iWorkstations? 332
YoDave writes "Have a slick new iMac and a boring old desk? This BBC report may be music to your eyes. John Treby from the University of Hertfordshire has designed the iDesk. It has space age styling with space for all your Apple goodies and not much else. Rain Design of San Francisco is shipping a similar stand called the iGo. PC users can prepare to drool with envy, again."
hmm (Score:5, Funny)
Re:hmm (Score:5, Funny)
Re:hmm (Score:5, Insightful)
You're missing the point entirely (though this isn't at all surprising.)
Guys who use Macs on desks like the one in the picture, get to go out with girls like the one on the picture.
Guys who use an overclocked Athlon in an aluminum Lian Li or Coolermaster, stuck on top of an old door on bricks get to stay at home Saturday night and surf pr0n.
Re:hmm (Score:3, Funny)
I mean, if a guy truly has to use a dysfunctional computer setup like the one picuterd in order to get laid, then I don't blame him for relying on pr0n.
Re:hmm (Score:2)
lol, I have an overclocked barton 2500+ in a Lian-Li PC-75B sitting on two cinder blocks. Is this really a common setup?
Re:hmm (Score:2)
No, completely irrelevant.
Re:hmm (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah, right. One that looks just like this. [slashdot.org]
Mom's basement dwellers the world over will be green with envy!
Re:hmm (Score:2)
I was thinking something more along the lines of this [newegg.com]
Its an awesome case, even if you don't go to LANs.
Re:hmm (Score:2)
But... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:But... (Score:2)
In the cupholder [geocities.com] that comes out of the front of the computer of course!
dumb (Score:3, Funny)
just give me a new chair damnit! I'm turnin hunchback!
Re:dumb (Score:2, Insightful)
In other words, perfect for your average Mac user.
No, it all makes sense, just look at the pictures. (Score:5, Funny)
Notice the woman in the picture is lounging around, in hip poses, looking stylish and "chic", but not actually getting any work done.
They certainly have their target market nailed pretty well.
Re:No, it all makes sense, just look at the pictur (Score:3, Funny)
Re:No, it all makes sense, just look at the pictur (Score:2, Funny)
Thats because when you dont have to fight with the OS to get anything done, you are a lot more productive.
Re:No, it all makes sense, just look at the pictur (Score:2)
Kudos.
useless (Score:5, Informative)
Instead, get something like this [officedepot.com].
That's all the desk you should ever need.
Re:useless (Score:2, Insightful)
Or, better yet, this [colmn.com]!
Oh how do I love those desks, perfect for everything, and indestructible.
That last word would explain why nobody makes them anymore. Better for the economy to make sawdust ikea crap that needs to be junked every few years.
Re:useless (Score:2)
Re:useless (Score:2)
See, I said that about your 42"x30" desk you linked to!
Remember, Mac people like to show off their fancy hardware... they don't need a massive slab of wood to hide the hideousness and noise of their PCs behind. :)
I kid! (sort of.)
IKEA is the best! (Score:2)
That's right, but what you show is a very primitive, very unfuctional desk.
Nothing can beat (yet) IKEA's Jerker desk. Personally I have two of them, each with three shelves onthe top (Jerker can have an extension to make it even higher). It's the only desk that can fit two Apple Studio 21 on it, with two printers and two scanners on aside trail-shelves. The size is big to fit two big displays with keybowards *AND* to leave some space fo [www.ikea.ca]
Re:useless (Score:2)
http://www.rackframe.com/work_stations.htm
That is my dream desk, but as good as it is
I won't buy it for the kind of money they want
for it.
(Notice that those "drawers" on the sides are
actually 19" rack chassis).
I agree. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:useless (Score:2)
You need to discover your local branch of Ikea [ikea.com]
Re:useless (Score:2)
I did that. I now have a desk of 2 x 1 m2. By the way, multiplex looks better than MDF.
A good/cheap desk. (Score:3, Informative)
Welcome to the wonderful world of IKEA. I have their Galant [ikea-usa.com] desk here at home.
