AMD may finally end a chronic problem with logos on Windows notebooks using its hardware, the chip maker commented today. Having discovered that most buyers don't like the stickers advertising processors, graphics and other parts, AMD hopes to now make the stickers easily removable sometime in 2011. It added to the New York Times that it was considering eliminating its share of stickers entirely, although it wouldn't say how likely that was.
The stickers have been symbolic of one of the chronic problems of Windows notebooks as they have reflected the frequently intricate relationships between PC builders and their component suppliers. Dell, HP, Sony and most others usually agree to the deliberately hard-to-remove logos in return for subsidies that artificially lower the prices of the systems. Decisions like these have sometime posed a problem with luxury systems where maintaining the aesthetic was important. For the Adamo, Dell went so far as to etch logos, sometimes in hard-to-find places, to avoid ruining the upscale metal look but keep Microsoft's desires and requirements intact.
Critics have noted that the stickers are often useless outside of the store as the customer is already aware of what's inside or doesn't consider it a factor.
Apple has been one of the few holdouts and has refused all logo stickers on its own hardware. The policy may cost it millions of dollars per year but has been credited with giving MacBooks and earlier notebooks a clean look. Although likely to satisfy its aesthetic desires, the approach may help it gain sales by getting customers who might otherwise be turned off by the stickers on most Windows PCs.
Source: electronista
