October 30, 2009 - 10:58am

Painting the town red with tech: Does colour matter when it comes to PCs?

Did you hear the one about the computer company that started designing laptops that match women’s fingernails? No joke. Dell recently got together with nail polish manufacturer OPI – unveiling slick laptops in a spectrum of girlish shades, such as “I’m Not Really a Waitress,” “Rosy Future,” and “Smitten with Mittens.”

It begs the question, does colour play a big role in buying a computer these days?

For Steve and Debbie Atkinson, the answer’s easy. This summer, the Stratford, Ontario pastor and his wife purchased a pink desktop computer for their three young daughters, aged 5, 3-and-a-half and 2.

“We wanted to get them something they could learn on,” he says. “When we saw (Dell) had an all-in-one touch-screen (computer) that was pink, it was just, well, we knew our girls would love it.”

What the parents love is how well the desktop – with its thin touchscreen display, lack of wires and bulky CPU – complements their kitchen, though they joke they’re not about to go so far as painting the room pink. 

Dell’s not the only computer manufacturer making colourful statements with consumer technology. Nor is colour the only way to customize computers. HP recently announced its second-generation “digital clutch” – a butterfly-themed gold netbook, designed with fashion designer Vivienne Tam. Their first collaboration, a red floral netbook, is currently available in stores and is as fashionable as it is functional.