Craig Ferry

Vancouver BC

IT

Why is it that Intel, which isn't just another Taiwanese cheapjack clone co., literally can't think outside the box? Their prototypes seem to always be dog-ugly and laughably impractical -- unless they are simply ripping off Apple. Remember the hassock computer? Just pathetic.

Remember all the horrible PC ripoffs of the original Bondi blue iMac? They all missed the point that the iMac wasn't simply a gimmick. It was a computer that came out of the box ready to play -- and its form factor was nothing but the tidiest possible design for an all-in-one CRT-display computer, in any color you wanted except black or beige.

It is hard to believe that Intel and PC makers STILL don't get it. It isn't about the appearance of the hardware, it's about what you can do with it. The Mac Mini is cute alright, and the form factor is attractive for cars and home theatre use, but what makes it really interesting is the OS and software that is included with it. PC makers will cobble together something that looks like a Mini, but with a noisy fan, then slap on the same old security-disaster OS and crappy, looks-good-on-the-checklist-but really-sucks-when-you try-to-use-it software packages, while Mini users get a secure BSD Unix-based OS and best of class, multi-award winning software that does all the cool things people want to do at home.

Bring it on, Intel/Wintel! It's no contest.