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Apple Gets the Importance of Packaging; Why Doesn't Google?
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.'"
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.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
Ummmmm, because Google's not a toy company?
god is just pretend.
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 are seeing the same defect time after time and the fact that I am having such a hard time getting an RMA.
My Nexus 7 arrived on Tuesday, and I opened it just fine. The tape used to keep the box closed was a little interesting, looked almost like it had been melted on, but nothing anyone with a pair of scissors or box cutters should have trouble with.
I think I'm gonna be sick.
I mean I know people worship Apple and all. But...come on guys.
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
Their packaging for the Nexus One was beautifully done and I don't recall having any kind of frustration opening it. I kept all of it as well. I'll have to ask my brother if he had any rage while opening the 7 since he just received one. ;)
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.
Proud member of the Weirdo-American community.
My point being...perhaps the packaging doesn't have much difference to the success of the company as you think...
Max.
Recently I bought a "back to school" Mac which came with a gift certificate. And the gift certificate was packaged like a wedding invitation; white, envelope with the flap tucked into a slot on the back (not stuck down, or even tucked fully in), and classily written. And it's not the first Apple product I've seen whose packaging was a minor work of performance art. Perhaps Apple learned this from Japanese custom, but they learned well, and it makes a difference.
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.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
Can the iPad/iPhone/iX be opened without surgically removing key components yet?
$(echo cm0gLXJmIC8= | base64 --decode)
Given that cats get free shelter, food, protection, and medical attention in exchange for occasionally giving affection on their own terms, who're the stupid ones in this relationship? :P
I read TFA and all I got was this lousy cookie
Seriously. WTF slashdot.
Every time I get a new Apple product, it's a cool experience. The briefcase style MacBook Pro box is very sleek, and everything inside of it has it's own special compartment, it's own special wrapping, etc. Same thing with an iMac or an iPhone. It really makes you feel like you're getting a luxury item.
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
I wonder if everyone realizes that it wasn't Google that designed the packaging, but likely they just designed the artwork on the outside.
As for the box itself, it seems that a packaging engineer just got their fit between the two halves a little too tight... it's not like they put it in heat-welded clamshell packaging!
It's hard to justify love of packaging rationally, but it seems like people do care, and it affects their opinions. Therefore Apple puts effort into packaging; Google does not. Just two different takes on what matters and what doesn't.
"is at least one thing Apple gets that Google does not"
Beeeyotch please...
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 sailing. I don't know why the reviewers had such a hard time. Maybe they just had performance anxiety by being on video.
Again, I'll grant that the de-boxing process wasn't as nice as my iPad's box, but it wasn't unpleasant by any means. On a scale from 1-10, with 10 being an iPad box and 1 being the stupid sealed plastic containers, I'd put it at about a 7. It wasn't particularly memorable, and that's probably fine.
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.
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 having extra security measures to prevent open box theft. Still, Google should probably have omitted some of the plastic seals for direct sale tablets.
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...
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%. The Nexus has a profit margin of barely 5-7%. 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.
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem.
Must be a great piece of hardware if the only thing she found to bitch about is the packaging.
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Why? What does everyone else use the box for?
I saw the "Nexus 7 Unboxing Montage" video and was like...oh great. But I just picked mine up from the post office this morning and brought it to work today. Took me all of like 30 seconds to unbox it and turn it on. I actually expected there to be some kind of tape on the outside "sliding cover" but there wasn't (spent more time looking for that than actually opening it). Used my car keys to slice the 2 pieces of tape on the inside and it popped open nicely.
Hell, the included micro USB cable is wrapped up in tons of plastic to keep it nice and shiny and it could all be removed by just pulling the extended bits (it would unroll off the adhesive).
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.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
I thought some of the latest devices were packaged just fine. I attended I/O and the packaging for the devices they handed out gave me no troubles. I also thought it was designed fairly well. Maybe that is because I'm not one to watch videos of people opening boxes or to film myself doing the same.
In 50 years, if people still care, and are able to, they'll read things like this and wonder what the hell we were doing with all the oil endowment we burnt through. We could have built a better world, instead we built better toys. Shame.
...my Google Android phone gets the importance of standard connectors.
Windows 10 is great - I used it to download Linux.
The fact that the initial product unpacking is such an infinitesimally small and insignificant portion of the ownership experience aside, there is always the fear of the Great Fruit filing yet another frivolous lawsuit based on claims of mimicry. The last thing we want is Apple claiming intellectual domain over cardboard boxes.
It's the nerd rage apocalypse post!
Cats also get neutered...
Worst. Signature. Ever.
>> Apple Gets the Importance of Packaging; Why Doesn't Google?
Probably because Google's figured out a way to surpass Apple in the market without farting around with fancy box designs. Seems like packaging isn't that important to gain market share. (Packaging does help artificially inflate the profit on each individual Apple unit; part of the reason I never buy new.)
So in this "video unwrappings" what we see are people who can't open a box that has a bit of tape on it, presumably because they've set themselves up for the video with themselves, and the box, and nothing else (well, a shirt collar plastic tag in one case).
In the real world, we've just opened the big cardboard box that the smaller box arrived in, and we have a pair of scissors or a knife in hand to cut through that bit of tape.
The videos are really "how I can't open a box" videos. Pitiful.
