Dell opens doors on Design Studio for jazzing up Studio 15 / 17 laptops

It was HP who made the PC "personal again," but don't think Dell isn't doing its darnedest to make it ultra-personal... again. After seeing a number of Dell laptops get unorthodox paint jobs and hearing that it would make Art House machines CTO in 2009, we've now learned that Dell has swung open the doors to its all new Design Studio. Naturally, said studio was built to customize the outfit's Studio 15 and Studio 17 lappies, and it features an interactive gallery of original artwork commissioned exclusively for this initiative. Available for browsing right now, each unique image costs $75 to have "permanently tattooed into the laptop lid," meaning that you better heart that design a whole lot before pulling the final trigger.

[AVG @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:11PM]

Somehow, someway... somebody here is going to make additional aesthetic choices from Dell seem like a bad thing in the comments. Wait and see. And let it be known that that person, to quote Dee, is a dickhole.

[Dickholio @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:17PM]

lol @ Dell trying to be "hip" with colorful choices that ultimately no one will like.

[iEye @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:17PM]

(((((anti "dick!@#e" shields engaged)))))

I recently had to purchase a personal computer, I chose HP.

Now this seems scandalous, just because Dell gives a sloppy Pig a complete Maxfactor makeover, does not make your it any more appealing...

[i.c. weiner @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:23PM]

Woah woah woah. ieye didn't buy an apple?
I think i must be seeing things.

[Jack H @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:56PM]

exactly
u.c. weiner

[Indie @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:18PM]

I hate colours. This is an awful thing for laptops everywhere.

[crsh @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:28PM]

Thank you for that, I can't even stand silver/brushed aluminum (no matter how nice Macbooks are).

Black anodized aluminum, please; no gloss (no fingerprint mess) either, just plain and clean.

[lowdef @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:32PM]

AGGGGHHH I HATE CHOICES OH MY GAWD

[tom @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:42PM]

You hate coloured laptops? Me too.

That's why I only buy two brands of laptop - Thinkpad & Apple

[[e-mail] @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:10PM]

You can put lipstick on a pig... but its still a pig!

[chickenator @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:23PM]

hate colors on the laptop.
i just wanna see colors only on the screen.

[El Taco @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:41PM]

Lol, I read the 1st comment, then the 2nd comment (this one)

it's like they rehearsed it!

[Hung @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:44PM]

Yeah, I hate coloreds too.




Wait, what?

[Jack H @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:58PM]

Boo pretty colors
horray magnesium/carbon fiber laptop cases

[216 @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:20PM]

While this does seem like a very cool idea, the one problem I could see with it would be the impule feeling of the design. Like the article mentioned, you better had love the design that put on there, cuz 3 years from now, will you still think that design was the right one?

[GenBanks @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:23PM]

Reminds me of when I got a Dell XPS four or five years ago. By the end of its lifespan I was totally embarrassed to use it in public because I had so totally gotten over the looks.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:21PM]

A lot of money.

[The WC @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:23PM]

I'm glad someone listened to my comment on diversity in pictures. Thanks, Engadget!

[lowdef @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:33PM]

wow they look pretty hipster may have to pick one up so i can fit in

[iEye @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:41PM]

Yes, very good.

Now all we need is to lose the Dells, add some white ear-buds in the ears and we have a perfect ad...

[The WC @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:59PM]

@iEye:

Hey! You forgot your "/sarcasm" tag!

[lowdef @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:17PM]

If only he was being sarcastic in all of his comments...

[James @ Dec 3rd 2008 12:57AM]

No iEye really thinks like this, its sad really.

[Flaystus @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:34PM]

Want me to buy a Dell? Let ME make the design.

[Marcela @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:02PM]

Yeah..if the user could make it...probably laptops with ridiculous desings (I can almost see the naked ladies) would spread like a disease...but again... I would I care? As long as I like mine forever and ever(or as long as I use the thing)

Actually, why not a removable one? You know? Make it cheaper, removable (not like those adhesives) and made by the costumer, I bet they would make a lot more money.... and I would have a lot more fun.

