Plantronics Discovery 925 earpiece in gold.(Plantronics photo)
Summertime means a lot of things to different people but one thing it means to me is – color. Blue skies, sandy beaches, green fields, red, white and blue bunting. Gadget makers are applying that thinking to the products they are marketing.
Personal computers aren’t referred to much anymore as “white boxes.” That was from a time when computers were built by engineers, not designers. Laptops now come in the full spectrum of colors. To some people, Dell went a bit overboard in promoting the laptop cover as a canvas with its Della Web site that gave female buyers a choice of 100 or more graphic designs for their netbook covers. Apparently, the production costs have been contained so that computer makers can afford to offer that level of personalization.
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Dell laptops in a rainbow of colors and designs (Dell photo)
When the new iPod Nano was introduced in September 2008, shoppers had a choice of nine bright colors. The color trend recognizes that personal technology is not just a utilitarian device available in only basic black, off-white or boring grey, it’s a fashion accessory. And not just for women. I selected a Palm Treo a few years back because of its eye-catching copper case. My Dell laptop cover is blue, though I’m not sure if I chose it because, subconsciously, blue is for boys, or that’s all they had in stock.
Plantronics got all Technicolor, too, this year introducing new versions of its Discovery 925 Bluetooth headset – which last year was available only in black -- in Gold, Cerise, Royal Blush and Majestic Purple. In fact, the ad copy for the 925 reads, “Look good. Sound better.”
Apple's iPod Nano in nine bright colors (Apple photo)
Not to be outdone, rival Aliph went, not just color crazy, but pun crazy with the colors of its new Jawbone Prime Bluetooth headset EarCandy series: Frankly Scarlet, Drop Me a Lime, Lilac You Mean It and “Yello!”
While clever, this is not unprecedented. In the early 1970’s, the Ford Motor Co. offered a compact car in its lineup called the Maverick, which it sold in colors such as Anti-Establish Mint, Hulla Blue, Freudian Gilt and Thanks Vermillion.
Have a colorful summer!
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