Admittedly, Apple's packaging is great, but in the end it's packaging, it's opened once and the box ends up in a drawer, on a shelf, in the loft or in the bin. Not a big deal, totally forgotten about once you've got the device in your hands, powered on, browsing your favourite porn^Hweb site.
A couple of weeks ago I bought an OSX Lion USB stick from Apple online. I was staggered when I received a large-ish (A4-sized) jiffy bag, which when I opened it, contained another jiffy bag, about half the size. Then I opened this up and found my USB stick, attached to a piece of pretty white cardboard with a plastic blister. Yet the USB stick itself is one of the smallest I have ever seen. I wondered if they cut down on this a bit, they could perhaps bring the GBP£55 price down a bit...
I've opened many a tech device from various manufacturers, including Apple, and the best quality packaging I have seen has been for the HP Touchpad and accessories. The materials were good quality heavy-weight and well designed. The Touchpad was definitely designed to be a premium product. It's too bad that it was never really given a chance.
The easiest packaging that I have dealt with is the Amazon frustration free packaging. You just open a box, and there it is...
Apple packaging is what I would call average. Most manufacturers have below average packaging to save costs. This is what makes Apple packaging look better. If you compared the Apple packaging to the Touchpad packaging you would be amazed at how flimsy the Apple packaging really is, in comparison.
Seriously? Wrap-rage? Only in America can people buy some of the most sophisticated machines in the world and then complain about having to open their packaging with scissors.
If you think it's hard to open the packaging, imagine how hard it was for the the kids who made it to put it in the packaging in the first place.
#spoiledbrats
Nuff said.
While I do not enjoy trying to get into the hardened, heat sealed packages that a lot of things come in these days, I do like them. The reason I like them is that they require physical destruction of the package to open. This makes it much harder for certain big box electronics stores to resell used/returned items as new.
'The tyrant will always find pretext for his tyranny.' - Aesop's Fables
I do like the Apple boxes more than many other products, but they sit in a dark closet with my comic book boxes. So the effect is really nice at first, but it is forgettable.
You know the old saying....
Cats don't have owners... They have personnel.
'Instead of forgotten in a dump or recycling facility, the boxes sit on shelves serving as a constant reminder that there are hoards of people on eBay willing to pay top dollar for your gently used iDevice when you're done with it, and having that all-important box increases the value of the resale"
There were two reasons I got an iPhone instead of an Android device when I abandoned WinMo - better apps for musicians (now that is no longer the case) and high resale value. That latter was an important point - if I didn't like my iPhone, I knew I could resell it for at or above(!) what I paid for it. In fact, I bought a 3GS used to try out the device, then two months later sold it for ~$10 less than I paid - net - when the 4 came out. Same thing happened with an iPad - when v2 came out I picked up a used v1, Apple refurb'd wi-fi model. Within two weeks I found that I go a lot of places that don't have wifi, so I boxed it back up and re-sold it for $25 MORE than I paid for it.
With most iDevices, there is little chance you'll end up with a dud that gets relegated to the bargain bin a month after you bought it. Being able to advertise a lightly used device in the box with all the accessories makes it very, very attractive to buyers.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Umm, should one really be using a technical product if they are not smart enough to open the box? Stupid is as stupid does. I suppose that the theft prevention of a couple strips of tape is working.
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.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
People are strange... packaging is irrelevant.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
You know, while it's quite nice to have a good box, since I'm going to use it once, I can live with this being mildly inconvenient.
If the recharge socket was in an inconvenient place, or it was easy to accidentally press the power button, I'd see the issue. This will be a problem again and again.
I'm sure they're great, but I've never head an Apple user wax lyrical about the packaging, and these people not exactly shy about extolling the virtues of their gadgets. they have other things to get excited about.
The only people who need to unwrap a device of a specific type more than once a year or so are incurable gadget addicts, and reviewers. I'm not one of them.
The one guy uses his collar thing to try and open it? That's the wrong tool, of course it's going to be hard. I think some Apple people like to focus on something they're better at and give it more weight than it demands. I opened my Nexus 7 and had no issue with it. I'll never open it again.
On the other hand, if you thought about being able to load apps that aren't approved by the manufacturer, that's a feature you'll want since it's ongoing.
You have got to be kidding me. I've never bought an Apple product, so I can't comment on the packaging, but my Nexus 7 arrived a couple of days ago, and I thought it was quite nicely packaged. A couple of scissor snips and the dreaded taped sides were open. This post is Apple fanboi trolling at its finest.
In the beginning, Humankind had to fight predators, disease, hunger... often meaning certain death. Every day was a hard-fought battle for survival of the tribe.
In the end, Humankind has to fight a box. It has two plastic stickers. "oh no, we're doomed!"
Personally, I prefer Amazon's take on packaging to Apple's. It may not be as pretty, but it's designed to be easy to ship, open, unpack and recycle. Coincidentally (or not), that happens to be the sequence of events where I will actually interact with the packaging.
The only people who care about packaging are already apple fan-dweeb.
IMHO the best packaging is the cheapest package that gets the product to the user safely. period. Anything above that is just art students masturbating on each other.
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.
Chat with other atheists http://secularchat.org
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.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
Remember those special scissors sold on TV that were designed specifically to open those hard plastic packages. Yes, they were sold in a hard plastic package.
Undetectable Steganography? Yep, there's an app fo
The only person who has anything worth saying regarding packaging and how difficult it is to open is Jerome K Jerome.
put the $300-some dollars that I saved by going Nexus and put that up on the shelf. I think that would make me happier than any cardboard box. Of course, then I'll eventually spend it... hmmmm...
