Re: Why all computer casing & cables are black?

On Sat, 11 Jul 2026 18:38:14 +0100, Brian Gregory
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On 11/07/2026 12:18, Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:
>> On 7/11/2026 11:32 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>>>
>>> You might be looking at the casing and cables in the dark.  Without
>>> light, what's left is dark.  Try turning on a light.
>>> ....
>>> If you're wearing smart glasses or auto-darkening welding goggles,
>>> check if it's turned on, properly adjusted and if the battery is fully
>>> charged.
>> 
>> Why isn't the default color WHITE? Or red? Why black? :)
>> 
>
>It used not to be black.

I beg to differ.  All the early POTS phones were black.  In 1959, Ma
Bell introduces the "princess" in a multitude of colors.  It was
mostly a flop because AT&T wanted a too much money for the colorful
phones.  Because there was no competition, the telephone monopoly had
no interest style, fashion, trendish design, elaborate options, etc,
Ma Bell offered exactly one color... black.  Same with the early Ford
automobiles.  You can have any color you want, as long as it's black.
In 1968, after the phone monopoly was broken up into regional "baby
Bell" units and independent hardware vendors were allowed to provide
"foreign attachments", one of the first thing offered were colorful
(princess) phones.

>I remember when computer cases and many cables were almost all beige.

There was a good reason for pushing beige colored computers.

"I am stuck in a Beige Bubble"
<https://elledecor.in/sad-beige-interiors-trend-aesthetic/>
The short answer is that beige is the ultimate in "neutral" colors,
which means it goes well with most other colors and does not clash
with any of the primary colors.  I suggest some reading on "color
psychology"

>I guess it's mainly fashion.

Sorta, kinda, maybe.  Fashion has it's place, but it's a bad thing
upon which to base a product design or company image.  I'll make it
easy.  Just follow the money.  If there's a financial reason for doing
something that doesn't seem obvious, you have just discovered the
answer.

-- 
Jeff Liebermann                 [email protected]
PO Box 272      http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272   AE6KS    831-336-2558