Things That Suck

Don’t get me wrong. These are good computers. I have been purchasing Dell desktops and laptops and servers for decades.

In all that time, I did question some of their design decisions. I have been annoyed by the Dell Optiplex Micro systems ever since they were introduced. I find it hard to believe that it’s still an issue with their latest models. .

There are four rubber feet on the side of the computer as shown. That means the computer is designed to sit horizontally, right? Even more evidence for this is that there are no rubber feet on the side (the bottom as it is shown). Also, if you try to connect a quality DisplayPort or HDMI cable to the back of this machine, the pull from the cable is almost guaranteed to knock it over into its horizontal position. That is what I will call the “natural” orientation from this point onward.

Now let’s get into more observations.

Pay attention to these icons (from top to bottom): power button, hard disk icon, headphone icon, SuperSpeed USB icons, “Optiplex” text, and Dell logo.

As it is shown, all icons are in the correct orientation except for the SuperSpeed USB icons. Those are rotated 90 degrees. If the computer is designed to be vertical, then why are those rotated? Shouldn’t they all be in the same orientation?

Now set the machine in its natural orientation. This doesn’t seem right. The power button is rotated, and so is the Dell logo! The headphone icon makes no sense, and the hard drive “can” is kicked over on its side.

Let’s take a look at the back of this computer. In the vertical orientation, although the SuperSpeed USB icons are rotated on the front, they are in the correct orientation on the back. In fact, all of the icons are in the correct orientation. That means in the natural orientation, none of these would be upright. “HDMI” would be on its side. The DisplayPort icon would make no sense.

Apple has been making a computer similar to this for a very long time. It’s called a Mac Mini. I’ll tell you one thing about Apple. They pay very close attention to detail. Never once did they show the Mac Mini in any of their marketing materials in the vertical position.

This doesn’t stop here. I have an Arris cable modem, and even though the thing is incredibly small and lightweight, they still insist that the thing sit vertically. And guess what happens? You attach a thick coaxial cable to it, and the damn thing immediately falls over.

One last thing. Yes, Dell does have a stand for these Optiplex Micro computers, but it’s optional and it costs $16! Plus it’s just more unnecessary plastic that will eventually end up in the environment, and for what purpose? Just to have a Dell logo in the correct orientation!