The Intel NUC: Yep, I did that!

How many of you can point to a piece of tech on a store shelf (or in an online store) and say there’s something about it that you impacted?  Well, I can.  I can truthfully say I changed a feature on the Intel NUC.  That’s right people, I made the NUC better.  I Changed the course of a product, found a flaw and fixed it, improved the design!  Want proof? Take a look:

That’s the back of the NUC5i5MYH (aka Maple Canyon).  Back before it went into production, I got to see a test unit the team was evaluating, and I found something that I thought needed fixing…something that could drastically improve the end-user experience.  Do you see it?

Yes, this was a pretty big deal…something I knew had to be addressed. So I talked to the team, pointed out the flaw, and gave them my recommendation.  After some negotiating, they agreed, and based on what I’d found they made the change.  Have you figured it out yet?

A game-changer, that’s what it was. Yep, I was cementing my place in tech history with this one.  Everyone was impressed with my proactive, take-charge approach, and it paid off. I got the design changed before the units went into mass production, probably saving the company millions in recall costs.  Now can you see it?  No?  I’d show you a “before” picture, but I’m pretty sure all pictures of the unit with the flaw have been destroyed. This is a mistake the NUC team likely wants to put behind them.

Stumped?  Ok, here you go:

That’s right, if it hadn’t been for yours truly, these systems would have shipped with silver screws.  And they were ugly! I mean, come on; shiny, silver screws on a matte silver case next to a matte black plate? They really ruined the look of the unit. I suggested black instead. And not just any black. No, glossy black wouldn’t do. I told them it should be matte black screws or nothing! (Ok, not literally nothing…the plate would fall out).

Not bad, huh?  I’m thinking about putting it on my resume.