Intel decides the future is behind us with the E-shell

Back to the future

17 May 2005 14:03 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Intel today unveiled a prototype designer furnishing for a new generation of home PC - The Ryan McElhinney Home Entertainment Shell for Intel.

Nicknamed the 'E-Shell', the Home Entertainment Shell showcases today's entertainment PC capabilities in a backward looking Arthur C Clarke 2001 esque '60's designer style.

"The Intel 'E-Shell' takes a back to the future look at how technology and design in the living room have developed over the ages and hints at where things could lead in the future," said Tracey Gillespie of Intel. "More than ever, technology needs to appeal on the outside as well as the inside, if it's to credibly take back its place in the centre of the living room."

Inspired by Eero Aarnio's iconic bubble and ball chairs of the early 1960s, the 'E-Shell' harks back to an age when just two or three simple items of technology shared equal space in the living room with exciting new furniture designs and futuristic materials.

Despite recognising the benefits of having one multi-function entertainment device, half of British households (49 percent) claimed they wouldn't allow a traditional PC near their living room because of its design shortfalls.

The Ryan McElhinney Entertainment Shell for Intel incorporates a Hi-Grade DMS II 3400 entertainment PC running a 3.4 GHz Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 550 supporting Hyper-Threading Technology¹, 512MB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. The entertainment PC, available from £1,099* also features a TV tuner, DVD reader and writer and radio player. The machine also features Intel's Balanced Technology Extended (BTX) motherboard and chassis design, which offers improved internal airflow - meaning fewer fans and quieter operation.

At present the E-Shell is not commercially available and is only developed as a prototype, but the designer is looking to launch it as a consumer product in the future.