11 Sep
2007
11 Sep
'07
12:44 a.m.
On 11/09/2007, Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> wrote:
I think that is absolute reverse of the case, actually. Printing a new
manual is cheap; redesigning case mouldings or even just what's
printed onto the case means retooling production lines, producing
different models for different markets, tracking which country each
machine is destined for... Vast amounts of complexity. Any manager or
designer who suggested this would deserve to be fired for
incompetence.
Most consumer electronics manufacturers already support manufacturing
for several different markets, even if it's only a different power
plug/wall wart that's required on the device.
So just supply all reasonable varients of labeling with each model.
Place I worked used to sell (Lexmark?) laser printers. They came with
a selection of bezels to clip around the front panel buttons, with
WORDS in a variety of languages,
Heck, even the Fisher Price toys I've been buying rather a lot of
lately come with an A4 sheet of stickers with the H&S warnings in each
of a couple of dozen languages - pick yours & stick it here... If
they can do it, surely a manufacturer of a expensive technology can
produce a sheet of stickers for the user to pick one and place
alongside the connectors.. The manuals come in about twenty
different languages, after all!!
(Hmm... back in the 486 days, pre-ATX, some of the really cheap
chinese clone PC cases we used to buy, themselves came with a sheet of
stickers for you to apply to the case to describe the ports.
Individual labels for mouse, serial, monitor, keyboard, printer, scsi,
scanner, etc. All in written out in English !)