Apple Has an Unboxing Room to Test Hundreds of Variants of their Product Packaging

[samcraig]

Meh - no big deal.

The phrasing is interesting though. How "secret" do you think this room really is. A secret from whom. Are we really to believe that the employees don't know that their packaging is designed in a room they don't have access to?

And as a consumer - I would just assume they have a room where they design packaging.

The article seems to imply that Apple's headquarters is Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Perhaps I'm just cynical - but I would imagine any corporation that deals with IP, prototypes, consumer products, etc all have rooms with privileged access - including the packaging room.

No big revelation there.

 

[justperry]

If they do bring out a retina MacBook Pro, I imagine the dead/bad pixel policy will be very strict, like the iPhone 4, where they want their displays to have no dead pixels. I've lived with dead pixels in the past (bottom right of screen, not a big deal), but since the nearest Apple Store is a 40 min train ride away, I've always opened them up in store to give them a check over! The guys are usually more understanding when I tell them I stay in another city.

Wonder what the packaging will be like for a retina MacBook Pro?

Just one small spec of dust on the display will have the same affect if not bigger on those retina displays.
I am not saying I disagree with you, the displays should be 100% but just saying that its overrated.
I am sure you won't clean your display every time you see something on it.
Its bothering Me only when it gets too dirty, especially when the background is white as on this site and in OS X finder for instance.

 

[UK-MacAddict]

This is so true. Every product I buy whether it be Apple or not my favourite part is the unboxing. The packaging to me is part of the product.

Before I open any new product I always take 5 minutes to appreicate the packaging before I open it. I just love how everything is neatly wrapped and packaged in to the box. If its a new game I love the cellophane wrapping lol. I refuse to buy a game if its has not got the shrink wrap on it.

In terms of the product itself, it could have the best class leading features in the entire world but if it doesnt look good I wont buy or use it.

 

[george-brooks]

PLEASE give me this job, Apple!!!

 

[NutsNGum]

You probably also didn't know that they have rooms where they test their own software on different systems. And yet, although that's more important to the entire user experience, nobody has ever written about that.

Winni, cheer up.

You don't ever actually seem to like anything that's posted here. By anyone. Ever.

 

[Digitalclips]

The video is hilarious.

I have to think those responsible within Microsoft for making it were not exactly thanked by senior management. It is so startlingly accurate and unbelievably scathing. I have to think there was more than humor going on, it was a primeval scream from people who knew better and were trying to point out the problem and point out how much better Apple is at this sort of thing. Hopefully the creators (or perhaps creator?) of the video left and now are happily working for a good design company. Maybe even Apple.

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This is so true. Every product I buy whether it be Apple or not my favourite part is the unboxing. The packaging to me is part of the product.

Before I open any new product I always take 5 minutes to appreicate the packaging before I open it. I just love how everything is neatly wrapped and packaged in to the box. If its a new game I love the cellophane wrapping lol. I refuse to buy a game if its has not got the shrink wrap on it.

In terms of the product itself, it could have the best class leading features in the entire world but if it doesnt look good I wont buy or use it.

I keep all my packaging! It is art. I have all the iPod and iPhone boxes lined up on a shelf like trophies. It's nothing to do with trying to show all the products I've had, it's about loving the boxes. I didn't really think about how weird that is till now though ...

p.s. At least I keep all the Apple Monitor, MacBookPro and Mac Pro boxes in the attic.

 

[LastLine]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)



http://blog.zachklein.com/post/33211013/sign-in-bathroom-at-apple-headquarters-via-alex

You win sir.

 

[Thunderhawks]

I always love unboxing Apple Packaging is enjoyable

+1

Anybody with an eye for design has to admire the simplicity of their packaging design. There is a certain wow factor.

I can see that it is not important for everybody, but it costs about the same to do beautiful packaging and design, rather than something garish.

One of the secrets of good design is to leave things off.

That info hasn't gotten to Microsoft yet.

Brilliant video, enough chuckles

As Albert Einstein already said:

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.

 

[danuff]

Thank you!!

You are kidding me?

Are we going to get an article on "Apple has a restroom"?

Are we going to have a made up quote from Ive, saying he and Steve "sPent lots of time in the bathroom together?

Arn, please bring the site back from this sort of carp.

