'Wooden' computer equipment?

Actually, George Oh, one of the technical staff at ZDNet.com, has made some very cool, state of the art custom desktop computers using materials such as oak and Lexan (two separate computer cases, one of wood, the other of plastic). Each was a nice piece of work, not at all unattractive, and both used state-of-the-art devices such as large-screen LCD displays to create useful, efficient desktop workstations better than anything I've seen from the big computer firms (although they don't inspire the animal lust that Dell's "portable" XPS M2010 - the one with the 20.1" screen - does).

Eventually, as the actual circuit boards, storage devices and power supplies of our computers shrink in comparison to the keyboards and displays, we probably will go through periods when wood and other case materials go in and out of fashion as computers become just another household appliance - or the functions of television, stereo, home computer, phone, and wiring all merge.

We could see flat-screen displays get so inexpensive that we use them to decorate the way we use large-framed pictures now - one in every room. We might wind up living the way the Gates home is rumored to now, with little badges we wear to tell the house computer where we are and route our phone calls, perhaps even our entertainment and Email automatically. Who cares what computer cases are made of if they're nothing more than picture frames are now, with the actual CPU and storage devices stashed in a junction box somewhere, or leased from the phone company and contained in a central office across town?

Remember the whole range of materials in which radios and televisions were encased - wood, Bakelite, metal, plastic, wood, metal, plastic, and so on (until plastic won out from just plain being cheaper than anything else)? The move from leased telephones made of Bakelite to privately-owned phones made of cheap plastic and sold in blister packs for five bucks?

Actually, the Apple I (the one which exists in a museum in northern California) was built in a wooden case. The molded plastic case with metal inserts was an innovation for the Apple II series. The first PCs had metal boxes because that was what was handy and cheap. When computers started selling in high enough volume to make mass production of molded plastic cases (with metallic inserts for shielding) practical and economical... a process began which has culminated in (so far) the $400, fast enough for government work laptop.

Who knows - maybe we'll decide to just modify our brains to accept and deliver signals to and from the Internet and record things more reliably.

Well I'm sure it's just wood-panelled, probably a faux panelling anyway. I have a record player and an old 3/4" VCR that are wood panelled. They look '70s. And this era is all about bringing back old styles and recycling them. Like the other poster said, making something look retro and yet with a modern sleekness is what the future will probably look like, it's sort of timeless.

Not really. Wood being porous can be treated with flame-retardants the same as they are for waterproofing and resistance to pests and rotting, and whatever finish is desired. A lot of plastics aren't exactly fire-proof either. Some are said to be self-extinguishing, but mostly when they make these things, they're counting on it not experiencing a failure that would take it up to a temperature that would make it self sustaining. When you set the waste-basket on fire beside it, you're on your own. You've got wood in it anyway. A lot of ciruit boards are still made with phenolic paper or cotton. Then there's the printer. You ever seen anybody say "Oh crap, I better not leave this flammable paper in this electronic device!"
Besides, wood just smells good when it burns. When you're watching your prized possesions go up in smoke, wouldn't you rather be comforted by childhood memories of roasting marshmallows and weenies around a campfire?