Walt Mossberg has a post today gushing over Dell's new all-in-one computer, the XPS One. The reason he likes it is because they are finally putting some focus on the design of the computer rather than pumping out generic-looking box after generic-looking box, but I see a few problems here.

First, from the video Mossberg provided, the thing looks exactly like a Dell monitor. Now I don't know about you, but my idea of great design is hardly a Dell monitor. Does it beat having a big tower and a Dell monitor in your office? I guess but I hardly see this as breathtaking (maybe it looks a lot better in person?). I say that as well not being a huge fan of the new iMac silver and black designs.

Second, didn't Gateway try to do this recently - create a PC iMac killer? Some raved about that as well (and I think that actually looked better then this Dell one) - but what came of it? Well I certainly haven't heard anything about it since its introduction.

Finally, third and most importantly, no matter who designs an all-in-one PC it's still going to have one major downside when compared to the iMac: that it will have to run Windows. Honestly, at the end of the day who cares what your PC looks like - how else did Dell and HP manage to rise to PC powerhouses? Certainly not their design approach. A computer isn't a decoration, it's a machine - a machine where functionality is key.

As Mossberg himself points out about half way through his video after spending the first half gushing over the XPS One: "So do I recommend it over the Apple iMac?"..."the answer is no, not quite". The reason? The software. The Dell still runs Vista. Oh yeah, and the thing is much more expensive than an iMac.

An expensive Dell monitor that runs Vista? That'll be a pass.