Likewise, the personal computer market has reached a point of maturity where the machines can no longer compete based on what's inside them. Consumers don't care so much whether their wireless LAN is 802.11A, B or G, so long as it comes in zebra stripes (yes, E-Go will have one).
Frencham at Inclosia said that, like the auto industry, design aesthetics is the front at which computer manufacturers will battle for consumers' dollars. In a survey commissioned by the company, he said, "we found that 72 percent of Inclosia's target audience see authentic materials as making their consumer electronic devices a lot more stylish."
The point, he said, is to create an emotional bond between consumers and the products they buy. Wristwatches are the perfect example.
Watches long ago reached a point where they were assumed to be accurate. They've since transcended their original role as timepieces to become jewelry, even treasured heirlooms.
While today's computers will still be tomorrow's doorstops as the technology inside them ages (even diamond-encrusted ones), style sense is something Tulip is taking to the bank.
The company says its own surveys have found that not only do authentic materials make personal electronics more personal -- "lifestyle accessories" they called them -- consumers are also willing to pay a premium for them; as much as US$140 for authentic materials include in a laptop design and US$60 for the same in cellphone designs.
One thing Tulip may not have banked on in making a laptop that looks like a bag is that nearly all laptop users like to keep their laptop in, well, a bag. More than simply offering an easy means to carry their machine, a bag helps protect it during the daily bump and grind. And if you're willing to take the risk in order to show off your "lifestyle accessory" you'll have to overcome another problem: Where to put the power cord? Guess you'll need a bag after all -- at least until everything goes wireless.
For more information about EXO overmolding system technology, visit the Dow Chemical Company's Web site at http://www.dow.com/Homepage/index.html. For more information on the Tulip E-Go laptop computer, visit their Web site at http://www.tulip-ego.com.
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