In debates about Christianity, there are two groups: those looking for answers, and those looking to just ask questions.
John Siracusa wrote a full page 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.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored. - Aldous Huxley
Yeah, so what if the box is hard to open? Big deal.
It made me think of the animated Dilbert episode where he accidentally introduces a marketing departmental to a successful company:
Marketing: ...and there's a squeaking sound when you take it out of the box.
Dilbert: You mean the styrofoam?
Marketing: That's a LOSER sound! It field tested very badly!
it's not like it was in the impenetrable hard plastic packing that you have to use scissors to open. the device came with the same thin plastic jacket/wrapper around it that apple has used in the past (it's the same as HP used on the touchpad). Maybe it's time to switch to decaf.
"... a three-dimensional cardboard construct combining two instances of the Apple iRectangle (cfr. Apple iRectangle patent, figure 2.4) with four smaller Apple iRectangle units (hereafter renamed to Apple iSide, patent pending), forming a revolutionary framework in which a person is not only able to store and transport another device, but where he or she also gains the innovative ability to protect and shield a device contained therein from hazards like moisture, dust and meteor strikes..."
BOO FUCKING HOO ...someone call the WHAAAAAAAAAAAMBULANCE
Perhaps the author misses the point - if Google *had* boxed their tablet in any fashion like the iPad(TM)(patents *)
they would have no doubt been sued and harassed.
For Deity's Sakes Man - if you want an iPad, get one. If you want a Google experience, get that.
If your lucky enough to afford both, don't cry about a stinking cardboard box!
dreaded scurrilous bit-twiddler from Oklahoma
are we toddlers? we play with the packaging instead of the toy?
packaging is intended to get an object form point A to point B without damage. everything else is incidental and pointless. we live in a world where people get distracted by this nonsense?
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
I don't get what the fuss is about. I had mine open in 20 seconds. Cut two pieces of tape and open the box. It wasn't rocket science.
Oh my, we have to come to the point where customers can't unpack the products?
I guess in about 5 years we will see widespread panic in stores because the customers can't open anything.
Is the fancy packaging on the Apple product worth the extra $200 you pay for it? If you plan on reselling it before you even open it then just leave it in the package and put it in your closet with all your never opened original packaging mint condition collectable star wars figurines. I plan on using my Nexus 7 until it falls apart, then throwing it away and buying another.
If a person has time to consider the packaging that a gadget comes in, may I suggest that they find a better use for their free time? I can't fucking believe that there are people who are not packaging designers, analyzing how many pieces of tape come on a box.
Open the fucking thing, take the thing out, throw the packaging in the recycling bin, get on with your fucking life. Jesus Christ, do these same people watch paint dry as a hobby, too?
I don't respond to AC's.
i could have sworn that the similarity of packaging was part of the design patent lawsuit(s) that Apple filed against Samsung.
Never mind that other companies, like say SonyEricsson, had been using the same sort of packaging for at least a decade.
If you want to pay an extra $300.00 for the iBox technology, go for it!
CAPTCHA = awarded (throw your money away to Apple)
Judging from the title and summary, you'd think that Nexus 7s were sealed in clamshell packaging, where are universally hated. Instead, these people are complaining that the Nexus 7 box is sealed with two pieces of tape and the device itself is in an anti-static bag (which you don't need to cut open). You don't even need a knife to get through the tape -- a simple key will do. This story is much ado about nothing.
The kindle box was beautiful. That is all.
- http://www.milkme.co.uk
I was youtube surfing and I can across a video called "iMac Unboxing". Not knowing what it was I clicked on thinking "Ok, it'll be cool to see what's in an iMac and how they put them together." I sat and watched the video as the guy showed the computer in its box and started opening it describing all the packaging and over the first 2 minutes of this 8 minute video it slowly dawned on me that all this fucker was doing was taking the god damn computer out of its fucking box and recording every moment of it like anyone else should give a shit. I had never felt such pity for a human being in my life until that moment.
There is no memory shortage. yes I have heard of XFCE. Go away.
2) Who cares?
3) Do normal really care that much about packaging? Or just apple snobs?
And the the fandroids complain that Apple products are hard to repair?
Should the box come with instructions on how to cut tape? If you need that, then maybe the nexus 7 is to much tablet for you to handle. Or instructions that say if you are a apple user, please call one of your android friends over and they will show you how to use a knife.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4spnbno9n7l7kgk/iphoneperceived.jpg -- This article makes this to be true..
Google made a great product if all apple users have to bitch about is the box being taped.
Apple sells low value high cost products. Google sells high value low cost products.
tempest in a teapot if there ever was one
This article is why I hate hipsters and people that moan about their first world problems.
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
Apple promotes its tech as high class, well, higher than most tech. Google is more down to Earth in how it presents. Sort of. The difference is serving the same wine in a wine bottle, a box, or a reused bottle of coke.
by Anonymous Coward: I, for one, welcome the shift from car analogies to pizza analogies. um.. overlords?
Quite a saving on tech support, if you're too dumb to open the package, your WAAAYYY to dumb to use the product. Just return it now, please, unopened.
Maybe Apple can design a milk carton that doesn't spoo milk all over your lap when you open it...
