Thus far, the Mac Mini-like concept PC is just a piece of plastic, literally, although its design showed a clock display and optical drive in front, with ports such as USB, optical audio and FireWire in the back.

Most design efforts from computer makers to date have been focused on making entertainment-oriented PCs that look less like PCs and more like the kinds of electronics people have in the living room, such as stereos or DVD players.

The style push has led to smaller, less bulky desktops. In the relatively near future, Japanese desktop makers will likely begin to adopt notebook chips to craft sleek desktops, said Mooly Eden, a vice president in Intel's Mobility Group.