Guest Post: Are Notebooks Fashion Accessories?

I love this post. It is so true. I sure do love my pretty laptops.  We do treat our laptops or netbooks as accessories sometimes. Just attend a blogging conference and you will get an eye full of pretty netbooks or laptops decked out in stickers. Laptops used to be bulky, black, ugly machines with no style. Now we have options. There are colors, designs, pretty lights, and more.

Notebooks have changed from an ugly utilitarian piece of office equipment, to as important a part of an outfit as is a pair of shoes or tie. Stylistic design could now be considered one of the major criteria in the purchasing decisions of consumers. The less fashion conscience designs tend to be left on the shelves in favour of their sleeker and most stylised counterparts. Notebooks should still be considered an item used for productivity, but as we move toward the future with stylish smart phones and touch pads, fashion is yet another factor that needs to be taken into account to compete.

Some companies have even gone so far as to hold fashion shows to show off their new line of laptops, trying to prove they set the design standard for notebooks. Furthermore, the emergence of mini laptops allow companies to market their products at fashionable gen Y’s in an attempt to get them to tuck their social media into the back of their designer jeans.

The added bonus of combining haute couture with superior technology in mini laptops is their portability. Perfect for the fashionista who wants to accomplish some work on their way to work while at the same time looking good while sipping a latte and skype-ing in the local coffee shop.

The new accessory is not just for working professionals but also a great option for students helping to bridge the gap between taking notes during lectures and looking trendy in the quad. With battery life ever increasing and now being on par with some smart phones, you can parade your accessory for longer periods of time between charges.

The smaller version can also be advantageous when travelling, as space on aeroplanes can be notoriously confined. Smaller screens enable the user to watch movies without the cumbersome larger screens. You can also have the advantage of matching your notebook to your luggage with new designs being released in colours to match a paint shops wall chart. Manufacturers are even pushing to promote the hot new colour in computing, pink. Matching a laptop to a trendy phone cover or handbag has never been easier.

Another advantage to a smaller laptop is weight. Having a lighter option is perfect for the person who needs to carry a processor in hand and a Chihuahua in the other. The only flaw to the smaller option is usually the lack a DVD or CD burner, making it harder to watch your favourite episode of Masterchef or Packed to the Rafters. This also makes it more difficult to update software when the life cycle of your software ends, though this could be seen as a positive as trends in fashion tend to changing so rapidly.

The combination of fashion and technology has come ahead in leaps and bounds and surprisingly it seems to be the perfect match. The parallel of trend and tech couldn’t be closer, with aspects of both moving from in vogue to out of touch in the blink of an eye.

So when in search of a new notebook, bring along your stylist and hairdresser to make certain your choice matches your outfit.