What is a white box?

I’ve used the term white box this week in other posts on the assumption that most readers of The Force Field and the Rick Rant blog would know what it meant. IT covers a lot of areas and not everyone in the industry builds or repairs computers. So allow me to explain what is.

A White Box is a device that is not branded by major or well-known company. The term generally refers to a generic desktop or tower computer system that is built or assembled by a relatively unknown company or brand, such as a local computer shop or a do-it-yourself hobbyist. In recent years it has come to mean any generically boxed or unbranded device, such as a laptop or a tablet.

Originally these generic or unbranded systems were assembled using white or beige cases, hence the name white box. However, over time the cases became available in other colors and even customized shapes, and today the boxes are typically white in name only.

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