2004-04-06 - Forbes/Reuters: Small is huge in PCs these days

(...) What also has PC industry talking is a small Taiwanese PC components manufacturer, Shuttle Computer Group Inc., which spent nearly two decades working behind the scenes supplying the technology guts of brand-name computer makers like Dell Inc. and IBM. This month, Shuttle will, for the first time, sell complete, bread-box sized PC systems in a dazzling array of colors and metallic veneers. Their performance, analysts say, promises to make some of the big box rig manufacturers take notice.

"You really don't need anything big, unless it's for your comfort," Albert Chang, marketing manager for Shuttle said. "You don't need a big computer to feel comfortable." (...)

However, few rival the style of Shuttle, which offers a selection of small form PCs in sleek aluminum and mirrored panels that are as much at home in design snob dens as they are at video game parties. One model, the SB51G, is available in neon yellow, green, hot pink and red.

But until now, Shuttle has only sold barebones units that allowed sophisticated users to plug in their own video cards and processing units directly.

This month, Shuttle plans to sell several pre-configured models aimed at businesses, gamers and the connected living room, most with cutting-edge graphics cards and Intel or AMD chips. (...)