The current generation of desktop computer cases are slowly putting the old beige box concept to bed. But, if you want something a bit more refined than those LED-laden, glass-paned, angular car crashes that most systems resemble, HP’s new Pavilion Wave could be for you.
It looks like a speaker, with a mesh fabric and contains one too, a Bang & Olufsen even, to produce some meaty music or gaming effects.
The Pavilion Wave looks great sitting on any desk or on the floor of your office. With the rear wires hopefully discretely tucked away.
PC audio power
Inside, it is a pretty stock Pavilion PC, offering a range of Core processors on offer, and up to 16GB RAM. Users can choose up to a 1TB solid state or 2TB HDD, with an optional GPU. There’s minimal design baggage on the front with a USB 3 port and a headphone jack. On the rear are connectors for Ethernet, USB, DisplayPort and HDMI.
The 10-inch compact tower has a cone on the top to help distribute the sound around the room. There’s also a microphone ring so you can talk to Cortana on Windows 10, rather similar to Amazon’s Echo. The units start at $550 but you’ll need to pay more for a keyboard and flatscreen to keep it company.
How the home PC has changed
Certainly rather more family-friendly than the recent HP Omen, these PCs are a further sign of the makers trying anything to shift designer boxes into the home and office. PCs have gone from the massive to micro-small, all-in-ones with massive screens, trying cute media angles, and now emulating other home entertainment styles to grab interest and market share. Is the day of the home PC really dead, beyond the gaming market, with laptop sales dominating and every retail store focused on the slimline systems?
YouTube: The Desktop Reinvented – Pavilion Wave from HP Studios
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi_WS4PpvSU
Photo credit: HP
Source: Kaitlyn Dierkes (HP)