This desk is immense. The shorter limb is about two meters, the longer 3. Extremely sturdy. You can literally jump up and down on it. It laughs at my 43 Kg 22" monitor. Note how the legs are placed way back or to the sides, more leg space for you. I have four computers on it, two rolling sets of drawers and the trusty old HPLJIII below. That still leaves plenty of desk space for the phone, ADSL modem, various piles of paper and a
Huh? (Score:5, Funny)
Let's hope his design skills are better than his grammar...
On a desk like that, where would I put the pizza and the stuffed Tux??
nice desk... (Score:2)
All right, I wasn't looking at the desk. It could be plywood and cinderblocks for all I care. Just goes to show that you can sell anything if you put a pretty enough girl next to it, and I'm only slightly ashamed to admit that it works on me.
Good thing I don't have any money.
No offence... (Score:2, Insightful)
Anyway... for me, computer ownership shouldn't be about having to re-mortgage my house just so I can be a trend-whore
Re:No offence... (Score:2, Interesting)
But these days when I look a
Re:No offence... (Score:2)
Looks great (Score:5, Insightful)
At home, my desk is a complete mess. CDs everywhere, a book or two, assorted junk that I really ought to put away but never quite get round to doing... There, a desk like this might actually make sense, as it would (hopefully!) force me to be a little tidier. For work, though, it's simply not practical.
Looks utterly gorgeous, though.
Re:Looks great (Score:5, Interesting)
I reckon it could do with:
* document-holder-clip-thing beside the monitor
* cd-storage-stack-thing
* a shelf for books + misc items
* another one of those mousepad platforms, it looks about right for an open book
my $0.02 anyway
Re:Looks great (Score:2)
Re:Looks great (Score:2)
This desk probably is designed for public computers (libraries etc.) rather than your office/home.
Just by looking at the design, you see that it isn't meant to have tons of papers or books on it. It's more like a public terminal for everyone to use. If you would have seen this on a computer exhibition it definetely would have looked very stylish. Your company or organisation would have got much more positive attention because of this desk, I believe.
A good use for this desk... (Score:2)
I have been considering one of those rollaway desks specifically designed for laptop computers. However, being that I'm a broke dot-com refugee going back to school this Fall, I have more important priorities than that, like food and shelter. So the TV Ta
Re:Looks great (Score:4, Informative)
What!? I dispute that statement. Consider the PowerBook for instance. (I know the PB because I just bought one.)
Style over substance, n'est[-ce] pas?
No. Style with substance.
No coffee cup holders? Well... (Score:2, Funny)
Old news (Score:2, Funny)
Apple Branches Out... (Score:2)
Ikea must be sweating like mad right now. Overpriced overhyped overtrendy furniture is their turf...
Re:Apple Branches Out... (Score:2)
Sex Toys: iLoveBalls?
There was a parody commercial about the iBrator floating around the 'Net a few years ago...
IKEA (Score:5, Funny)
iRealityDistortionStations ??? (Score:5, Insightful)
For either of the linked iRealityDistortionStations, there is no place to put CD's, papers, a drawing pad, or any other tools. Much less a drink. Or for the Mac crowd, their reality distortion equipment.
If you want a good workstation desk, check out the following companies. They make excellent systems for a variety of uses, including video and music production.
Biomorph Interactive Desks [biomorphdesk.com]
Anthro Workstations [anthro.com]
Many of the big companies (such as Steelcase, Herman Miller, etc.) that make office furniture also make high quality workstation systems. With all the leftover dotcom equipment lingering about, you can often find tremendous discounts if you dig around at used office furniture and dotcom liquidation companies.
Re:iRealityDistortionStations ??? (Score:5, Insightful)
Its about aesthetics and attention to detail. See a mac on this desk and you automatically assume the owner has a nice clean shower cube with none of that orange goo on the tiles, a well services toilet, plenty of paper, and bed sheets that get changed more than once a month.
You also assume the owner makes full use of the shower cube on a daily basis - probably twice!
Oh - and you assume they have a bucket of cash because it looks expensive. They don't call these things 'fucking expensive' for nothing!
