Apple Gets the Importance of Packaging; Why Doesn't Google? 639
Hugh Pickens writes "Rebecca Greenfield writes that Google's Nexus tablet with its taped sides and fussy plastic takes effort to open, eliciting what some would call 'wrap rage,' the linguist-approved word for the anger associated with opening a factory sealed product, and as a montage of frustrated Google Nexus 7 owners struggling to open their new tablets' packaging proves there is at least one thing Apple gets that Google does not: boxes. In comparison to the minutes-long process that it takes to get to Google's well-reviewed tablet, opening an iPad takes a simple slide of a cover — a lid that 'comes off easily, but not too easily,' as Random Tech's Anthony Kay puts it. Apple boxes aren't beloved by accident. The company thinks about the way a box informs a product and takes boxing seriously for a reason. 'Not only does the box give people warm and fuzzy associations with the product from the get-go, but also, people form emotional attachments to the actual pieces of cardboard. Instead of tossing them like the trash that they are, people have been known to keep their iBoxes,' writes Greenfield. 'Instead of forgotten in a dump or recycling facility, the boxes sit on shelves serving as a constant reminder of the beauty within.'"
Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Interesting)
Well, of all the things that qualify as first world problems...
And really? People keep i* packaging? That's kinda weird and squirrelly.
Oh, also with respect to unwrapping, please PLEASE peel off those annoying bits of protective clear plastic. They look terrible after they'be been on a few months and have bubbled and got bits of dirt under them. And they make me twitch in an OCD kind of way.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Insightful)
People keep the packaging for returns and because selling your mint condition iDevice with mint condition packaging means you get higher resell value on eBay.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Funny)
Ah, the joy of reselling a product that's never been used.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Interesting)
Ouch.
I resell stuff on ebay, and yes it's been used, but you will get a lot more money if you can advertise it as "new" in appearance. I've received a lot of + feedbacks and 5 stars, because people said "It looks like you never even used it." I did but was just very careful not to scratch the DVD, unit, et cetera.
Also saving the box means you don't have to pay UPS or the post office ~$20 to buy a new box to pack your computer, DVR, whatever.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Funny)
Ouch.
I resell stuff on ebay, and yes it's been used, but you will get a lot more money if you can advertise it as "new" in appearance. I've received a lot of + feedbacks and 5 stars, because people said "It looks like you never even used it." I did but was just very careful not to scratch the DVD, unit, et cetera.
Also saving the box means you don't have to pay UPS or the post office ~$20 to buy a new box to pack your computer, DVR, whatever.
Hey I know you. You are that guy with bubble wrapped couch and plastic bag over TV remote.
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It's thoughtless of Apple not to provide boxes for their boxes.
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>>>Interesting. So it's ok for you to sell to others a "damaged product" as "like new", but it isn't ok for others to do the same to you.
The Apple Mac box is a SHIPPING BOX. Nobody expects it to arrive in perfect-mint condition (and if they do, then they should tell me in advance, and give me an extra $10, in order to fulfill their special needs).
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I save the packaging for any products I might eventually return/sell. This has nothing to do with Apple. (I also have enough space in the basement that a few extra boxes won't get in the way of anything else.)
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Informative)
People keep the packaging for returns and because selling your mint condition iDevice with mint condition packaging means you get higher resell value on eBay.
Ah, the joys of owning an iDevice. You have to constantly plan ahead financially for when the next version comes out.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Insightful)
"Ah, the joys of owning an iDevice. You have to constantly plan ahead financially for when the next version comes out."
So in all of technology, only Apple users ever upgrade?
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Funny)
So in all of technology, only Apple users ever upgrade?
Only Apple suckers ever need to! Go on, iSheeple, buy your fancy, expensive new iGadgets, while I have access to the same functionality with my non-Apple PC from the 90s. It has about as much processing power as an iPhone 4S, also runs apps, plays games and I can use its modem to make phone calls by attaching it to a landline. Some faggy Apple shills will claim it's not as portable, but it's mounted on a fucking wheelbarrel.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, of all the things that qualify as first world problems...
