The Lamentable State of Consumer Electronics by Cirrus Foroughi - Computer Collection of Essays from Scholarship 2007-Best Computer Online Store Houston Buy Discount Prices Texas-Directron.com

Cirrus Foroughi

The Lamentable State of Consumer Electronics
- by Cirrus Foroughi

In America's seemingly successful system of capitalism, many consumers find themselves lost. As every second passes, the future draws near; and for consumer electronics, one should not look forward to this frail future. The state of consumer electronics is in shambles. Often, consumers find themselves making a decision between a poor product and a mediocre one. These choices will become more frequent unless changes are made in four fundamental areas: durability, design, efficiency, and value.

Unfortunately, we all have experienced the failure of a poorly-designed and executed computer or electronic device. As manufacturers stress profit and compromise product quality, consumers frequently suffer. For example, many consumer-grade laptop computers sold at "brick-and-mortar" stores fail to implement strong chasses, proper cooling, and long-lasting batteries. Personally, I experience these poorly-built laptops in my daily life. One such model, a Hewlett-Packard midrange desktop-replacement laptop owned by my cousin, has a chassis that is almost entirely built of plastic. Lightly pushing the corner of the screen causes the LCD panel to ripple and warp, showing that the laptop is clearly not well-built. Yet, the problems do not stop here. My cousin recently presented his laptop to me, stating that the system was overheating. I proceeded to use compressed air to externally clean the vents. However, in doing so, I noticed that the processor heatsink was significantly undersized. Being an extreme overclocker myself, I know when a heatsink is properly sized for a certain processor. What is more interesting, the heatsink was not made of the proper material, copper. Rather, this heatsink was a heatpipe-less aluminum block with thick fins, which is among the worst designs possible. Implementing a proper heatsink may have cost the manufacturer an additional three dollars, which pales in comparison to the $1000 cost of the computer itself. Yet, this goes to show how manufacturers are cutting corners in order to scrounge a few dollars for each laptop sold.

This under engineering is also found on mass-produced and distributed consumer electronics, such as the Microsoft XBOX 360. This product made headline news when, in the summer of 2007, it was discovered that over 30% of all Xboxes sold were fatally defective. The infamous Red Ring of Death was caused by such a poor cooling design that the motherboard would reach temperatures of above 100 degrees Celsius, causing individual components to become unsoldered. In order to prevent these problems in the future, manufacturers must realize that consumer-grade computers and electronics must be built to withstand extreme conditions. Laptops frames should be made of aluminum or better-engineered plastics (ie: ABS, or Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), such as Apple's Macbook Pro or the Dell XPS M1330. Consumer electronics, such as video game consoles, should also be made to withstand extreme heat and wear and tear. A good example of an over engineered product is the Sony Playstation 3. With an external casing made to allow for expansion and contraction of internal components, and a cooling system that is greatly over sized, the Playstation 3 console experiences a failure rate of less than 1%.

External design of computers and electronics are also important in determining consumer interest and satisfaction. It is a known fact that customers buy products that are more aesthetically pleasing. Yet, many computer designers and manufacturers continually refuse to produce products that are somewhat svelte. Proper aesthetics can be implemented in both software and hardware. On the software front, Microsoft and Apple lead, with the Windows Vista and OSX operating systems, respectively. These operating systems offer "pretty" visual effects that indeed mesmerize the general computer user, thus satisfying them. In regards to the hardware, however, there is much more work to be done. Most products, such as Dell's low to midrange computers, tend to look bulky and bloated. On the opposite end lie Sony and Apple. Even though Apple has been gaining market share due to the iPod "trickle-down" effect; their products are also top-grade in fit and finish, which attracts more buyers. Another company that stresses product aesthetics and design is Sony. Ever since its founding, Sony has striven to bring products that are not only affordable, but also aesthetically pleasing. Take, for instance, the Vaio line of laptop computers. Unlike many other companies, Sony adds fine touches to these laptops, including brushed aluminum and magnesium finishes, with a dash of carbon fiber to top it off. Although the price may be one to two hundred dollars more than a similar laptop component-wise from other manufacturers, customers are willing to pay extra for the added design touches and overall value.

