Winn L. Rosch Hardware Bible, Sixth Edition

Mechanical Construction

The obvious function of the case is mechanical—you can see it and touch it as a distinct object. And it steals part of your desktop, floor, or lap when you put it to work. It has a definite size—always too small when you want to add one more thing but too large when you need to find a place to put it (and particularly when that place happens to be inside your carry-on luggage). The case also has a shape, which may be functional to allow you the best access to all those computer accoutrements, such as the slot into which you shove your backup tapes. But shape and color also are part of your computer's style, which can set one system apart from the boring sameness of its computer kin.

Modern computers have wings, waves, ...