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By Richard Morochove
First published August 26, 1999
Apple Computer has once again unleashed its legal hounds to protect the look
of its products. 
Unlike the computer maker's earlier "look and feel"
legal battle against Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard for aping the MacOS, this
time Apple is out to defend Bondi Blue.
What's that? Bondi Blue is the color of the plastic used in the original iMac, Apple's snazzy all-in-one desktop PC introduced last year.
Yes, Apple Computer is not going to battle over a hot microprocessor or technical improvement, not over a clever piece of software, but over a bit of colored plastic.
Apple filed a complaint in U.S. Federal Court in San Jose, Calif. seeking to
prevent eMachines from selling its eOne computer, introduced in August. In July,
Apple filed a similar suit against Future Power and South Korea's Daiwoo
conglomerate to prevent them from distributing an iMac lookalike. In both cases,
Apple alleges the computer makers illegally copied the iMac design.
While the Future Power computers, manufactured by Daiwoo, look similar to Apple's iMac, they aren't functionally compatible. They run Windows, just as most other PCs today.
It's harder to confuse the eMachines eOne with the iMac. While it includes a built-in monitor, the eOne is a different shape. It's a Windows PC that cannot run Mac-compatible software. Unlike the iMac, the eOne includes a built-in floppy disk drive and network connectors. The eOne sells for one-third less than an iMac, even lower with a CompuServe 2000 subscription.
So why is Apple Computer making such a fuss over plastic?
I remember when personal computers were marketed solely on the basis of "speeds and feeds," the raw specifications delivered by the hardware. The faster and more powerful computer, the better it was.
Then ease of use became important to make computers more appealing to
consumers. First, the move to graphical operating systems such as the MacOS and
MS Windows made it easier to
operate applications. More recently, the
introduction of color-coded computer ports helps new computer buyers plug-in the
right cable to the right port, so you don't try to attach the mouse to the
keyboard port.
I'll be the first to concede that computers in beige boxes are boring. They may blend in with bland office décor, but many people want something with a little more flair for the home.
Apple's iMac, along with the conceptual PC designs of Intel, are pleasing to the eye. But unlike the advances delivered by earlier computer developments, a candy-colored plastic PC won't perform any better, nor will it be any easier to use, than its beige counterpart.
Why is Apple Computer so quick to fire off the legal cannons when some other computer maker adds a bit of color to a PC? Does Apple really believe that colored plastic is so important to its sales efforts that it must defend it from interlopers?
Based upon the two legal actions launched by the company, that certainly appears to be the case. And I find that very sad.
I'm sad because I hate to see a company that was once a leader in computer innovation reduced to defending a few fruity colors to maintain its competitive edge.
When the iMac was first announced, I was astonished to learn that Apple had spent a considerable amount of its not-unlimited research budget on testing tinted plastics for the new computer. That's research and development money that can't now be spent on real computer innovations, such as better performing hardware and a better MacOS.
It's as if Apple has conceded it can't compete with Intel in processor improvements and Microsoft in operating systems. So the company now favors style over substance, defending the color of its turf.
Will colored plastic be the savior of Apple?
Apple ultimately lost its "look and feel" lawsuit defending the
MacOS, even though copyright protection for software has well-established legal
precedents. I feel the computer maker is on much shakier ground in these plastic
suits, since the concept of protecting the design of a utilitarian object is
relatively new.
Furthermore, if computer design is the new battleground, then Apple is now facing more competition from designs that don't look anything like the iMac.
One of the most interesting is NEC's new PowerMate 2000 desktop computer that features a 15-inch flat panel display mounted atop a notebook-sized PC. What NEC calls a "microdesktop" PC measures just 10.5 inches wide by 7.7 inches deep by 2.0 inches high, 85 per cent smaller than most desktop computers.
I like the looks of the unconventional PowerMate and the iMac. But lets not forget that computers aren't objects d'art purchased to decorate a desk in the study. They must deliver on the performance or be replaced by a beige box that can handle the job. CW
Richard Morochove, FCA, is a Toronto-based computer consultant.
Copyright ©1999 by Morochove & Associates Inc. All rights reserved. This work may not be copied or distributed by any means without our prior written permission.
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