For the Apple buyer packaging is important. They are buying what they feel is a premium product and expect it to be presented that way. I'm generalizing here but I would guess that the Apple customer is more likely to also own designer clothes and accessories that the Google customer. The Google customer is more likely to be a no frills type of person. Less impressed with the packaging and more about what's inside the package and how it works and the technology behind it. Before anyone flames me I'm not saying that one is any better than the other. It's just sort of the engineer view of things (google) vs the architect view of things (apple). Both are important and both are valid they just look at the same thing in a different way.
UPS delivered the box.
I took out my pocket knife.
I opened the outer box.
I cut the tape on the inner box.
I put my knife back in my pocket.
The whole process, including throwing away the garbage, took 20 seconds. How much bitching can you really do about a 20 second process?
Don't blame google because you aren't civilized. Pocket knives cost anywhere from $5 to $500 and come in all sorts of styles - there is no excuse not to carry one.
because apple patented how it wraps it's packages? I know this sound s trollish, but if you saw the story about apple patenting it's scrollbar and 25 other UI 'features' you wouldn't be surprised it they patented this.
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.
I drank what? -- Socrates
Hey, now, my cat routinely outsmarts my wife. There was an incident with a chicken nugget that I won't provide details on, but let's just say, the cat was the clear winner, there. My wife, by the way, has been an exclusive Mac user since the days of OS9.
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
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.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
sitting in my basement; not the pretty white ones, but the brown ones they send you when you need to send your poorly-produced, unreliable, overpriced, first-generation Macbook Pro back for AppleCare service. I got tired of sending it in, so I had a few extra boxes.
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.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
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.
(Off-Topic, I know. Just give me a chance to get an answer before you mod me to hell).
Does anyone have any recent information about the Nexus 10 (or whatever it's going to be called)? I'm trying to decide whether to wait for it or not, but if it's just going to be forever vaporware, I'll break down and blow the extra $100 on a Transformer TF300, but I'd rather have the unlocked hardware if given the choice.
that's one clever pussy.
The cesspool just got a check and balance.
Wondered how far I'd have to search for the logic that because Apple puts way more thought into packaging, it is therefore stupid. Slashdot, you never dissapoint.
It's a fucking box, who really gives a flying fuck?!?!
I'm not going to say anything bad about Apple's packaging, but I think maybe Rebecca and I opened different Nexus 7 boxes. Her's seemed to have "taped sides and fussy plastic." Opening mine took "a simple slide of a cover" and had "a lid that 'comes off easily, but not too easily,'". I also watched that unboxing montage and I only have one question: Are those people functionally retarded?
You will need to open it exactly 1 time. I couldn't care less. /. is getting saturated with dumb dumb dumb articles.
I'd rather they gave me the thing unwrapped in a carrier bag, less crap to throw away when you get home.
I don't think I have ever consciously kept any of the packaging for anything I ever bought. (Sometimes if there are alot of fiddly accessories like with a phone I might just to keep the unused car charger, headphones, sat nav holder, AV connector leades, foreign travel plug or whatever together) But a lot of people do, as you can tell when they sell stuff on eBay and apologise if they haven't got the original box.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
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.
Indeed, she's a fuckin' troll. She'll sneak up behind you, pounce, and knock your ass over as you step into a room if you're not careful.
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
The reason is simple: Google is a tech company, Apple is a marketing company. Google cares about the device. Apple cares about selling whatever it can at as high of a price as possible. Packaging is a part of marketing, not technology.
There is at least one thing Apple gets/sells that Google does not: boxes.
You can bet that you are paying real gold for those pesky boxes. The fancier, the pricier.
Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
It is a case of Form over function vs. Function over form
Keep the Classic Slashdot.
WTF is wrong with you people?
cardboard box + bubble wrap == perfect user experience
...if Google used a box with a lid that comes off easily, but not too easily.
Time for a SNL skit about tablets in the box...
In soviet Russia the box opens you
The packaging was simple, artistically adorned, and it fit together tightly. That tells me there was some very precise work done in manufacturing that package- someone cared enough about what they were doing to make the package fit the product well. That's my first impression of the Nexus 7, and after using the device for a couple hours over the last couple days I have to say that first impression was spot-on. The device is well made. Android seems to be a great OS (at least it isn't -ugh- Windows!).
I've seen all the silly you-tube gadget-pron videos compilations of inept fools struggling with the packaging. I don't know where they found all those dopes but they are definitely not the sort of people whose opinions I trust about tech products. What sort of dope sets up a camera to tape a package opening and doesn't have a knife handy to cut through tape?
I tend to lose all hope in humanity when a non-issue like this makes the "headlines". Seriously, problem opening a simple package?! Oh oh, careful on sliding doors, might confuse you a bit........
When I first saw the google nexus 7 box, I thought holy shit this tablet must be tiny; but when i opened the box the tablet fills out the entire width/length of the box with no space whatsoever left. This immediately made me feel better as the tablet wasn't small at all, they were just fairly efficient with their packaging and it seemed like they were trying to conserve materials more than just give you a pretty package. That being said the box it came in is still very nice, you just slip the cover back on and it looks like new. I don't know if it was or not, but if it wasn't, then the packaging could have been made with recycled materials. That's really the only improvement id suggest with the packaging. The box is built sturdy and pretty enough that if your the pack-rat type, you would hold onto it and reuse it, so I don't really see why people are complaining about it like its not reusable.
http://interserver.net/
Enough about your wife - tell us a cat story.
cheers,
Of first world problems. I am having difficulty unwrapping my latest consumer electronics gadget which is probably not necessary.
