The Hindu Business Line : The laptop of style

The plain vanilla laptop is now a marvel of colour and design thanks to the changing preferences of consumers who see the gadget as a style statement..

— R.V. Moorthy

For ME: At the launch of HCL’s ME range of laptops.

Swetha Kannan

Twenty-eight year old Sheetal Gupta wears her attitude – literally. An advertising executive by profession, she is bubbly, determined, and exudes oodles of confidence. And, did we mention, she carries a yellow laptop which she believes reflects her go-getter personality. Not plain black, but a bold, bright yellow. Yes, laptops today, much like their owners, are breaking all rules be they of colour, design or character. The dynamics of the laptop market are changing – the gadget is making an appearance in bolder, brighter and snazzier forms in a bid to keep pace with the India of today that is increasingly embracing a chic lifestyle.

Says Shreya Ukil, Divisional Marketing Head, Wipro, which recently came out with a range of laptops called e.go in a host of colours such as autumn red, coral blue, sea green and Lamborghini yellow: “There is a churn in the market in terms of psychographics. Indians today are confident, globe-trotting. We are all over the world. And e.go is reflective of that. E.go is about your pride and identity. E.go is not just a brand. Our idea is to connect with the India of today, and not just the youth. E.go doesn’t have demography, it has a psychography. There may not be too many people comfortable carrying a laptop in yellow, but from a movement point of view yellow is hot. It represents the India of today, which is all about flaunting one’s attitude.”

And e.go, Shreya believes, builds into this fundamental of believing in oneself and “wearing your skin inside out”.

The Wow! factor is in

Not just colour; even in design, laptops are treading new territories with stylish looks and sleek finish. For instance, HP’s ProBook models come with high-definition LED backlit displays in eye-catching ‘Merlot’ and ‘Glossy Noir’ finishes. The design elements in the e.go range include aerodynamic contours, sculpted edges, ergonomically positioned keys, TFT (thin film transistor) screen with frameless black border and chrome highlights. Dell’s Studio laptops too bring in a touch of style and sophistication to the mainstream consumer market.

Says brand consultant Anustup Datta of Vertebrand, “If the laptop is expected to sit not on the lap but occupy pride of place in the living room, its appearance is clearly material. A personal accessory fulfils more than a functional need – it makes a statement about who I am. If a watch or a mobile phone is expected to do that, why not a laptop?”

The laptop is no more a gadget with technical features and functions. Apart from performance, speed and power, consumers now want the laptop to wear the right shades and style. Buying a laptop today has become an involved and emotional affair as it has become an extension of one’s personality.

“Wipro notebooks have been in the enterprise segment forever. We have grown substantially, in the last three years we have grown by 800 per cent. However, a year ago we felt that notebooks have a character. Wipro laptops were straitjacket black laptops; they work fine, but didn’t have a character. Laptops and mobiles today are an extension of your personality.

You put in a lot of thought when you buy a laptop, unlike a desktop. There is the individuality factor there. Even the corporate guys want a laptop that looks good, makes them feel good,” says Ukil.

Says Vikram Muley, Country Manager – Business Notebooks, HP India: “Once form and functionality hung in unequal balance. Now, there is demand for a delicate balance between a higher processing power and a lightweight, attractive package suited to a user’s needs. Everyone wants better performance; but not at the cost of looks and style. A laptop is no more essentially a techno-product.”

This was the rationale behind HP’s bringing out EliteBook, which combines “sleek design and looks” with “durability on the go”. Says Muley: “Our customers were saying they were tired of the black box and were looking for more design. While the notebook is a business tool, it’s also a personal device they want to take pride in. It’s about more than being a utilitarian device, it’s about an image. Customers want to look like they are on the top of their game with a cutting edge notebook – and this new design can really give you that.”

Manufacturers want to go the extra mile in pleasing the consumer. Customisation is key and one size doesn’t fit all, say laptop makers.

The laptop is not here to intimidate users. Manufacturers have realised there is no point bombarding users with features they may never use or functions they may not need. Dell, for instance, runs ‘experience’ stores in the country that let consumers touch, feel and browse before they make a choice. Girish Mehta, Director of Consumer Marketing, Dell India, during the launch of the company’s flagship store in Bangalore, said the Dell experience store was designed keeping in mind customer needs; the store is divided into broad zones, each catering to a particular type of consumer. So whether you are a graphics designer, a student, a corporate honcho or homemaker, there’s something for everyone. What’s more, consumers can also personalise their products to suit their unique requirements.

So, does more fun and colour mean a fancy price tag? No, say laptop makers. Nor do you have to compromise on performance, they assure. While e.go’s laptops go all the way up to Rs 50,000-70,000, its flagship yellow laptop is in the Rs 20,000 range. HP’s ProBook series “marries style, productivity and affordability to create a simple, valuable and trusted computing experience,” says Muley.

It’s not only about laptops being seen as a lifestyle proposition. Reasons Datta of Vertebrand: “The other reason laptop brands are focusing on external appearance is the lack of avenues available for differentiation. Most technical preferences – processor, memory, display – are already either readily customisable or available in various options. Price competition is cut-throat, and the user has the complete liberty to shop around, and ask for deals. In this scenario, brands are hard-pressed to find any kind of sustainable differentiation at all. Adding value to the external appearance through design and colour is one interesting and sustainable way of achieving this, and even allows you to charge a premium. After all, the Mac did it years ago.”

What’s the brand philosophy that laptop makers want to convey? Out to create ‘mobile excitement’ for the youth on the go, HCL’s laptops scream ‘ME’ (that’s what the company’s rebranded laptop range is called). HCL recently came out with a marketing campaign to convey a youthful and vibrant image with Next-Gen consumers.

Says Saurabh Aggarwal, who manages external communications at HCL Infosystems, “The new HCL ME campaign has been made keeping the requirements of today’s customers who are always on the move seeking a seamless connection to the virtual world. With so much content and paucity of time, their focus is on mobility always. We are confident that the renewed marketing focus will help us establish a deeper connect with our consumers.”

For e.go, it’s all about tapping into people’s ‘ego-quotient’. Wipro recently came out with a 360-degree campaign across outdoor, TV and radio that talked about one’s ego quotient. “Those who connected with our campaign were those who were young in the mind, people from start-ups, somebody who has quit his job and starting out on his own, those who are confident ... You may be 50 years old, but you could be getting into an alternative career – say, starting a restaurant or something. We are talking to the bold new India, not just the youth,” says Shreya.

As a bold new India makes greater strides all around, the laptop’s role in her life can only get bigger. Are laptop makers clued into the cues and hues of the future?

Related Stories:
Wipro unveils new notebook
HP India to roll out biz notebooks