[morte100 @ Dec 2nd 2008 5:12PM]

It would probably lead to all kinds of new repeat sales too. Say you don't want to look at your now ex-boyfriends face anymore or your cat that has since been hit by a car bringing up too sad memories.

[Deeznuts420 @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:40PM]

*Lusts after the girl in the middle*

[MP @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:57PM]

When did providing more options become a bad thing? Why would creating more patterns, colors, and design choices be a negative? Look at Dell's Product (RED) program...Hmmm, reaching more people, selling more product, and generating more funds to save lives. Doesn't sound bad to me. If you don't like the designs or colors you don't have to buy them. Dell sells black, too

[david @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:44PM]

too many choices a bad thing ??

"EEE PC"

[James @ Dec 3rd 2008 1:03AM]

Kind of like "the long tail" principle.

[Kimleng @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:43PM]

When I read that they opened up the design studio, I was ready to bust open Photoshop and create an awesome fat company logo of my photography business to slap on there......until I realized this design studio isn't really a design studio. More like a freakin' market place to buy pre-designed lids!!!!!! argh! So much potential....

[Bored123 @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:47PM]

http://dell.skinit.com/

Customize your own and then add it to notebook.

[LonnieDvD @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:44PM]

Ugh, just give me basic colors for my laptops.

[BlurMagic @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:44PM]

Yeah! Look at my ultra stylish laptop! Doesn't it look so pretty? No you can't use it. I never even open it. I just stare at the outside!!!

[Knives_Out @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:55PM]

uh .. how about centrino 2 DELL?!

[Coy @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:26PM]

.....How about they've had it for a while? Both the Studio 15 and 17 have Centrino 2

[bob sakamano @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:36PM]

those people look just like my group of friends! im gonna buy a dell for sure now!

[tigertown @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:54PM]

They need to hire someone from Apple. They make the most beautiful computers. That's pretty much undeniable.

[Dan @ Dec 2nd 2008 5:03PM]

I don't recall it taking all that much ingenuity to design Apple's product exteriors...

[Ashwin @ Dec 2nd 2008 5:05PM]

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. While I personally prefer Apple's designs to Dells, I don't think Dell's is that bad. Dell has really stepped it up on the design side over the past few years. Take a look at a Dell from three years ago, and compare it to these. I would rather have Dell, HP, and others pursue their own unique designs like they are now, than copy Apple and do a bad job of it.

[Messymeese @ Dec 3rd 2008 1:22AM]

Yeah, Dell should make computers that look just like Apple computers. Then you'll have a cheaper laptop with much better specs than an Apple computer would cost at the same price, and Apple fanboys would buy it and never realize it's made by Dell! Brilliant! Wow, my marketing skills are unfathomably unfathomable.

[sdhar23 @ Dec 2nd 2008 5:29PM]

I still think all these designs are overdone and a little ugly.

[Shadow @ Dec 3rd 2008 5:20PM]

I'll take the one on far right.

[Fred @ Dec 3rd 2008 12:46AM]

At least they're trying to be different from Apple in their design.

[Messymeese @ Dec 3rd 2008 1:26AM]

Yeah, 'cuz Dell always copies Apple with everything they do. Have you seen their old Latitude CPx J laptop? It looks just like the Apple 1!

[foreignwarren @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:18PM]

Trapper Keepers FTW

[Jack H @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:05PM]

has anyone forgot that the stock color of every laptop Dell sells and has sold for a while is black? (or Black/aluminum for the XPS)

[Hotrod @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:08PM]

That black chick could get it.

[Canyon @ Dec 17th 2008 1:50PM]

I am a casual user and have not been reading the posts until now, after I ordered a Studio 17 yesterday for my daughter. Have the people at Dell recently fixed any of the Keyboard/Keypad problems?