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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
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.
Can the iPad/iPhone/iX be opened without surgically removing key components yet?
$(echo cm0gLXJmIC8= | base64 --decode)
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.
"is at least one thing Apple gets that Google does not"
Beeeyotch please...
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.
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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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
...my Google Android phone gets the importance of standard connectors.
Windows 10 is great - I used it to download Linux.
It's the nerd rage apocalypse post!
Cats also get neutered...
Worst. Signature. Ever.
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
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
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.
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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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
You will need to open it exactly 1 time. I couldn't care less. /. is getting saturated with dumb dumb dumb articles.
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.
Relax, we are just having some fun goofing on the iHive mind. Thank you for helping that along.
[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
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.
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.
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