The Psychology of Apple Packaging

Work gave me a MacBook computer, the box experience is positive until you need to crush it for recycling (not to take a lot of space in the bin). All the corners are glued together super strongly, the inside mold just doesn't crush, there are boxes just to hold paper booklets... I'm surely a minority but Dell packaging is more delightful when you consider this (and surely the single material - cardboard - is easier to recycle too).

I love the visual design of Apple packaging, and I do also keep the boxes. Although mainly for possible resale in the future, or at least that&#x27;s what I tell myself.<p>I do absolutely hate <i>opening</i> iPhone boxes though, where a sort of vacuum builds up inside as you&#x27;re trying to jiggle the bottom part out of the top. Maybe I&#x27;m opening them wrong (are you supposed to squeeze the lid somewhere or something?), but I do not find that part satisfying at all.<p>Maybe they could add some invisible air holes in the top somewhere. Just enough to make the separation go exactly the right speed.

“Tiffany has one thing in stock that you cannot buy of him for as much money as you may offer; he will only give it to you. And that is one of his boxes.”<p>— The New York Evening Sun, 1899<p>Receiving or buying an Apple product comes in a box that is a gift to you. Carefully conceived, expertly crafted, and simply elegant.

&gt; You <i>hear</i> the whoosh of air rushing out<p>Rushing in.<p>I actually don’t like that part of the design at all. It always feels kind of awkward, having to shake the box until the lower part drops onto my desk quite unceremoniously.<p>But I suppose it helps keep the box closed after removing the tamper-proof tags without any paper latches that other boxes have which rip off very easily and then make the box useless.

OK. I&#x27;m going to have to say something that many of you may already be thinking: unboxing an apple product is a bit like undressing a lover for the first time. Is it a coincidence that so many of their packaging materials have a skin-like quality (to achieve which they apply a varnish layer towards the end of their printing process)? Or that the vacuum cohesion effect as you pull that box apart feels like cloth upon skin?<p>The purchase moment of the act of product consumption is quite likely more satisfying than the ownership that follows.

This reminded me of a 2006 video.<p>&quot;If Microsoft invented the iPod&quot;<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=yvh5k1RWER4" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=yvh5k1RWER4</a> (2:54)

I remember my first Apple product. I was happy to give them all of my personal information.<p>Psychology is insane. And I&#x27;m still offended that the packaging&#x2F;initial presentation was 10x better than the actual phone. The actual phone(2018) felt like I went into a time machine 5 years prior, less features, buggy, slow. Within 1-2 weeks I felt cheated.<p>I wonder how many people can wake up from the illusion.

Everyone knows about the importance of first impressions. The effect is spoiled somewhat when you order online and have to first open the outer carton, still quite nice but brown and more utilitarian.

I keep the packaging of a MacBook power cable on my wall as a kind of satanic lamb Effigy. <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;imgur.com&#x2F;BXE1cFl" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;imgur.com&#x2F;BXE1cFl</a>

Part 2: compare the packaging to the stream of garbage that comes up as &quot;ps xa&quot; or &quot;dmesg&quot; :D

A hagiography. Suggest skip.

&gt; the iPod was actually the first product that truly saw packaging elevated to the same importance as the product itself.<p>This is an absurd claim; vinyl LP records are just one counter-example. Some collectors will actually buy the vinyl disc from one source and then get a sleeve in near-mint condition from somewhere else. Does anyone buy used Apple packaging by itself?