I feel like I'm always picking on Dell, and I feel bad for it. I feel a little less bad though, after events like this morning's Design Studio announcement. After announcing several new artists to join the group already offering designs in the studio, as well as a new partnership with Major League Baseball, Dell invited a representative from cosmetics company OPI up to speak.

The new designs will copy some of OPI's more popular shades, and the swirl design (that looks like it's fresh from the nail salon) certainly has appeal. You know, if you like glittery, pink products. What I found unappealing was the way the designs were pitched to me and my colleagues, as well as a room full of lifestyle and fashion reporters.

Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI's Executive Vice President and Artistic Director started by rattling off the statistics about women's influence and purchasing power before launching into why OPI laptops would really appeal to female buyers. Yes, usability is an important factor to women, she said, but the female buyer also wants to connect with a product on an emotional level. And what's the fastest way to a woman's heart? Pretty colors!

My favorite moment came before the big reveal of the colors that will be available at launch. Weiss-Fischmann declared of the OPI-Dell laptop owner, "She can send the message of brains and beauty ... with nails that match her emails!"

Dell then unveiled the first round of OPI colors: "Kyoto Pearl," "I'm Not Really a Waitress," and, the girliest of all, "Princesses Rule!" (The brand's exclamation point, not mine.) OPI and Dell hope to introduce new colors as the nail polish line updates with the seasons.

While I hope these laptops find their intended audience, I'm yet again left feeling that there was no need to dumb down the tech to reach female consumers. I may change my nail color to match my mood, but when it comes to my tech, I want to know that my system will really perform.