Re:iRealityDistortionStations ??? (Score:2)
Re:iRealityDistortionStations ??? (Score:2)
Re:iRealityDistortionStations ??? (Score:2)
sure they look good (Score:4, Interesting)
It is so many errors with the workspace that I don't even what to go into it.
Only one thing good was probably the iGo's built in lamp for night-work. But that is probably just about it.
Re:sure they look good (Score:2)
Geeks......please don't drink and post.
Re:sure they look good (Score:4, Informative)
Please, go into it. Because I can't see WTF you are talking about.
Crucial ergonomics issues with computer workstations: height, position and adjustment of chair; height and position of keyboard/mouse area; appropriate swivel and tilt controls for those surfaces; having the top-edge of the display adjustable to neutral eye-level resting naturally straight ahead.
This desk, while definitely short on 'extra' space, seems to fit the bill on all of these (I mean, it's designed around a stem; thats a cool idea). So I'm curious as to what you mean.
Mod parent up (Score:4, Interesting)
Desks made for computers hur my legs (Score:5, Interesting)
The pictures on the iGo page are hilarious. Can you see the way the woman has to sit in order to use the computer? More than 5 minutes at a time in that position and my back breaks. The designers obviously never tries to actually use the furniture they make.
keyboard centering (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Desks made for computers hur my legs (Score:2)
Well I thought the pictures were very well done, but the shot of the woman is indeed hilarious, because the photographer (while talented exposure-wise) doesn't know a feckin' thing about computer desks unfortunately.
Look at the chair they put her in, and look at the height of the monitor. This was clearly done so we could see the screen better but no one in their right mind uses a screen th
Where do I put my stuff? (Score:5, Insightful)
Non practacal (Score:3, Insightful)
i-desk = i-sore (Score:2)
I appricate the i-desk on some level... but there just isn't enough desk for my tastes, and it's freaking tacky as hell.
L shape design.. this I like. Place to route cables, added bonus. But even if I owned an i-mac I would want a bit more desk to my deskstation. not this rounded corner look from hell.
My desk contents (Score:5, Insightful)
80C51 Programmer that I finished building yesterday
My scanner
5 photos I have been scanning
5 rolls of film for my camera
Circular polarising filter for my camera.
A copy of Mastering Linux (hardback edition circa 1988) that I use to prop up the screen from my notebook when it is on my desk.
USB cable for my digital camera.
A CD of the last film that I got processed.
A box cutter
My desktops monitor
A pile of 20 receipts that I need to sort through
My cheap as Epson printer
Remains of photos that I am NOT going to scan
Several PC cords for my film camera
Last back up DVD from my desktop
Pile of my business cards
Photo loupe for looking at negatives
More film for my camera
Some floppies
Pile of paperwork I have to sort through
Small lightbox for viewing negatives
A photo album
Various negatives that I have been sorting through
Various pens etc
So remind me again. Why am I drooling over the apple-like desk that would have 90% of my stuff sitting in the floor???? Not to mention that I rest my arms on my desk whenever I am not typing.
Re:My desk contents (Score:2)
Re:My desk contents (Score:2)
And you didnt listen to me when I said the Athlon XP was faster!
2MHz P4, pfft!
Re:My desk contents (Score:2)
Re:My desk contents (Score:2, Funny)
Terrorist.
you don't need a bigger desk (Score:2)
Looks beautiful but (Score:4, Informative)
What did I do? I started by refinishing an old pine dining room table. Instead of a "ledge," I have a "real" desk with plenty of space on which to read and write, pile books, and rest my elbows. My two 21" monitors are off to the side (an L-shaped arrangement) on a second table I built with a retractable keyboard tray. Underneath that table, the computers are kept in a sealed but vented cabinet. The rack equipment (including hissing modems, routers, etc.) I moved into a closet (also sealed and vented).
Workstations may be fine for working if one defines working as doing nothing but staring at your monitor with your hands typing away at the keyboard. Past that, however, I find the entire concept as flawed and unworkable.
Mind you, I do think the desks shown look nice, but I'd never trade horizontal space with the gimmicky extras and pseudo ergonomics that are part of all modern computer furniture design. Put another way, if I hand nothing else, I'd use a 6' utility table instead. Or hell, maybe even a door on supports -- at least you can decorate it with a plant or two.
