台式机的概念正在发生改变，体积更小的PC开始越来越赢得消费者的青睐。最近面市的一系列新款PC不仅体积更小巧而且设计也更时尚，使其日益成为家庭电器产品中的一员。
Aberdeen Group的分析师皮特-卡斯特纳（Peter Kastner）表示：“新一代的台式PC将开始全力进军家电市场，争取在起居室里占据一席之地。这意味着电脑的体积和外型将非常重要。”
目前，包括索尼、惠普以及Gateway在内的很多PC制造商都在试图进一步缩小PC的体积，同时保持其功能。Gartner调研公司估计，小型PC的出货量到2008年预计将猛增到3210万台，而去年这一数字仅为120万台。
分析人士称，小型PC的概念已经出现了好几年，但最初制造商仅仅是在牺牲与打印机或键盘相连的标准接口的前提下缩小PC的体积，如今通用的接口已经越来越普及，这使得诸如键盘、鼠标以及打印机等大多数外围设备可以直接与PC相连，从而省去了以往的担心。
其中，Gateway的901系列家用媒体中心PC类似一款高端音响设备，其外观包有金色涂层，不仅小巧而且质感，售价也不贵。
NEW YORK - That industrial-looking hulk of a desktop personal computer is finally getting a much-needed makeover.
Computer makers are getting hip to what style mavens have known for decades: The term "desktop computer" is itself a contradiction in terms as its bulk typically ensures that it will wind up under the desk instead.
Even as the race to miniaturize computer chips, laptops, and cellphones continues, the size of most desktop computers has largely remained as a towering hunk of aluminum and plastic, save for some notable exceptions such Apple Computer Inc.'siconoclastic iMac series, launched in 1998.
That's all changing. A slew of new PCs that recently hit the market are sizing down and jazzing up conventional design, prepping it for display in a more pleasing setting such as the den or the living room.
"The next form factor battles are beginning to be fought in the living room," said Peter Kastner, an analyst at the Aberdeen Group in Boston. Factors including size and decor suddenly matter a lot, he added.
Gateway Inc.Sony .Hewlett Packard and a handful of lesser-known manufacturers are leading the charge to shrink the PC's form, while maintaining its function.
Technology research company Gartner estimated that shipment volume of small PCs is expected to soar to 32.1 million units by 2008, from a scant 1.2 million units shipped in 2003.
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."
SAVING SPACE AND PRICE
It has taken years for the idea of small PCs to catch on. Analysts said consumers were originally put off by earlier incarnations that sacrificed standard connection ports for printers and keyboards in favor of saving space and price.
Smaller computers also forsake extra expansion ports that sophisticated users rely on to upgrade components such as additional hard drive space for storing videos.
But widespread adoption of Universal Serial Bus connection ports, which enable most peripherals like keyboards, mouse and printers to be attached to PCs, have eliminated these concerns.
Moreover, average-Joe computer users aren't likely to pry open computers to upgrade and replace components as geeks often do, making the smaller versions more attractive these days, analysts said.
"There's a lot of demand for the small form factor box," Roger Kay, analyst at Gartner said. "It's going to be unlikely you'll do much with your PC other than buy it."
The shift is driven by new models like the champagne gold-exterior Gateway's 901 Family Room Media Center, which resembles a high-end stereo component, and costs between $1,000 and $2,000.
The 901 has all the desktop PC functions and includes a digital video disc-recordable drive and connectors for high-quality video and stereo sound. It also runs Microsoft's Media edition operating system to view and record digital media in the living room.
Polywell Computers is also marketing a small form factor PC, the Qbox series, that has become a favorite among avid video game players. Geeks lug these units to network parties to compete against other players.
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.
For some, however, small will never be enough.
Hy-Tek Manufacturing Co. sells a wide-screen flat panel monitor with a computer inside. The screen has a speedy Intel Pentium 4 chip and enough hard drive space to archive a substantial collection of music and home videos.
Invisibility comes at a price: Hy-Tek's Tek Panel 300 series will set you back anywhere from $6,500 to nearly $9,000.