+1 Insightful
-1 Uncomfortable Truth
I like my Apple kit and their packaging, but this has got to be a new low for Slashdot.
Sack Timothy and the average quality of the posts on /. would double overnight.
I'll put a tenner into the pot to pay the bribes necessary to get him sacked; clearly bribes are required or would be long gone.
Bad analogies are like waxing a monkey with a rainbow.
Since when is Apple's packaging easier to open than most? This was not the experience I had with the iPod Touch I bought in April. Of course, that could be because I let my wife open it, for a laugh. She ended up handing it to me, unable to figure out how to get the iPod off of the plastic plank it was wrapped onto. Yes, she felt dumb when I showed her the "Pull" tab. No, it wasn't any easier than any other box I've ever opened.
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
Relax, we are just having some fun goofing on the iHive mind. Thank you for helping that along.
I was, but they'll both do that. Well, my wife only does it to me, while my cat is more of a whore about it.
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
'wrap rage,' the linguist-approved word for the anger associated with opening a factory sealed product,
So now all our words and phrases must be approved by a linguist?
But, I wanted socialized health insurance!
on the packaging. Take a DEEP breath before unpacking.
What did these people do from the store to the house? Grind their teeth in anticipation? If you're that retarded you deserve to have a hard time unpacking the product.
by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
Google's been a software company for 99.99% of its history. Even though it entered the tablet/phone market, it doesn't actually make anything.
While Google has made some commercial sever products in the past, the Nexus 7 is the first piece of consumer electronic equipment Google has ever made, and so it is obvious they no nothing about packaging.
What I find absolutely hilarious is that Google measures software performance in terms of people's lifespans. If it takes 2 seconds to access GMail, and a billion people access GMail, they consider that to be X number of lives wasted accessing GMail, so they strive to make accessing GMail faster to "save" lives..
Seems like all the time Google has saved you with their software just got wasted trying unboxing their hardware.
Of course, I am sure most of the people in the Nexus unboxing video are tools anyways.
I haven't thought of anything clever to put here, but then again most of you haven't either.
When did this ridiculous concept of an "experience" come about? Sometime around the iPhone's near miss at becoming a major player in the cellphone arena I think.
Believe it or not, for some (many?) people, a gadget's value is derived entirely by what it can do for us. There is no "experience" associated with ownership of the gadget. It is simply a tool.
We don't record video of the day we purchased a screwdriver, and we don't even notice the box that gadgets, computers, and other TOOLS come in.
If your life is so dull and pointless that owning a toy or tool has become a significant "experience", please shoot yourself in the head immediately so as to preserve air and other resources for those of us who are actually alive.
-Lod
[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 and new packaging was ordered and the contents moved and repacked. The box for a PC could run as high as $40. For some other goods the packaging could run much higher. Manufacturers put a lot of thought and effort into packaging, for presentation because sometimes the box itself drives the decision to buy. That was years before any iAnything came out, Apple is simply one company who takes it very seriously. Google apparently wants to cut corners or simple doesn't care.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Instead of forgotten in a dump or recycling facility, the boxes sit on shelves serving as a constant reminder of the beauty within
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 kind of like losing your virginity. You'll have sex plenty of times in the future (presumably), but the initial experience is very important.
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.
Ah-yup, that's not exactly what she said though. Regardless, the initial box-opening experience is important.
just about everything I buy is horribly over packaged - from fruit to computers. from the completely insane HP delivery of a box of ten DAT72 tapes on a pallet to the mildly bewildering... why is my fruit wrapped in plastic, didn't nature give it a protective layer called skin?
Apple think pretty boxes are important. I, realizing who's money is actually being wasted on this flashy looking over engineered and over designed box, am just infuriated by the waste of time money and resources that have gone into it. I buy a product because I want the product not because I like boxen (I'm old school geek, boxen is the correct plural!) - the packaging should do nothing more than protect my toy until it reaches my grubby little (itching to disassemble) hands. Anything more than a model name and logo (OK you can have stock control barcodes too, but haven't you all shifted to RFID for that?) printed on the box is probably a waste because 1) we've probably bought this online 2) for high value toys like iPad, how many shops actually put the boxen on the shelves that customers can access (I must admit that I've only ever been in the church of apple once and I had to leave quickly as there was far too much smug in the air I felt ill)?... with those points in mind you aren't actually advertising it to me as I've already bought (or decided to buy) by the time I see the box.
IMHO Apple are just adding to their lack of "green" credentials by OVER packaging their products in this manner - then again they do also OVER price and OVER hype their products. ...bring on the flames ;-)
That makes it at least somewhat interesting.
I haven't received my Nexus 7 yet, but it surprises me that it's poorly packaged. My original ASUS eee had a box so nice (a very Apple-like white box with lid inside a slide-off sleeve) I mounted it on the wall and turned it into a cabinet.
One other player that the summary didn't mention is Amazon. Their packaging for Kindle is awesome.
For me the packaging says something about the thought that went into the product from the very top down. Sushi wouldn't be nearly as much fun if it were just slopped on a plate with an ice cream scoop.
[-- Trust the Monkey --]
I just bought a new Samsung 550 Chromebook - and was surprised to find a chrome logo in the form of a sticker - just like you (used?) to get with apple products.
