Toshiba’s Emily Shirly comments on the design concepts behind the Portégé M800
This is an excerpt from an interview with Emily Shirley, Head of Product Marketing at Toshiba Europe GmbH, during Toshiba’s ‘Take a Closer Look’ event in Paris on the 7th May. The interview was focused on the design criteria of the Portégé M800 and comparisons with some of Apple’s design elements in similar products.
MTGB: This is a Toshiba event so, naturally, Toshiba is mentioned a lot but another company name also comes up frequently: is Apple enemy number 1 as far as Toshiba’s design-orientated goals are concerned?
ES: We compete with Apple in certain sectors. Apple competes at the high end whereas we cover a number of markets and for those we must build down to a price point. Many of our products are not competing against Apple.
MTGB: Apple doesn’t actually say much about the design of its hardware in its advertising — it’s all about the software and general ease of use. Are you limited in how far you can improve the experience and fashion statements of the user when your product still runs Windows which you can’t change very much?
ES: We do change Windows quite a lot. We add a number of additional components. We’ve added face recognition. Other manufacturers add many software elements that are…Can I say ‘crapware’? We install software that adds value. We add to the users experience. Some of the software is downloaded from our website and some is included on the installation package. We only software that adds value.
MTGB: Isn’t sticking transfers on the lid of laptops a rather shallow styling exercise?
ES: It’s a way to change design cheaply. We sell to the high end and the low end of the market. Skins provide a way to personalize the low end.
MTGB: To what extent are the design decisions of the M800 determined by the technology? How is it styled from within?
ES: Highly designed in two steps:
- We talk to our customers
- We develop the concept
From this we establish the design direction, function, basic volume. We don’t arrive at the final design until up to 18 months later.
MTGB: It’s possible to stereotype American, European and Japanese design. We can imagine American automobile design — big toothy radiator grills — very aggressive and masculine. In the design of the M800 we see speakers that look like jet engines and very techy-looking media buttons. Isn’t this surprisingly American for a Japanese company.
ES: We are a global group and we design for the World market. We rely on customer feedback to determine our design direction. We’re building the Global PC. Some elements are American and some European… The M800 is a very European design. We are not focussed on one region.
MTGB: What’s the next step?
ES: Sexier design. More power in the smallest box.
And who could disagree with that. We look forward to more sexy designs in smaller boxes from Toshiba.
