Minimalism was a mistake: I think it's time for scented laptops and marshmallow keyboards

Two contoured wireless computer mice, one in dusty pink and one in mint green, are displayed on a clear acrylic block and a round grey pedestal in a brightly lit, stylized setting.

Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it: monochrome minimalism in laptops has gone too far. For over a decade, they've looked like they were designed for the waiting room of a mid-range dental practice. Smooth grey slabs, anonymous matt black rectangles, and the occasional “spicy” navy blue. Everything has been tasteful, neutral, and – let’s be honest – soul-flatteningly dull. Including the best graphic design laptops.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world moved on. Gen Z has been baptised in the holy waters of lilac, sage, peach and vaguely edible-sounding off-whites. Clothing, stationery, interiors; pastels are the new default. Even sneakers look like sherbet sweets now. Yet walk into any café and every laptop you see is the colour of corporate despair. The people are colourful. The laptops are not. It’s wrong.