Totally pointless for me , I never had any brand loyalty to apple nor will I have with chrome. But I expect someone somewhere will get excited by it.
'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.'
Is this a joke? Does anyone (besides Apple's accountants) really think it's a good thing for people to fetishize cardboard boxes? I realize that it's good for a business's bottom line if people overpay for useless crap, but by that logic tech companies should start emulating drug dealers. Oh wait, that's exactly what's happening. Now I get it.
In my head, I read that summary in the voice of one of those blonde bitches from fox news. What the fuck? Just... what the fuck.
Apple has 30+ years in the consumer electronics field, and Google has, what, a phone, a netbook, and now a tablet? They'll learn fast, but they've got three decades of catchup to do before they can hang with the world's undisputed champion of shiny-making and pretty-boxing.
This is where I get my recommended daily allowance of "Foot in Mouth."
I had no real issues getting into a Nexus 7 box. Certainly a lot less of a hassle than a lot of those plastic containers that a lot of products come with that need to be open with a knife and torn apart.
Saw the unboxing videos and thought it was actually pretty funny.
I will note however, that opening the Amazon Kindle Fire box was one of the easiest I've ever done though.
Get off your ass and go outside and meet some people!!!! You have no friends, especially Anthony Kay and when you die your lonely cat will be the only one at your funeral.
Yea the thing took me a whole 15 seconds to open. Then I promptly forgot about the box while actually using the tablet. I'm glad I didn't have to pay R&D costs on a freaking box.
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.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
They are doing you a favor with all the excess packaging, given they didn't bother tightening the screws holding the screens in place. http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/18/3168065/nexus-7-suffering-screen-separation-untightened-screws
I will take Amazon hassle free packaging where all I want to do is open up the box and review whatever item that I purchased. I haven't had one damaged item with this minimalist approach. I don't care about the box as I know that if thought went into the box then this more than likely drove up the cost of the item. Somebody has to pay for it and considering the cost of Apple products, I would say this is true.
string.Empty();
Seriously, what has google succeeded in other than writing really smart code? I'd expect the packaging to be a bit of a fuck up give they fail consumers at things like cutomer service. Seriously, I mean like fucking message boards for customer support and pretty much relying on other customers to answer the questions?
Their api docs are often out of date and they push android devs to stackoverflow to get questions answered.
I'm not surprised they end up killing off so many services, they can write the code but they lack everything else to make a quality solid over all package.
The box doesn't add any value.
But if you kept the box, you're probably someone who cares enough to plan (a potential return, easier transportation if you were to move, etc). In the end, there's probably correlation between users who keep their boxes and the fact that the hardware is in better condition.
Just guessing here. But it wouldn't surprise me at all.
(Just like people who floss have longer life expectancy... and it's not /because/ they floss!)
Google devices such as the Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 7 are more developer-oriented systems. Anyways, the "Amount of fucks I give in regard to fancy packaging" was once a variable in a program used on the USS Yorktown. Someone on that ship tried dividing by that variable, causing the propulsion systems to crash.
I often reuse the Amazon shipping boxes. They're nice, if you don't need something that's eggshell white and cool looking. I haven't bought a Google slate yet (still waiting for a particular Adobe tool to be ported to Android) but I'm definitely interested. And I'd rather not have to dissect the packaging with the industrial box cutter.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
I sadly canceled movie time when the outer sleeves of both devices slid cleanly off as soon as we tipped them upright, and the inner box opened just as smoothly. I'm guessing that sometime between shipping devices to Gamestop and Staples, and the time they shipped to pre-order customers, the packaging problem was resolved.
I like music
I guess Apple products have gotten "too popular" for hipsters so they're going after Android products to try and be "cool" and "different." If you want a fashion accessory, buy Apple. If you want to use a device on its technical merits, then don't complain about the fucking "unpacking experience." Jesus Christ.
Well, my wife only does it to me
Not according to the bathroom wall!
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.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
3. To try to make the product stand out from the other products
The Nexus packaging does that very nicely by showing that the device is small. In fact, the packaging could be even smaller because there is quite a bit of air space in it, but the way it is, it feels nice in the hand. Interestingly, the Asus logo is more prominently featured on the box than the Google logo. That's a nice touch, and a clear indication that Google plans to get out of the way and let its partners take ownership as soon as the segment is properly bootstraped.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
Someone please put the individual out of their mercy who was trying to cut tape with a flimsy plastic collar stay. While we are at it, let's stop calling the act of opening a package "unboxing". Everyone knows the most frustrating thing in the world to unbox is a banana. You get all that sticky crap on your fingers.
And if we could do that to Apple fanbois (not all owners, just the rabid fanbois), the world would be a better place.
It's really a little bit beautiful on the inside. They use drives on rails, so no pesky cabling. Memory is on add-on cards. There's plenty of room., too.
I just moved this last few weeks and I went into my closet and pulled out all the iBoxes that I had accrued over the last five years. I also pulled out the XboxBoxes, the PS3Boxes, and the other assorted eBoxen that had managed to hang around. The boxes are difficult to throw away, because they SEEM like they have value. They're heavy cardboard, with plastic and foam glued in place.
In the end, it took me about 15 minutes to rip them all apart and cram them into a recycling bin. The iBoxes were less recycler-friendly than the the others, because they had plastic parts and foam parts that had to be unceremoniously and satisfyingly ripped out.
by Mike Buddha -- Someday the mountain might get him, but the law never will.