And really? People keep i* packaging? That's kinda weird and squirrelly.
Exactly... The story about "packaging fetishists" is just as much about doing something wrong as it is about doing it right. Why not just make packaging that is easy to open and recycle, and let the consumer enjoy just the product instead of worrying about the box? Or, at least, make the box in a form factor that is easy to actually reuse instead of inspiring Apple fans to collect shelves and shelves of meaningless cardboard. I mean, at least pewter figurines or tea sets or pictures of old people has some prolonged sentimental value. With an iPad, are you really going to give two shits about it after you get the next generation version?
Thanks, Apple, for putting time into thinking about how to get me to hang on to MORE shit I don't need.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Interesting)
Why not just make packaging that is easy to open and recycle, and let the consumer enjoy just the product instead of worrying about the box?
Indeed, I tend to be more impressed with the company if the product arrives in a plain cardboard box, printed with vegetable-based inks, and no plastic packaging waste.
I can then more easily reuse it (e.g. to post something I've sold on eBay, or wrap a fragile gift) or recycle it.
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Indeed, I tend to be more impressed with the company if the product arrives in a plain cardboard box, printed with vegetable-based inks, and no plastic packaging waste.
I can then more easily reuse it (e.g. to post something I've sold on eBay, or wrap a fragile gift) or recycle it.
Never really thought about it that much but you are right. Whenever I recieve a clean box or envelope with removable/coverable branding, I tend to keep it around for when I need to send a package. Might be good marketing if those companies mentioned this explicitely somewhere in the instruction manual.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Funny)
The point of owning an iDevice is to show it off. Nonchalantly displaying the box on a shelf fits into this lifestyle perfectly.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Insightful)
The story about "packaging fetishists" is just as much about doing something wrong as it is about doing it right. Why not just make packaging that is easy to open and recycle, and let the consumer enjoy just the product instead of worrying about the box? Or, at least, make the box in a form factor that is easy to actually reuse instead of inspiring Apple fans to collect shelves and shelves of meaningless cardboard.
Many people don't understand packaging is very important and your post, unfortunately, is no exception.
In the case of tablets and phones, packaging is the first personal encounter with what is intended to be a personal device. Getting this step right is crucial to shaping how a consumer perceives the product and too many companies neglect this simple but ineluctable point.
It's not fetishism to want a consumer's experience of "getting at the device" to be quick, obvious, and easy. Furthermore, packaging that is easily opened and which is not damaged upon opening makes that packaging reusable.
Apple's packaging of phones and tables is exemplary in this regard. The only thing that must be permanently damaged in the unboxing process is the shrink wrap, and even that can be preserved so that it can be reused. This means that when I upgrade my tablet I can sell the old device on eBay in its original packaging and allow my buyers to have a very-close-to-new out-of-box experience. I've sold quite a few phones, tablets, and laptops on eBay and people really appreciate the out-of-box experience, so much so that I mention that the item has all the original packaging intact.
Style, simplicity, and reusability are not shallow but deep. It's the failure to appreciate the work that goes into making something simple that is shallow.
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I still have my Mac box..... it was big and bulky and hard to carry: filled with a lot of empty space. But yes it was beautifully designed.
In contrast my PC came in a plain cardboard box, sealed with tape that I had to use my car key to cut. Not easy to open. But it also cost half as much. I'll take the 50% savings and forego the pretty.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:4, Insightful)
http://fadeyev.net/2012/06/19/moral-design/ [fadeyev.net]
By that standard, Apple suddenly doesn't look sexy at all. Nor do other corps.
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Bullshit. That's as shallow as you can get.
It's the failure to appreciate the work that goes into making something simple that is shallow.
