Microsoft Talk

Microsoft to highlight PCs with Windows that are fashionable and downright cool.

The New Black

Why does Microsoft, primarily a software company, care about the physical design and style of a PC?

“We’re interested in bringing choice and innovation to the total end-user experience,” explains Poznanski, who came to Microsoft more than two years ago from the music industry. “The design of your computer is as important as the design of your handbag or living-room couch. After all, if a customer isn’t attracted by a PC, they’ll never get to experience our software.”

That’s why Microsoft supports its PC partners in their efforts to produce truly innovative designs. “We give these companies early feedback on the prototypes they show us, and we help showcase some of the most fashionable PCs, as we are here at PROJECT,” he says. “It’s a two-way street; our partners are constantly encouraging us to be as innovative as we can be.”

Poznanski believes that a PC should be an extension of someone’s personality and taste, just as their clothes, home and car are. “We don’t think customers should be limited to PCs that are black, white or silver. PCs with Windows are available in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, colors, designs and accessories, so you can have a PC that reflects who you are — your personal style and fashion sense. There’s a PC with Windows out there for everyone and with any style.”

What are some of the design elements that consumers want now? The obvious ones are choice of shape, color, texture and pattern, but Poznanski notes that factors such as small footprint and light weight are particularly important for the road-warrior lifestyle and are also part of the latest design trends.

Shedding Your Skin

Users’ ability to personalize their PCs doesn’t end with the PC design itself. It can stretch into the software they use as well. Windows DreamScene, for example, is a utility that allows videos and animations — like waves breaking on a beach — to be used as desktop wallpapers.

A company called Stardock, a Microsoft partner that will also be at PROJECT, offers a utility called MyColors that can change the look and feel of the entire Windows environment so that it conforms to any one of a variety of themes, like a sports team or a car brand. Their visual “skins” change nearly every element of the Windows GUI (graphical user interface), including icons, title bars, push buttons, menus and the Start bar.

For example, environment-minded users can show their passion for the planet by downloading a Think Green skin, which will change their desktop to incorporate an animated start menu, a matching weather forecast gadget and many other similarly theme-related elements. Other available themes include animal prints, wood grains and sleek stainless steel.

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