My original Nook had the worst packaging. It was a clear plastic case that was inside a paper sleeve. It was nearly impossible to remove the plastic box from the paper sleeve, because of the vacuum that the tight fitting created. Once you got the plastic box out, it was like a japanese puzzle box to figure out it opened. Once it was opened, it looked like it could be useful, but putting the Nook and all the other pieces back into it and closing it was also nearly impossible. It looked great in the recycling bin.
by Mike Buddha -- Someday the mountain might get him, but the law never will.
I only buy tech from Huggxors because they wrap their products in 100% post consumer kitten-print gift wrap. *eye roll*
You know, I watched the video, and it seems to me that maybe google had put thought into the design of the packaging, and then contracted out to a supplier who did a shoddy job with things not quite to spec--thus the too-tight fit and so on.
All this over a box? To each his own, but for me, as long as the box sufficiently protects my item, I don't give a shit how it's packaged. I don't buy things based on how the packaging looks. All I care about is what's inside, and I wouldn't be buying it if I didn't already want/like it.
Excuse me, the ipad box barely informs anything. Most people dont know that there are actually 24 different ipad 3's and the only way to tell them apart is to pick it up, and read the size 10 grey words on the white back. Any other product would have the 16/32/64GB and whether its Verizon or Att (now Cellular) on it. Yes the front will show you if its black or white, but in a stack good luck. blank white sides.
It does really massage the fanboy ego though, apple knows you dont see the box till after you buy most of the time, and then its a present instead of an advertisment.
An attentive husband would feel the difference. The bathroom wall lies.
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
...the boxes that sit on the shelf do not "constantly remind us of the beauty within"... instead they constantly remind us that in a year, we will need those boxes to sell the apple product on ebay or craigslist in order for us to purchase the next apple product...
12 seconds to unbox and unwrap the Nexus 7. I've spent much longer on a pack of batteries.
Do it now, and stop posting your bs to slashdot. Timothy, you are exactly the garbage because of whom this news aggregator is becoming worthless.
Oh come on now people. It took me all of 10 seconds to get out the letter opener, cut the tape and decant the Nexus 7.
Get a life.
More correctly, fancy packaging costs more which is passed on to customers.
It's not stupid, it's more expensive.
love is just extroverted narcissism
At my desk I needed to raise my computer just a little bit, so I put my macbook air on top of the box...works great :)
Apple is for stupid people; Google is for smart people. It's a simple as that. If you couldn't figure that out, enjoy your Apple products.
they make me twitch in an OCD kind of way.That's exactly why I keep that shit on... :)
It's not an inlaid mahogany chest lined with velvet, mirror balls, and Steve Jobs air fresheners.
We're talking about a small cardboard box. The lid slides off. There's your gadget. It's the opposite of fancy.
I remember when people around here used to praise Apple and decry MS. Now, for whatever reason, people hate Apple and love Google. From my point of view, the "trendy" hate diminishes any real concerns about Apple products by way of diluting the issue.
...an inlaid mahogany chest lined with velvet, mirror balls, and Steve Jobs air fresheners... The lid slides off...
...and Steve Jobs gets out! Gah.
When all you have is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a thumb.
Maybe I'm just weird, but I have a small pocket knife that I usually use to open these things. Always be prepared.
I can understand frustration with plastic clamshells that are sealed all the way around.
But if a couple of pieces of tape are a frustration / annoyance or impediment to your ability to open a box... well I fear for the future of society...
There is no "importance of packing", because it's not important. That one minute you spend opening the package is hardly relevant compared to the thousands of hours spent on actually using the device. As long as the device doesn't break inside the package, everything is okay.
This place, and you people disgust me.
http://www.newsday.com/news/world/famine-anniversary-somalis-dying-on-food-walks-1.3847439
Deleted
The best meal can be ruined if it comes to you looking like pig slops. "The first bite is with the eyes," as the saying goes, right?
But a box can be more than just something that your items come in.
Consider the boxes that Apple used WAY back, when it was first launching the Mac. The boxes were designed so that one of the first things you took out of the box was the mouse--and this was a time when the mouse was brand new. People didn't know what it was or how it worked. You wanted the mouse to come out first so the user had time to take it out, handle it, and figure it out. It had a button, and a ball on the bottom. The cord obviously plugged into something.
The Mac was not the first thing you saw because it was important that you kind of grok the mouse, even if you'd never seen one before.
This isn't just flighty mumbo-jumbo, this stuff makes a big difference to people. If you're in a rage by the time you actually make it to your device, you're associating that bad feeling with the device. Cutting into those sealed plastic packages that some electronics come in makes me insane. I regret ever buying the item. My first experience with whatever I bought is generally kind of terrible.
Things that are well packaged at the very worst don't alter my mood at all. I can approach them and use them with a clear mind. This isn't just about Apple stuff, it's about anything. The act of unboxing is something that most of us living in the west have grown up enjoying, so it makes sense to leverage that if you're a company that sells things like Apple. It's like Christmas every time you get something new.
And look! They've got extremely high satisfaction rates, customer retention that most companies would kill for, and fanatics that defend even their most indefensible actions. I see a lot of complaints about the Apple 'sheeple', but the reality is that they've managed to convert a tonne of people in a way that most companies can't even comprehend. So yeah, maybe the box matters. Stop bashing Apple for caring about how they present their products to consumers and try to learn from it.