Something can be a lot of work and still be shallow, nobody is claiming the don't waste a lot of time and money and resources on their packaging, so that's both a strawman and a false dichotomy.
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Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Insightful)
And why in the world would you think that Apple's packaging is not recyclable?
You should be applauding Apple's approach because you and MisterSquid get what they want out of it.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Interesting)
Actually, this is nothing new, nor specific to apple. A lot of people keep the boxes that products come in, especially if the product has enough value to be worth repackaging in its box for resale or storage later.
For example, I had some pots that came in boxes. I tossed the boxes, as I have a place to store pots and use them frequently.
I have a rice cooker. Kept the box. Keep it in the box. On the rare occasion that I use it, it comes out of the box, and goes back in. If I get around to having a yard sale, I will put it out, in its box.
Likewise, I have the boxes for xbox360 and my wife's PS3. Why? because they might need to be sent out for repair someday, or I might want to sell them.
The only thing special here is that apple is actually still using boxes, whereas other products have moved to clamshells, which are more frustrating to open if you don't have a good pair of sciscors handy at the moment... and don't give you a package that you can easly repackage the product in.... which brings up another nice thing about boxes....
when I open a product in a box, and its already broken, I have a convienet vessel in which to transmit the product back to the store from whence it came to exchange it.
Nothing new, or particularly interesting here.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Informative)
I have the Nexus 7.
First of all, the unboxing wasn't that bad. The box was taped, yes, but once I sliced it the box slid apart with no issues. The wrap around the Nexus 7 was not that hard to remove. The only way you can bugger that up is to not notice the directions. There's arrows, move this, then that, and it slides out. When I unpacked some iPads for work they were basically similar in their unpacking.
However, the part that got me about the packing is the sleeve. The box itself was fine. The box slid into a sleeve that had the artwork.
I was about ready to throw the goddamned thing against the wall. The sleeve was pressure fit so tightly that Hercu-Thumbs couldn't even slide it out. After fussing with it for a few minutes I went into a rage and tore that sonovabitch up. If I had to do it again I wouldn't even bother with sliding it off, I'd get a letter opener or something like it to take apart the sleeve at its seam.
Whoever thought of that packing design should be dragged out to the street and SHOT.
Re: (Score:3)
So I just received my Nexus 7 last night and am surprised by the reactions that I've seen. I watched the unboxing compilation while I was eagerly awaiting delivery and was expecting the worst. The only thing that I experienced as potentially problematic was the two tape tabs. They would not be easy to peel without damaging the box, so cutting really is your best option. However, everything else, including sliding the sleeve off the box, was very easy and simple. I honestly didn't even notice that there
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Yes, it is. When I purchased my Calphalon One cookware, I kept all the boxes (except for the ones I got at discount stores which didn't have boxes) so when/if I move, I can slide them back into their protective packaging for transport. I don't have to figure out how to wrap them to protect them, or find an odd-sized box for them to fit in. They go back into the original boxes which stack nicely.
Like the OP, I also store my rice cooker and scale in their original boxes. It
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Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Insightful)
Moving once every 3 years is not normal, and nothing you do to facilitate that will be considered normal.
Never heard of the Armed Forces, have you?
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:4, Insightful)
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Moving once every 3 years is not normal, and nothing you do to facilitate that will be considered normal.
You are not normal. Stop arguing as if saving boxes for shit is normal.
Normal behavior is to keep the box until you verify that the thing works, then you chuck the box.
What is this normal behavior you're trying to tell us about? Your way of living?
Hint: We don't give a fuck how you live.
Hint2: You shouldn't give a fuck how we live, unless we're pissing on your front yard.
Have a good day.
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People keep all sorts of packaging. I collect vintage computers. A lot of them still come with their original boxes. Some people really like that, and it boosts the price people can get for the computer. Personally, I can't program or play games on a box, so I'm happier paying less for a computer.