Drool? (Score:2)
If you are a fashion designer, by all means get this, as you will probably not spend that much time in front of it, and you can ramble on about Gucci and the latest dresses (about as practical as this desk...). I have to spend a considerable time in front of a computer, so I want it to be practical, I can care less about the color as long as it doesn't reflect a lot of light.
Hrm (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Hrm (Score:2)
Look at the printer... That's not funcional workspace. That's just a shelf to show off the fact that you actually have a printer. If the second shelf wasn't in the way, you *might* be able to get paper into it and print. Be sure to catch the output before it floats to the floor.
The scanner? Sure, I'll get on my hands and knees and crawl under the desk to get to it.
Give me a break, this is just for show. No one intending to actually work would buy this thing.
A custom desk form my PCs (Score:2)
Just as the mac table holds exactly the equipment a mac user needs/can afford, my table accomodates my monitor, KVM switch, printer, scanner, speakers, network hub, firewall, and fax machine, with room left over for note paper, coffee cups, pens, USB gadgets, CDs and manuals. It has plenty of space below for my 5 PCs and their huge tangle of cables.
As an 31337 mod,
Real Programmers use Real Desks (Score:2)
I prefer my 2 old doors up on 2x4 legs wraparound desk. I covered the tops with some kind of wierd plastic posterboard, and I added an aftermarket lamp. I got a few old arm lamps from a yard sale, rewired them and drilled holes in my desk that fits the bases of them.
Maybe it's not as pretty as those i-thingies but it's as solid as heck, it fits in with this renovated barn I hav emy office in, and I
Drool? (Score:3, Funny)
How strong is it? (Score:2)
EULA? (Score:2)
OK,so what prevents me putting a PC on the desk? Let me guess, it comes with an EULA!
iGO or iGo? (Score:2)
HAHAHAHAHA (Score:2)
I'm sorry, but it had to be done.
If I saw one of these in real life I'd be rolling on the ground, seriously.
Peotic Technologies Aura workstation (Score:2)
Envy? (Score:2)
Oh. And here I thought it was just loathing, bile, and contempt. Silly me.
The desk is cool but... (Score:2)
real purpose (Score:2)
Form over function (Score:2)
For lesson in form and function in furniture design, look no further than Frank Lloyd Wright
Sorry, I like Macs and All, (Score:2)
Mobilefor the Powerbook? (Score:2)
But where is the... (Score:2)
Minimalism (Score:2)
at least two shelves missing from the iDesk (Score:2)
Re:iWTF ? (Score:5, Funny)
iDunno
Re:iWTF ? (Score:2)
Re:It just looks better. (Score:2)
It's called product placement. We had people wear shoes we'd never heard of because the company coughed up $5k.
Re:It just looks better. (Score:2, Insightful)
The secret of the universe (Score:2)
Both groups think they are 1337 for using something unusual. Its their way of "expressing" themselves.
Re:The secret of the universe (Score:2)
Re:It just looks better. (Score:2)
Er, yes they do. A better comparison would be with Sony. Also, check out why you get the Intel chimes on many hardware adverts: secondary product placement, in effect.
Re:It just looks better. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:It just looks better. (Score:2, Insightful)
Anyone remember the Drew Carrey episode where Drew was dancing with his iMac in his office?
Since Apple's machines are as much about style as they are substance, one doesn't necesarily need to see the Apple logo to know it is one.
Re:It just looks better. (Score:2)
But you're a Slashdot reader! I bet the shoe salesman could have been Prada or Maholo Blahnik and you still wouldn't have heard of them.
Re:It just looks better. (Score:2)
Sure some of the Macs you see in TV and movies are because of paid product placements. But a lot of them are there just because Macs look cool and perhaps just as importantly because Macs are what the creative types like filmmakers, designers and photographers use themselves and will just have hanging around. I have often seen Macs used on TV in such a way that they were not obviously macs, had
Re:I wonder... (Score:2, Funny)
I'm guessing not
Re:I wonder... (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
Re:iGay (Score:2)