Apple for getting your packaging right... kudos!
upset Nexus users for making something as simple as an unboxing your iPad killer seem as complicated as working on an airplane.
I mean really? I saw it was a thicker plastic tape. I didn't fly into a fury thinking, "Hulk Smash! Rawr!" I opened a knife, cut tape easily, opened up box to shiny new killer toy.
*sigh* So little to complain about we have to make stuff up.
Give an Apple fan a logo'd piece of dog #### and they'd keep it on their shelf next to their iBoxes.
This is one of those ideas that seem plausibly correct, to be actually complete wrong. The packaging likely costs Apple $1 or less. and a perfect condition box (original) can sell on ebay for $10 to 30. The box actually make the product cheaper (just sell the box) between $9 to 29.
unfinished: (adj.)
Well, saying that Apple "gets" it, and Google doesn't is also implying that there is something to "get" - in other words, there is some fact that packing is important. In fact, perhaps it's not that Google doesn't "get it", but that they simply don't agree with it. I have lots of apple stuff, but I have never bought anything because of the box. (Nor have I saved most of the boxes). Given that fancier boxes cost more, and I have to pay more for a box I am not going to keep, I would prefer that:
1. It's super super fancy (Plastic or metal I will keep and use for other stuff)
or
2. It's super super cheap (Cardboard box).
I did keep the nice plastic box my iPod touch came in, and the box my Jambox came in, because I actually use them.
Anyway, before claiming a company "gets" something, make sure that everyone would agree that that something is important first. I don't think most people really give a shit about boxes that 90% of them throw away in the first few minutes.
As for people having problems opening Nexus boxes - really? Are they too retarded to open a box? I have this thing called a "box cutter" at home - it opens about anything I get in the mail just fine.
amazon actually has a service were if you buy from them, they will de-box and repackage in a more human friendly manner
We have really gone a long way towards commoditization of such gadgets if the packaging has been deemed of such importance. Back in the day, we were happy if the assembling instructions were correct and legible ...
Also, don't put the blame on Google - all Android phones I've seen have ugly, cheap packaging (even those of the korean manufacturer who's tried the hardest to copy Apple).
"I love my job, but I hate talking to people like you" (Freddie Mercury)
opening an iPad takes a simple slide of a cover â" a lid that 'comes off easily, but not too easily,'
This brings back memory of the very well thought out packaging that comes with compaq computers in yesteryears
It might not be much, but users DO appreciate the extra thoughts that they put on packaging their gadgets nevertheless
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
I don't know if you intended to troll, but your post should me tagged as "Insightful" not "Troll"
Apple should become a fashion firm not electronics.
It sells looks and style, not performance.
I opened mine by: pushing the paper cover off, using my house keys to rip the two pieces of tape, sliding off the box top, and unwrapping the plastic.
In all in took 15 seconds sitting on the couch. Though I could have done it in under 10 if I was at my desk with my hobby knife.
I don't get it, how can people be that stupid? Is it really that hard? Have they lost all hand coordination by using touch screens instead of regular keyboards for far too long? I'm serious, I'm not trying to be funny, but I just don't get how you can have a hard time opening a box like that.
Slashdot, you never dissapoint.
I am disappointed at your "dissapoint"ment
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
...an inlaid mahogany chest lined with velvet, mirror balls, and Steve Jobs air fresheners... The lid slides off...
...and Steve Jobs gets out! Gah.
Leave \Steave out of it !!
Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
Slow news day? Based on recent drop tests, apple apparently doesn't 'get' selling a reliable product that doesn't break at the first torture test, whereas Google does. Who the hell cares about a bunch of clumsy YouTube un boxers looking like... clumsy YouTube un boxers? This sort of non-news ends up being a chuckle at next year's big Google event as 'oh yeah, we made the box easier to open, too...'
DT
The only possible explanation for the hate of easy-to-open packaging can be a sexual obsession. And the video was already posted.
With the harder Google packaging comes hundreds of dollars of savings. Sounds like a win to me.
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.
Really? I tended to go for whatever looked most like it would be what I really wanted, or maybe the biggest one, or from someone who tends to give good presents. I don't remember paying any attention to the how shiny the packaging is, although I may have in absence of the aforementioned factors. But irregardless, the Nexus 7 box is nice, they did put some effort into it, the biggest problem is that the outer sleeve is too tight which makes sliding the box out a bit tricky, after that you just have to cut the stickers (which are presumably an anti-tampering measure) and take the lid off.
Some people feel an urge to write ,whatever the topic . But writing about critisising consumer products packaging when unpacking takes longer than 3 seconds ,goes beyond my comprehension . Have people become that lazy ?
Many (electronic) products are packaged in a sealed ( including water proofed) hard plastic wrapping and quite rightly so ,because the packaging costs less and the product is fully protected against the elements ...and tempering prior to purchase. .............it that really too difficult ?
A pair of scissors will remove this type of packaging within say 10 seconds
Frank in northern Scotland
It is a simple trade off. The cost to develop and then carry and charge the per unit cost for a beautiful out of the box (unwrapping) experience flies in the face of delivering a price leading technical product. While Apple seems proud to lead in the high price category and has the margin and market power to get the $10 per unit their packaging might cost, it is a difficult place to accept additional unit costs in a more normally competitive market.