Is Keysight changing colours? Beige to Black?

[kaz911]

I just noticed Keysight quietly launched the N6705C - apparently an updated model of the N6705 (a/b) series (my) dream power supply (http://www.keysight.com/en/pd-2747858-pn-N6705C/dc-power-analyzer-modular-600-w-4-slots?nid=-35714.1195294.00&cc=GB&lc=eng)

But it is BLACK?

And then I noticed the new N9020B MXA Signal analyzer - and that is black too? (http://www.keysight.com/en/pdx-2642774-pn-N9020B/mxa-signal-analyzer-multi-touch-10-hz-to-265-ghz?cc=US&lc=eng)

That is black too?

Whats up with all the black? It is a favorite colour to show off when you last dusted your lab and usually LeCroy does "Back in Black" - but Keysight? I do know the red Keysight colour stand out more on a black background but...

Or do they want to be unnoticed when they enter a LeCroy only facility? (Engineers smuggling in Keysight without management noticing?...)

Or is the future colour of Keysight all black...

hmmm

[Bud]

Yes the new corporate color is black. They told that at a seminar i attended.

[nctnico]

[EEVblog]

Yes, they are switching over to black.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Nooooooooooooo!

Whenever I see those black Lecroy scopes, they just look WRONG!

[mikeselectricstuff]

https://youtu.be/IIW9sL-Yf6Q?t=60

[Keysight DanielBogdanoff]

Can confirm the slow (but inevitable) shift to darker colors. It won't be straight black - there's some potential flexibility for the R&D teams.

[EEVblog]

Can confirm the slow (but inevitable) shift to darker colors. It won't be straight black - there's some potential flexibility for the R&D teams.

The term "potential flexibility" just caused the branding team to have seizures.

[TheSteve]

Great, now I gotta buy another scope (I love black test gear).

[EEVblog]

[TiN]

I like black

When is 3458Black coming? 

[edpalmer42]

Can confirm the slow (but inevitable) shift to darker colors. It won't be straight black - there's some potential flexibility for the R&D teams.

The term "potential flexibility" just caused the branding team to have seizures.

Excellent! 

[ManateeMafia]

I like black

When is 3458Black coming? 

I knew I forgot something. I will get that done this week.

[TheAmmoniacal]

Is it the same black color as the U1272A front? I like it 

[AlfBaz]

meh, black, it's reserved for sound gear. What's next dials that go to 11

[ElektroQuark]

I assume the quality of plastics is the same, but the clear one looks like a cheap device.

[VK5RC]

The background. colour is of interest but please get the text font size, style and contrast colour correct so it's easy to read. e.g. that power analyser the text over the SENSE and OUTPUT is too small IMHO. There is plenty of room on the front panel. Makes it a lot easier to make a silly mistake in use.

[PedroDaGr8]

Can confirm the slow (but inevitable) shift to darker colors. It won't be straight black - there's some potential flexibility for the R&D teams.

I like the black, A LOT! That being said, the font changes that you guys made are really bad. The font size is clearly much smaller making it harder to read. See the comparison that Dave posted below:

It is clear that much of the text is smaller (though I like the locations of some of the text better on the black one, the size is still an issue). While I still have perfect eyesight, I know many of our more esteemed members here do not.

[Bud]

Nooooooooooooo!

Whenever I see those black Lecroy scopes, they just look WRONG!

To me Lecroy look weird regardless of color... i wonder where they recruit their designers.

[TheAmmoniacal]

... Do this mean we can expect black rubber holsters on handhelds?

[nfmax]

The problem with black is it is black. If you have a whole shelf of test gear above your bench, with light coloured front panels, you get scattered ambient illumination off them onto your work surface. Now paint them all black, and that ambient illumination goes. Makes it harder to see what you are working on as you only get direct illumination from the overhead lights, with less fill-in for the dark shadows.

OK it's only a small difference - but it's a small difference in the wrong direction.

[pascal_sweden]

Companies that stop innovating and can't come up with new technical features, play around with other parameters to give the impression that they are actually doing meaningful stuff.
Their product department starts playing around with the color of the housing and the font set.
But they literally have no clue on what they are doing, select a depressive color, and use a font that is too small too read. But what do they care, they are not using the test equipment themselves, so don't mind that nobody can read the font, or that the equipment does not fit in existing test labs. As long as they give the impression to their managers that they are working and secure their monthly pay check, they feel happy. They don't even realize that they are doing the wrong things, because of lack of understanding.

[Bud]

Having worked for a big organization, my bets are this has nothing to do with search for better user experience but rather with some Executive who for some reason likes black color.

[TheAmmoniacal]

Maybe it's an attempt to further differentiate Keysight from Agilent? Just part of the Keysight rebranding?

An attempt to be more distinguishable from Fluke?

[lukier]

I'll wait for black 34465A then

BTW I wonder if changing to a black case would influence TC specs of precision equipment, as in theory it absorbs more radiation and gets warmer. I guess the effect is probably very minute, as there are other shields underneath the case.