First the link to the original piece
from the Gulf News [published in Dubai] :
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/08/01/26/10184849.html and written By
Scott Shuey, Chief Business Reporter
The author talks about Acer lacking
style and slapping on a Ferrari sticker to a laptop to justify superior design.
The article revolves around Dell, Alienware and Acer = 3 companies that
the author blames for lack of style in their products. Yet an article about
styling has no mention of Apple what-so-ever or IBM/Lenovo (for the lack of
it). The article goes on to talk about a so-called "Inner Beauty" of
over-clocking, etc and again fails to bring up Apple [for the lack of
power yet full of design]. Further as i quote from the original article:
"Acer or any of the other
brands, odds are that the chassis, ie the main body of your computer, rolled
off an assembly line owned by Quanta, Compal or Wistron, just to name the big
three. All the laptop companies do is insert the components, again often made
by third parties such as Intel, ATI or Hitachi. Then they slap a few stickers
on it and send it on its way. In a system like that, there is really no chance
for anything as creative as style."
I would like to ask the author once
again! Where is Apple?? Didn’t the author know that Apple products are also
made off assembly lines in China and their beloved iMac and MacBooks also come
of the lines @ Quanta and the like!! Yet have superior design [but
sometimes lacking in the so-called inner beauty].
What i wish to raise out of this
entry is to ask the author this: Where is Apple in a report on Design? And I’d
like to inform the author that 90% of all computer components come off assembly
lines in China or Taiwan, don’t blame them for the bad designs.
Sometimes you just cant allow a Business guy to give the tech talks! 
[Dontcha look at me... i'm a tech guy talking business - rubish {none the less}] (but hey! i'm accepting it)
But on a note to reconcile with the author, "Is it really necessary to try to impose style on a laptop at all?" - No,but again look @ apple - no imposing designs yet superior usability.
Disclaimer: Btw, I do not like Apple. My OS Ratings are - Linux/*NIX(BSD) >>Windows / Vista >>> Mac OS X. And why don't I like Mac - coz its closed source (just like Microsoft products) yet they somehow make you feel priviledged to use their products and project a completely baseless superiority image. And why do i like Windows over Mac - coz i don't agree with the general demonizing of Microsoft as compared to Apple. and obviously Linux Rulz man!