But sometimes I get a cheap computer that still has its box. What do you do with a box you dont' want? After all these years, it seems a shame to trash it. So I've been hanging on to them. I might one day wa
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I might one day want to sell my Apple IIgs
How's today sound?
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Looks like you forgot to check the "Post Anonymously" box.
What for?
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Interesting)
The Apple packaging is nice enough to warrant a spot in the basement. People seem to appreciate it when they get my hand-me-downs and it comes with all of the original packaging/disks/etc.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:5, Funny)
But the main main reason many people buy an iPad is so they can make unwrapping videos for Youtube. The tablet is just a bonus.
Re:Wrap rage...? (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:3)
I made a poll about this on pi day of 2012: http://aqfl.net/node/9736 [aqfl.net] with interesting results.
I keep most of my boxes too. I know many people do.
Different Markets (Score:2, Informative)
Ummmmm, because Google's not a toy company?
Re:Different Markets (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, I have children, how did you guess.?
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Thanks for the debilitating flashbacks. *twitch*
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Roy packaging has to be designed so that children can't get the stuff out of the boxes in the stores.
If you've ever seen a child in a roy store you'll understand why the packaging needs to kevlar/half inch plexiglass.
eeeeh (Score:5, Funny)
and thats why you need to have a good pair of pliers and a decent sharp bladed boxcutter to deal with such things
Bit harsh, I manage to deal with kids quite well with just a hammer.
what the? (Score:5, Interesting)
Ok.. I don't get it. I got my Nexus 7 preorder on Monday and did not have *one* problem with packaging. As a matter of fact I have liked the packaging of every Nexus product I have bought as well as even thought the graphic design was good. I had no problems breaking the seals and opening the box.
I am much more concerned about the fact that the unit will not charge and the fact that so many people at places like at xda-developers [xda-developers.com] are seeing the same defect time after time and the fact that I am having such a hard time getting an RMA.
Re:what the? (Score:5, Funny)
all you have to do is post a message on one of google's forums about your hardware issue and wait a few days for someone to respond
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A few days? Sorry... that isn't good enough. Anyway, right now the problem is that people on 1st level phone support at Google are not authorized to do RMAs and it has to go to 2nd tier.
Their phone support is jammed, and their 2nd tier must be doubly so.
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The defect I was referring to is the side of the screen lifting and/or a gap. My problem with charging (the included charger and cable is good and works with my phone) seems to be your normal luck-of-the-draw factory line defect.
Re:what the? (Score:5, Interesting)
if you have a hardware issue just take it back to the store and have them replace it. that's what i did with my iphone 3gs a few years back. took 20 minutes at the genius bar including the waiting
oh wait......
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took 20 minutes at the genius bar including the waiting
Including the 90 mile drive to the closest Apple Retail Store and the 90 mile drive back?
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It's nice you live close to an apple store... My closest apple store is over 2 hours away. It may still be worth it to drive 2 hours both ways to get a problem fixed in a timely manner, but not usually...
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Re: (Score:3)
I have to admit, I was laughing so hard at the video that I was crying. I swear, that was me last night. "What the--!!? I don't see any tape, but I can't get the box out. Am I missing something? Crap!..."
Still, now that I've got it out of the box, I'm gleeful. It's a nice tablet.
Huh? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah this story confuses me.
Step 1: Push box out of sleeve
Step 2: Cut two pieces of tape
Step 3: Open box
Step 4: Profit
There's not even a ??? step. Is cutting tape really that difficult?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Is cutting tape really that difficult?
Is having to reboot your computer when something goes wrong really that difficult? Not really, but when you have to do that it worsens your experience with the product. Any packaging that requires the use of tools to open is not good, user-oriented packaging. You can make packaging tamper-evident without requiring the customer to locate sharp objects.
There's a reason Amazon has been placing so much effort into making "hassle-free" packaging and coercing manufacturers to do the same (going so far as to send
Re:Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)
without requiring the customer to locate sharp objects.
I have never met tape that requires anything sharper than a housekey to remove. If you can't locate your keys, you've got bigger issues than failure to open a toy.
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Funny)
Is cutting tape really that difficult?
Well, I watched the video, and it's apparently quite difficult if you try to cut it with your shirt.
It wasn't that easy. (Score:5, Interesting)
Because it's not that simple. I can't explain it, you just have to experience it. You're sitting there thinking, "I don't see any tape or other connection between this box and the sleeve, but when I push here, the box won't slide out." I'm telling you, I laughed the whole way through that video because those people--that was me last night. Every ounce of common sense--and looking and testing--tells you that it shouldn't be that hard, yet in defiance of all logic, it was. I think Asus/Google invented some new force of nature.
But yeah, there most definitely were two ??? steps: 1.5 and 2.5.
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Funny)
Ouch (Score:4, Insightful)
I mean I know people worship Apple and all. But...come on guys.
Re:Ouch (Score:4, Funny)
Well I don't see what's so weird about displaying them on a bookshelf or table. Maybe with a nice tablecloth on top, and some candles and incense.
It's also a good place for me to put my sacrifices and to focus my prayers
Superficiality carried to its extreme (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously? There was nothing more important or interesting going on than some nebbish mumbling about the importance of packaging? Even for Apple fanboyism, this reaches new depths. "The boxes sit on shelves serving as a constant reminder of the beauty within." I wish there was a more appropriate and genteel response to that than, "Get a life!", but there you are.
Re:Superficiality carried to its extreme (Score:5, Insightful)
I agree that the gushing is... weird. But the Apple packaging is nice, and people do notice it when they purchase Apple products. It's all part of their branding, which is very well managed. Other companies with crappy or hard-to-open packaging risk their branding just a tiny bit.
Apple cares (Score:5, Insightful)
Google and others think the user experience of a product is confined only to the actual use of it. But that's only one part pf a user experience, and forgets walking into the store (or using the online store), buying, unboxing, first start and setup, support, and eventual recycling.
Apple does everything in its power to make all aspects of the user experience perfect. Apple does unboxing tests for products, even did store mock-ups instead of just slapping up the usual crowded aisles. That's their brand strategy, and it's popular with consumers and profitable.
Nokia has great packaging too! (Score:3)
My point being...perhaps the packaging doesn't have much difference to the success of the company as you think...
Re: (Score:3)
On the contrary - it could be argued that Apple's entire success as a company is due to their packaging on all levels - packaging features, packaging software, packaging hardware, packaging services, packaging their brand. Nokia's problem is that their good packaging tends to stop at the box.
Apple packaged the original iPod by taking mature features that already existed in other music players in the marketplace, and wrapping them together in a more attractive product, with a slick design and lots of storage
Worst wrap-rage of my life: (Score:2)
A GoPro camera. Took me about 15 minutes to open it, I had to find a tutorial on YouTube to show me how to do it. I could have just slashed away with a knife or tore into it savagely, but I was trying to open it without wrecking anything and there was no remotely intuitive way to do it. A lot of careful cutting and tearing is required.
Apple good at making stuff easy to open? (Score:5, Funny)
Can the iPad/iPhone/iX be opened without surgically removing key components yet?
Apple has it down to an art and a science (Score:4, Interesting)
Die Hard 2 troll Harder... (Score:5, Funny)
"is at least one thing Apple gets that Google does not"
Beeeyotch please...
Questioning Importance of the Box (Score:2)
I think the author is vastly overestimating the importance of the box. Sure, I'll grant you that the Apple boxes are nice, but the only people that get that attached to the box are people that are already attached to the device inside. And that's pretty common for iDevices.
By the way, I didn't have any problems opening the Nexus 7 box. I saw the funny video before I got my device, so I was probably compensating. At least, I had a knife to cut the tape holding the box shut. After that it was smooth sail
I confess (Score:5, Interesting)
I've kept my Apple boxes (Mini, keyboard, MacBook, iPod Touch plastic case, iPad). I don't have them on display nor do I lovingly gaze upon them, they are in my garage. I recognize their superior yet simple functionality and keep them for the day I move and need to pack up the gear. I'd rather use the original packaging since it's obviously designed for its purpose, instead of grabbing some random shoe box. I can't say that for most other product packaging. I especially despise heat-sealed plastic packaging.
Re:I confess (Score:5, Informative)
Apple has their own retail space. (Score:2)
The simplest answer is that Apple has their own retail space, which is likely the top location for buying their products. They get to dictate that experience and others selling their products must follow. Google has the Play store, but if they ever want the Nexus to be a success it must be displayed at big box retailers where potential buyers can try it out. As it happens, big box retailers like packaging that is difficult to open but attractive otherwise. It's a lousy theft deterrent, but they prefer it to
Alternative hypotheses? (Score:4, Insightful)
Given that Google has been treading the path of relative minimalism in the packaging for their assorted flagships, I see three basic possibilities:
1. Cargo-cult: Google's cardboard box guru is smart enough to know that Apple makes good cardboard boxes, and has successfully emulated certain elements of them(lack of tacky carrier branding, minimalist design, though usually on a black field rather than a white one, and so forth); but has failed to understand the entire set of variables that go into making a good package, resulting in a close visual reproduction without the functional qualities.
2. Somebody fucked up in production. The design that, indeed, worked perfectly in CAD and in low-volume mockups turned out to have somewhat sloppy tolerances that erred on the side of 'too tight' when X thousand of them showed up in the containers from the pacific rim, at which point it was a bit late to do anything about it. This happens regardless of 'understanding' of the importance of packaging. The acrylic crazing/cracking problems of the old G4 cube, for example, were not caused by the fact that somebody half-assed the aesthetics of the unit; but by inadequate production techniques.
3.(Related to 2) At $200, Google isn't exactly making gigantic margins here, which curtails their ability to do costly things in order to achieve superior results. Preventing #2 type problems can, to a degree, be achieved by throwing more money, scrutiny, and willingness to send it back and have them do it right this time. If one lacks the luxury of money and time, though, one has to accept more limited control and the necessity of sometimes shipping 'good enough' in order to meet deadline. Since irksome packaging isn't a major issue by the standards of what can go wrong with complex electronics, it isn't an unlikely thing to suffer if corners need cutting...
Boxes can be complicated (Score:4, Insightful)
Packaging can be weird to understand. Some of the simplest-looking boxes are often hard to manufacture and use to package a product on a assembly line.
Remember that customer experience while unpacking is perhaps the most transient, short-lived event in the life of a product. Other factors such as safety while transport, shelf-appearance and the quality of the product itself is far far more important. And lets not get started about environmental costs of packaging.
It is easy to get all of it if you have a profit margin like Apple does - about 50% [techspot.com]. The Nexus has a profit margin of barely 5-7% [cnet.com]. So yes, they may cut corners on the box.
But something tells me people who want a Nexus get that the packaging is irrelevant enough as to be worthless within 2 minutes of the customer having finished it. Unboxing is where the function of packaging finishes.
Seriously? The packaging? (Score:3)
Must be a great piece of hardware if the only thing she found to bitch about is the packaging.
Apple's packaging is very Apple-ish (Score:3)
I remember setting up an iPad for my sister, the box wasn't particularly stupid or anything but what I remember is that there was a big void between the packaging where the iPad sits and the back of the box. I had to check to see if anything was back there before throwing it out, but this plastic tray the iPad sits in was glued and snapped into it. I pried it off anyways, took a good bit of force. What was back there? Nothing. It was like a trap for hackers, like leaving a puzzle box with nothing inside to mock our curiosity.
On The Other Hand... (Score:4, Insightful)
...my Google Android phone gets the importance of standard connectors [ninemsn.com.au].
