede fabric integrated directly into the casing oflaptop PCs, changing the look and, quite literally,the feel of the system. According to Intel and Ultrasuede:

"Forty percent of U.S. adult computer users find their laptop to be generic, boring, dull, sterile or lackluster, and 60 percent would like to be able to customize their laptop with options such as color, patterns and fabric. Ultrasuede, with its durability and ease-of-care, wide range of colors and textures and unique luxurious feel is an ideal candidate to transform the look and feel of laptop PCs. It has been successfully incorporated into hundreds of products from furniture to apparel to accessories."

So I guess this means if all goes according to plan we'll have an extra choice when configuring a laptop, choosingsuch things as "purple shag carpet palm rests" or "blue suede casing". Personally, I think the shag carpet idea on the palm rests is a great idea for the comfort factor. And I suppose if the laptop has a furry style lid it'd double as a great pillow when closed.

Press Release: http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20051128comp.htm

 

and I guess the furry style lid doubles as protection for the monitor..

What should we do if the shag carpet on the palm rests gets dirty? Use carpet cleaners on the laptop? lol

 

haha that's pretty nifty, my only question is wouldnt that material act as an insulator and cause temps to rise?

 

Loaf, you think like an engineer, you're totally right that adding material to the outside could provide unwanted insulation. I guess that Intel will compensate for this by designing super cool running chips

most likely though, this is an idea to get attention and most manufacturers will be laughing at Intel and Ultrasuede.

 

I think that it won't hurt if is just on the lid. My notebook just get warm one the bottom of the LCD, near the hinges.

 

good point, the suede on the touchpad area might be a problem, but the lid would not.

 

I can see it now:

"Mtv Presents: Pimp my lap, featuring Xzibit"

 

I was thinking of that Seinfeld episode with the suede jacket. It would be awful difficult to turn the laptop inside out.

Besides, the wrist rests would look like hell after a year of use. Trust a fashion designer not to consider use in the real world.

 

heheh good one!

I do kinda like that, I would love to customize the lid to make it unique, and I don't think it would add too much insulation just on the top there (it would at least protect the top from scratches). But yeah, the wrist pad would get so dirty. Unless it was easily detachable and replaceable. I'd also want the top cover to be as well, in case I want to change. But I think that its a neat idea.

 

Hahaha, yup. I wouldn't be surprised . Hey they already throw in colored laptops to match the car itself on that show

 

The Ultra Suede on the palm rests is an interesting idea.... a little added comfort, plus if it's raised maybe a little added screen protection when the lid is closed? But cleaning the pads no matter how easy or how durable they are might prove to be a challenge...especially with a Rug Doctor lol. As for it insulating the laptop that might be pretty negligable as we rely on the heatsinks and fans to get the majority of the heat out....... then again maybe not.

 

I can't believe this is where the Intel's R&D costs are going... what a stupid idea. Even Sony VAIOs and my Fujitsu is more stylish than that.

It looks like glued on carpeting on a dell laptop.

 

By the way, this is a message to Intel:

In today's day and age, we, the people, decide what is trendy and stylish. Obviously plastering a carpet on a notebook computer and calling it "stylish and trendy" is not going to appeal alot of people.

 

Very true jsis, just what are the people at Intel thinking!? I feel that this idea is incredibly stupid. Looks like I'll have to start supporting AMD now.

 

I think that it's a very good idea, but it needs to mature a little. Maybe carpet it's not what should be used, plastic stickers would be pretty nice IMHO, just like cars we see at Fast and Furious or those one Need for Speed Undergound 2.

 

^ A trend that came and went...

 

anything beats silver/grey plastic

 

Suede gets dirty easily and wears down just as easily even if you find the look appealing (which I do not) it will be all warn out and ugly within a year no matter how good you take care of it. The wear from carrying it around in a laptop bag is enough to see to that.

 

Actually, it's not a bad idea, but the picture with the scattered wire hangers reminds me of Joan Crawford screaming at her daughter, " What are wire hangers doing in this closet? I told you NO WIRE HANGERS!!!"



Tony

 

A bad news for people like that concept, I got an answer from Toray Ultrasuede (America), Inc. already:

" Hello Danny,

Thanks for forwarding the link from Intel. The picture is of the 2 concept laptops that we put together with Intel over the last year. I have attached the Press Release that we issued Monday announcing the Ultrafashionable Laptop PR Campaign.

The object of the campaign is to inspire the PC OEMs to bring to market similar concepts with innovation both on the inside and the outside.

I wish I could say to you that we have them or to go to such and such a retailer to get them.

Additionally it is intended that these will be an integral part of the original equipment and not something to stick on.

I will be happy to let you know when something is coming to market from a particular OEM. In the meantime if you have any other questions and or suggestions, please contact me. "

Now I know why Asus has a rugged laptop model.

 

Awfull fuddy-duddy fashion!!! My grandmother would find it old-fashioned And it is still 100 km far from Mac Powerbook esthetic !!!