If you thought the MacBook Air was cool, just take a look at this new laptop from British manufacturer Hi-Grade. It begs the question, how long will it be before Team GB find their way onto your laptop’s lid?..[click continue reading for more on this entry]…
The new Hi-Grade w5700: red hot, or not?
OK, so I confess I’m not a big football fan myself, but there may be a fair number who will be lining up to get their hands on this baby, which starts at just £379 and bears the famous ‘Three Lions’ logo licensed from the English Football Association.
If you’ve not heard of Hi-Grade (I hadn’t either) it was set up in 1986 initially as a reseller, but has since gone into manufacturing too. It claims it’s now the UK’s largest manufacturer of laptop computers and continues to win regular plaudits from the computer industry for its products from notebooks to PCs.
In 2007, the company won UK’s Best Value laptop 2007 for the hot-pink Notino W5700P laptop, which was the most successful product of all UK mail order home shopping catalogues. An achievement that not even Apple can match!
I wonder if Hi-Grade or another company will make the next obvious leap and do a licensing deal with Team GB to get their logo on a laptop lid? Or perhaps a laptop with Chris Hoy on the lid for cycling fans, and Rebecca Adlington for the swimmers? Since Hi-Grade does splashproof models too, it’s a match made in heaven, surely? I guess they could put Tom Daley on the back, or is that a bit mean?!
A spokesperson for the firm just mailed me back to say, “Local manufacturers are constantly under pressure to innovate, create points of difference and bring new technologies and products to market. If there is real demand from consumers for IOC [International Olympic Committee] products then Hi-Grade certainly are in the box-seat.” So you see, it’s not so unlikely after all.
