It wasn't too many years ago when the Consumer Electronics Show was dominated by displays of television sets, stereo systems, and video games. Now, the computer industry is playing a greater role and taking up more floor space as PC makers increasingly use the show to unveil new machines aimed at consumers. This year, PC makers are expected to emphasize style over substance, as the industry tries to lure customers with snazzy designs and features that turn computers into jukeboxes and libraries for video and photos.

Instead of innovation, conference visitors will see more of the kind of PCs that shipped to retailers last year. Where faster processors, more memory to run applications, and larger storage devices were once strong selling points, sleek design and a choice of colors and textured outer cases attract customers by appealing to their vanity.

This trend is particularly evident in the notebook market, which has outpaced desktop sales and is expected to eventually account for more than half of all PC shipments.

"You'll hear more and more about personalization and design, and a lot less about RAM [random access memory] and how fast the processor is," said Steve Baker, analyst for The NPD Group. "People like to make the notebook their own, and part of making it your own is to choose the style and design that fit your sensibilities."

For vendors, personalization means the ability to charge more for features and components added by a customer, much like an automaker charges more for leather instead of cloth seats. While many notebooks with entertainment features start at less than $700, they can quickly add up to more than $1,000, depending on the components chosen by the customer.

Among those components are optical DVD drives capable of playing high-definition video. Notebook vendors at CES are expected to show lots of products with drives that support either the Blu-ray or HD DVD format, or both.

Vendors' focus on design could be seen in promotions for upcoming product launches at CES. Hewlett-Packard, the world's leading computer maker, plans to unveil entertainment notebooks and desktops for the "high-definition lifestyle." No. 2 PC maker Dell that same night is scheduled to launch "colorful consumer notebooks, stylish, head-turning displays and high-performance gaming platforms."

HP and PC Magazine are sponsoring an auction for HP notebooks that have been turned into "functional works of art" by 10 top designers, including Paul Frank, de la Vega, DDCLAB, and Applebottoms by Nelly. Money raised will go to The National Cristina Foundation, which distributes technology to poor people.