Microsoft issues style guide to PC manufacturers for Vista launch

Is it just me, or does that Dell computer look like the Scout Troopers' helmets from Return of the Jedi?

http://www.starwars.com/databank/organization/scouttrooper/img/movie_bg.jpg

There are some decent case manufacturers out there. I looked long and hard for a rackmount case for a fileserver that wasn't completely ugly- it sits in my office, not locked in a cage somewhere. I really like the Xserve case design, but in the end, I went with a HTPC case from Silverstone (LC-17). PC manufacturers need to realize there is some benefit to aesthetics- I paid more to get a case that didn't make my eyes hurt.

I remember my last desktop PC. It was very large, very heavy, VERY loud (you could hear it whirring from downstairs) and VERY VERY beige. I wonder who came up with the idea of beige computers. Probably the same person who painted my high school (beige and white, with the trimmings painted brown).

However, not all PCs are ugly. Alienware machines are very good looking (I particularly liked the limited edition Star Wars versions). I remember vowing to save up and buy one some day, but then I got interested in Macs ;) Interestingly, they were recently bought out by Dell.

That Dell XPS in the picture is still fug. At least it's better than their last XPS case, which is a giant plastic behemoth. My parents have that model. They were shocked at how large it was. It made my $40 mid-server sized PC case (that I affectionately named 'Lurch' after the giant butler) look like a Mac mini in comparison.

Still the PC industry could use an overhaul in computer aesthetics. They've got the goods under the hood; why not make a stylish case to match? Sony Vaios were a step in the right direction, but industry leaders like Dell should follow suit. If they can't be bothered, they should at least pair up with a case maker like Lian Li, Coolermaster, or even Antec to make a budget-priced, good looking case.

sorry to be "that guy" but even with a designer case and all of the capability it will need to run vista there is one flaw that I for one can not over look... it can not run the Mac OS.

Microsoft is just being nice so Apple doesn't have to re-design it allready vista capable machines...