Personal Computers

PCs have barely changed styles since their birth. Here's how to revolutionize their look

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June 21, 2004 at 4:00 AM UTC

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The car industry has come a long way since the Model T changed the world. Instead of one mass-produced car in one color, there's everything from sporty roadsters to monster sport-utility vehicles. But what about the PC, the definitive product of the second half of the 20th century? Not so. For the most part, consumers have a choice of desktop or laptop, fast or superfast, and any color they want so long as it's beige. O.K. -- or black, or maybe gray. Henry Ford would approve.

It's time for the PC to take a big leap forward. Since the early 1980s, it has evolved from a glorified typewriter to a do-everything digital hub with very few changes to its outward appearance. Innovative twists have come and gone, like Apple Computer Inc.'s (AAPL ) all-in-one iMac and Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT ) WebTV console for the living room. But high price tags and proprietary software have kept them out of the mainstream, especially since $500 got you a garden variety desktop from Dell Inc. (DELL ) or Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ ).