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Excessive Tech Packaging?
fraew wonders: "I just received a Microsoft Partner Program package in the usual MSDN sized box (34cm x 25cm x 11cm) that contained a single A5 piece of paper. Nothing more. Previously I've had RAM DIMMs and PCI cards double-boxed in boxes that approached the size of a computer case, so what is the worst example of excessive tech packaging you've received?"
How about the P-P-P-Powerbook?
signatures are for fools with hands
No, not laptop batteries; CMOS batteries. Standard CR2032 button cells. We had a batch of machines (SX270), a few of which shipped with CMOS batteries going bad, so we RMA'd for 5 new CMOS batteries. (as was policy at the time -- might as well get all of our warranty support that we can, and such.)
We received a box about 12 x 12 x 8 inches. This box contained 5 inner boxes, each about the size of a standard retail software box. Inside each box, the top and bottom were covered in eggcarton foam. In the center of each box was a single CMOS battery.
Every cloud has a silver lining (except for the mushroom shaped ones, which have a lining of Iridium & Strontium 90)
"so what is the worst example of excessive tech packaging you've received?""
The browser that slashdot came in.
The Logitech V200 cordless mouse comes in plastic packaging that is so thick, I would say that a circular saw is the most appropriate tool for opening it. It's probably at least twice as thick as it needs to be. I think that the only explanation for that is to make you so thoroughly mangle the package that you would feel bad about returning it if you change your mind.
disclaimer: not my picture - found it on 4chan /G (probably nsfw) a while ago and saved it because it was so damn funny. Anyway here it is - an SD card and it's packaging (from newegg if I remember correctly).
I recently got some telecom equipment (DS3 Mux, patch panels, etc.). It arrived in several medium to large sized boxes. I opened one. Under a large wad of paper padding was....one patch cable for the mux. No, not a big cable but a thin 18" cable. In another box was...the other patch cable. I kept opening similar boxes till there was a very small pile of equipment and a huge pile of boxes and paper in the middle of the room.
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"You are not remembered for doing what is expected of you." - Atul Chitnis
A perfectly normal serial cable, 3 meters long. It was sent by Digital to use with a PDP-11 in the datacenter. The cable was wound a few times to about 60cm diameter and put in an antistatic bag. The bag was put in one of those white, silky paper-like protection bags, wrapped in bubble-wrap and placed in a flat cardboard box, about 70x70x10cm. That box had been placed in the center of a box around 100x100x60cm, surrounded by those plastic impact-resistant "beans".
No wonder that company went under.
Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
UPS delivered a large box to our work about 30"x20"x12".. nearly large enough for the tape library we ordered. Inside was some plastic balloon padding and another heavy-duty shipping box about the size of a briefcase. Inside that was a tiny box containing a plastic bag containing a stupid promotional pen... and the warranty paper for the Quantum tape library.
The pen is pinned to my cubicle wall. I think I referred to the warranty paper once.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts.
Maximum PC magazine received a few hard drives for review from a manufacturer they would not name, about a year about. What were they packaged in? Four CRATES, yes WOODEN CRATES, three of which were completely empty.
I blame geof's speakers.
This is nothing.
I have you ALL beat.
I recently ordered Suse 10.1 and it arrived on DVD's...LOTS of them. They put a single bit on each DVD, in which was placed in a DVD box, which was wrapped in plastic, placed in a cardboard box, wrapped in bubble wrap, then placed into another box which was then labelled and shipped.
They're no fools. You ever need warranty service on your C++ compiler, you better have saved all those boxes.
I actually think this would work better, no?
You know the kind I am talking about - it would be fine if you could just pull it apart, but it is "welded" together. So you pull out a heavy duty utility knife 'cause not even a pocket knife will do it. Then you have to figure out where to pull your cut through this incredibly tough plastic - better hope you don't go through the manual cause it is hard to RTFM when it has been shredded. I can't tell you how many times I have come close to my nifty new mp3 player (or whatever) with the knife. After you have made one cut through this stuff, you try to pull it apart - it still won't budge, but you manage to slice your finger open on the now sharp plastic. With the blood dripping on your new toy, you make that second cut and squeeze it out and as you hold the bittersweet prize for your efforts you raise your blooded hands to the sky and scream "WHY THE FUCK DO THEY USE THIS SHIT???" Lucky for "them," the shiny new toy inside comforts your rage that might have made you litigious or postal and soon you are back on Amazon ordering some new toy oblious to the fack that it too will come packaged in that crap.
Has anyone made a hate website about this packaging?
1200 sheets of peper per acre per year timber=14.2 hemp=1200 which one would you decide to grow?
Grammar of this sentence suggests too much hemp.
Anagram("United States of America") == "Dine out, taste a Mac, fries"
Quit now while you're not so far behind.
We started getting these boxes last spring, and they show no signs of letting up. We still haven't determined (because the company that shall not be named is in such disarray that we can't find anyone who knows what the hell's going on) whether we're getting the upgrade of approximately 1,500 licenses we ordered, or a refresh of all 12,000 licenses that we own. Either way, it's a fucking lot of boxes, or a motherfucking lot of boxes. Our Administrative Assistants love it when a pallet of these things show up. They open all that packaging up and stuff the paper inside a single box.
All of this data, of course, could have been printed on a single piece of paper.
My book, podcast