With oil prices nearing $100 a barrel, a crisis in the Middle East, and the falling United States Dollar, energy is scarce and expensive in the United States. Suddenly your beloved computer, with overclocked dual FX-74s and HD 2900XTs in crossfire, is continuously burning a hole in your pocket. In order to put the cost into numbers, one must analyze the following numbers: with an average power draw of 600W continuous for both the system and the monitor, the average cost for running this computer 10 hours a day is $1.20. However, in the long-term, the operation of this computer costs $438 per year! Not only is the power draw monumental, one must realize that much of this current in converted to heat energy. The transistors and resistors in a computer circuit act like an electric-resistance stove, causing computer components to output large amounts of heat. In order to reduce both the power draw and heat output simultaneously, manufacturers must use smaller processes in their chips, known as die-shrinking. Currently, Intel and AMD are both producing mainly 65 and 90nm chips, with 45nm parts on the near horizon. However, further die-shrinks need to be conducted to 32nm and beyond in order to ensure that components draw less power in this new age of tight resources. Furthermore, die shrinks improve production yield, for manufacturers can fit more dies on one silicon wafer. This translates to increased profit margins for the manufacturer, and also decreased prices for the consumer. Generally speaking, moving to smaller manufacturing processes is a win-win situation for both consumers and manufacturers.

Finally, one of the most important factors that affect consumer satisfaction is product value. However, one must define value beforehand: value is not just a measure of price; it is a measure of how many features one receives for a set price. That being said, it is easy to see why this is an area that must be improved upon. Many consumers are misguided and somewhat fooled into thinking that they are making a smart purchase by springing for a low-cost desktop computer. However, these low-cost computers often forego dedicated graphics solutions, and even AGP or PCI-Express slots to save money. If the onboard video solution fails to operate, one cannot simply buy an aftermarket, dedicated graphics card. He or she must have the proprietary motherboard replaced by the manufacturer for a hefty price. Thus, this seemingly high-value, low-cost computer has many hidden costs that may appear in the future. In many cases, it is cheaper to replace the computer itself than to go through the hassle of getting it repaired!

It is for this exact reason that many people, like me, decide to build their own computer. A custom-built computer uses standardized components, such as ATX cases and motherboards, which can be easily replaced at a relatively low cost compared to their proprietary counterparts. Furthermore, one has greater flexibility over areas that need emphasis. For example, a high-definition movie editor would need a faster processor and video card; whereas, a photo editor would need more RAM. Moreover, building your own computer is not as hard as it may seem; motherboard manufacturers, such as ASUS and Gigabyte, make the process simple by bundling thorough instruction manuals and software utilities. If, however, there does exist a problem, there are countless free online forums that have a myriad of helpful members.

On the other hand, there are products on the market that serve as an example and set the standards of high value. One of these products is the ASUS EEE PC, released on October 16th, 2007. This is a subnotebook that features a 7� LED backlit LCD, an Ultra-low voltage Celeron M processor, WiFi, and a fully fledged software suite for only $399. Probably its best feature is its low weight; the EEE PC weighs only 2 pounds! I see this product to be the forefront in tomorrow's computing, where portability, features, and low cost are stressed. The EEE PC is powerful enough to run the latest media players, Internet browsers, and office suites. For many, including me, the EEE PC is the perfect companion on the road, or in school, where lugging a heavy notebook is awkward and cumbersome. People around the world commend ASUS for producing such a quality yet low-cost subnotebook that offers basic features and is smaller than a stack of DVD cases. Other companies, such as VIA, Palm, and Lenovo should follow suit and release high quality subnotebooks that appeal to the general populace.

As the world grows more advanced every day, people have every reason to be excited and enthusiastic. However, many consumer electronics companies are not leading the way; often, these companies hold us back by producing products that lack in durability, design, efficiency, and value. Unless these manufacturers improve on those four key areas, consumers will be left to choose from mediocre products to serve in their daily lives. Companies that lack in those areas have many products to look up to as examples, such as the Playstation 3 and ASUS EEE PC. The pioneer in system dynamics thinking, Russell L. Ackoff, stated "To manage a system effectively, you might focus on the interactions of the parts rather than their behavior taken separately." This philosophy of analyzing the whole community rather than concentrating on the individual parts is appropriate for computer and electronics companies to follow. In short, I hope that consumer electronics and computer manufacturers will cast off their hedonistic, greedy pursuits and embrace the philosophy of improving the technology community as a whole.

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