Mother of god.... (Score:3)
It's the nerd rage apocalypse post!
Heat Sealed Packaging and Big Box Store Returns (Score:3)
Invasion (Score:5, Insightful)
Did Slashdot get invaded by Engadget? Are we already living in the era of idiocracy?
I find it hard to understand how a difficult to open packaging could lead to comparisons between two major technology companies. Oh, by the way, Motorola sold their phones in smoothly sliding boxes way before the iPhone was launched, so it is not like it is yet another of Apple's 'innovations'.
To tell you the truth, I find these huge number of insipid 'unboxing videos' and 'reviews' to be an insult to the intelligence of discerning viewers and readers who might be actually looking for useful information about a product.
If I'm a fan of anyone's packaging (Score:3)
It's Nintendo's. Simple, minimalistic, 100% recycled, and humble. No fancy plastic trays, metallic emblems or anything. Just a simple, small, eco-friendly box. Mind you I haven't bought anything from them since the original DS.
Ars Tech talked about this ages ago (Score:5, Insightful)
John Siracusa wrote a full page [arstechnica.com] on the literal "out of box" experience with the G4 Cube, it seems it's still relevant today:
Love or hate Apple, but they think everything through.
THIS (Score:5, Interesting)
This article is why I hate hipsters and people that moan about their first world problems.
It's a f*cking box. What's the big deal. (Score:3)
Re:Because (Score:5, Insightful)
yes, because my iCrap is going to be worth something in a few years and selling my used iCrap with the original box in good condition will increase its value
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I wouldn't have put it that way, but using your terminology, it's more like iCrap version 1.00003 is coming out in six months and I NEEDS it, YES my PRECIOUS, so I'll need to get rid of this piece of crap that is iCrap version 1.00002, and that's easier with the orginal box.
And if nobody wants it, I can always throw it away.
Re:Because (Score:4, Funny)
Hey now, if I lock a cat in a cage with some fun cat toys it won't even look at them, it will cry to be let out.
Re:Because (Score:5, Funny)
Exactly! Only stupid consumers with too much money and no geek sense like this stupid Apple packaging. And there's so many of them! Why doesn't crApple research users on slasgdot and gear their stuff towards them! Some of the folks here have money to spend as well. Stupid Apple, targeting the majority.
Re:Because (Score:5, Informative)
Well, the first, second and third people I showed the Nexus 7 box to, and what is inside it, headed over to Staples to get one. That was before connecting it to the net, all you got at that point was the Google logo. A beautiful hi res Google logo. And really snappy response. That's all it took: lovely tiny device plus the Google logo. Apple stakeholders should fear.
The box... I like it. It looks like a hardcover book slipcase. I was careful to cut the seals, not rip them off and the box still looks great. Obviously, I'm keeping the box. On the bookshelf. It looks like it belongs there.
So far the Nexus 7 has been a real joy. You could say "twice the computer at half the price" compared to the iPad. That's not completely accurate, really it's twice the cores, but it's close enough.
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This seems like a statement said buy the guy with a collection of toys that are perpetually in their shrink wrapped state.
Packaging has many uses.
1. To keep all the parts together in one container.
2. To Identify the product that it contains.
3. To try to make the product stand out from the other products.
4. Portrait your first impressions of the product.
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More correctly, fancy packaging costs more which is passed on to customers.
It's not stupid, it's more expensive.
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[any] buyers are like cats, they like the packaging more than the gift, and are just as stupid.
Ever been a child at Christmas, electic with anticipation to get through that gift wrapping for whatever is inside? The better the paper, the more heightened the anticipation. Wrap it in old newspaper and the kiddies will, evertime, go for the better wrapping. Everything about presentation you need to know is there.
When I worked in a logistics company I was stunned to learn how much packaging cost - when a box (and presumably packing materials) were damaged by a klutz on a forklift the box was set aside
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