Re: [TCLUG:12655] price vs. the keen appearance factor

[Adam Maloney <adam@iexposure.com>]

It's a tool.  Apple has done a wonderful job of raising the price of
peripherals because the current trend is translucent.  Expect to pay
about 10% more just on that merit.  A computer is a tool.  It sits under
your desk and works for you.  You don't see Bob Vila walking around with
translucent-purple hammers.  Simply because it's not meant for show, and
there's no added-value, no reason to pay more, for a purple hammer.

Uh...yeah, that's just my feeling.  Blinky lights are nice though...the
more the merrier!

Eric Hillman wrote:
> 
> >      How much extra are you personally willing to pay for a
> > unique-looking, non-beige case/keyboard/mouse setup?  [...]
> >      Is going from kinda nice to super cool worth the extra
> > cost, or are you willing to live with a more plain
> > appearance if it means saving money or putting it to higher
> > end hardware?
> >
> 
> You may be asking the wrong crowd.  As far as personal use goes, I use the
> biggest box I can salvage and paint it however I want.  I like the Road
> Warrior aesthetic, and I'll go miles out of my way to avoid spending actual
> money on my computer habit.  I'm sure most of the people on this list, even
> if they're not quite as scroungy as I am, will still tend towards a
> build-your-own solution no matter what.
> 
> At work, of course, we get rack-mount cases, and don't sweat the looks.
> What matters is how much power we can cram into the tiniest space possible
> without overheating.
> 
> However, if you're planning to sell computers, having machines that look
> cool will help your product stand out, and that's very important.  Obviously
> you'll have to find a point where you can minimize your outlay and still
> produce something that looks distinctive -- no matter how cool it looks, if
> you're charging $500 per unit extra for a little transparent plastic, it's
> likely to hurt you.
> 
> I don't know what your plan is, but it seems like the ideal place right now
> for a Linux startup is as a solution provider for small businesses.  It
> might make sense to have some flashy-looking but moderate-powered machines
> as a "reception desk" package -- something that looks impressive and runs
> Enlightenment, and might appeal to the iMac crowd as a side bonus (make sure
> you install xpat2 and xbill on these ones).  For folks who actually want to
> get some work done, looks aren't going to be as important.  Nobody cares how
> servers look, period, and I keep my workstation *under* my desk, not on it.
> The only important thing to me here is a roomy case, a big monitor, and a
> decent keyboard.
> 
> --
> Eric Hillman
> UNIX Sysadmin
> City & County Credit Union
> ehillman@cccu.com
> 
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-- 
Adam Maloney
Systems Administrator
Internet Exposure, Inc.