Intel and Asus are letting consumers design PCs on a new Web site, WePC.com. The plan is for the companies to deliver what could be the world's first community-designed PCs.
“Intel believes the spark for innovation can come from anywhere,” says Mike Hoefflinger, GM of Intel's partner marketing group. “That's why Intel is working with Asus to tap into the creative energy of consumers as they share ideas on designing their ideal PC.”
An Intel statement says visitors to the Web site can share ideas, vote for submitted concepts and engage in discussions with other community members about the qualities of the “dream” PC. The community will be divided into three conversation groups, addressing three of the most popular consumer PC categories: netbooks, notebooks and gaming notebooks.
Intel and Asus hope to design a consumer-inspired product that simplifies and enhances computing needs, with Intel and Asus technology. Intel processors will power the PCs.
Let the ideas flow
WePC.com states a group of designers, engineers, hardware enthusiasts and gamers lead the discussion on PC ideas. They blog with users about what innovations they would like to see in a PC and fuel the community brainstorming sessions.
The Web site, which is already active in the US, has drawn some quirky ideas. According to media reports, one is a bewitching media PC that could "automatically detect a stack of CDs on top of the computer without having to load them in manually”.
Another user went as far as to lobby for a waterproof laptop, while yet another says he is “dreaming of a laptop which has satellite TV without any antenna”.
Are they usable?
IDC analyst Crawford Del Prete says the initiative is “a great, innovative effort".
"It allows customers to give direct input to future designs, and should help reduce the 'let's see what sticks' behaviour that often pervades PC design," he says. “I think this will break some new ground."
Endpoint Technologies Associates analyst Roger Kay says the companies aren't "actually expecting to get any ideas that are usable". Still, he says, "this is pretty creative, bringing social networking to PC design."
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