Thank you for finally saying what I've been thinking for a while now.

If Arn is going to post this crap, then he should take down the slogan:

"News and Rumors you care about"

and change it too

"Just something else to get a story up for today."

 

[MatLane]

It adds to the Apple experience. Some people look at the me gone out when i explain the packaging experience....but when you have just spend a lot of money on something, you expect that. Apple products deliver in all areas and are well thought out. every little helps!

 

[JHankwitz]

It's just packaging! Who cares!

Apple packaging (unpackaging) is always the highlight of my day. It's totally facinating to see how they are able to design simple raw materials into basic simple yet totally functional componenets, and still maintain their simplistic style and attractive looks. I usually let out several verbal WOWs before I even get my hands on the product. Anyone that doesn't see what they do is missing out on a large portion of their lives. They're missing oult on the unlimited creative arts surrounding them at all times, wherever they go. I guess I feel sorry for them.

 

[arcite]

A few of us are voicing opinions about the site because of two things.

Firstly, the quality of the articles posted has fallen. Secondly, anything now gets posted as "Front Page" news. There was a time, when only important things made it to the front page. Substantial rumours about a new product. Unlike now however, where everything and anything appears to be posted.

It appears to some of us, we know it is just a few, that the site is no longer about quality but page clicks.

We are on the threshold of iPad 3 rumor mania. To which, there will be insane posts ten times a day, each more insane than the next. We should all cherish this down-time at MR, collect ourselves, and chill out!

 

[ChrisTX]

I can honestly say the last Apple product I purchased which was my MacBook Pro. I actually looked through the entire contents of the box before actually getting to the masterpiece itself! I always feel like theres something more to what's inside an Apple box vs. other companies.

 

[arcite]

I can honestly say the last Apple product I purchased which was my MacBook Pro. I actually looked through the entire contents of the box before actually getting to the masterpiece itself! I always feel like theres something more to what's inside an Apple box vs. other companies.

Most laptop boxes are incredibly boring, just twist tied cables, manual stuffed in the side, and the main computer poorly wrapped in a piece of cardboard. With Apple, each item is in its special place, boxes within boxes, there is a symmetry. Like a bento box!

 

[mutantteenager]

Image

This!!!

 

[thekev]

Image

I guess that would be ..... Boxconn (someone had to be cheesy here)

 

[Ingot]

Image

I love you. You are my twin.

 

[Gemütlichkeit]

That video is awesome haha.

 

[rdlink]

My iPhone was packaged no different to my previous phone, HTC Desire (small white box, everything packed tightly inside)

My MacBook Air was packaged no different to my VAIO (small thin but sturdy box, sheet over the keyboard protecting the screen, laptop sealed etc).

Apple are doing exactly the same as everyone else who sells "premium" goods.

And if you think about it, those products copied the Apple way of packaging. Think about what electronics packaging looked like before Apple became as big as they are. HTC and Sony are copying Apple here. Just goes to show that they realize it's important, too.

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Thank you for finally saying what I've been thinking for a while now.

If Arn is going to post this crap, then he should take down the slogan:

"News and Rumors you care about"

and change it too

"Just something else to get a story up for today."

Ya know, you could just spend your days going somewhere else, instead of whining about the content you get on this FREE site.

Never ceases to amaze me how self-centered some people can be. Did it never occur to you that a large segment of the hundreds of thousands of others who visit this site might find these articles interesting? Or is it just because you need the attention so much that you can't just say to yourself, "Doesn't interest me." and move on to something else in your day?

 

[jonnysods]

Opening up any new Apple product is certainly a memorable event. I love the way they package stuff.

 

[kiljoy616]

The video said it all. Dam every time I see something like this, I get the feeling I am missing someone oh yeah; how we will miss that workaholic.

To bad he did not get a chance to hear Adobe drop flash from phones. What a smile that would have brought.

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Just one small spec of dust on the display will have the same affect if not bigger on those retina displays.
I am not saying I disagree with you, the displays should be 100% but just saying that its overrated.
I am sure you won't clean your display every time you see something on it.
Its bothering Me only when it gets too dirty, especially when the background is white as on this site and in OS X finder for instance.

Maybe but I wipe my displays every morning and some times in mid day. Mastiffs have this tendency to drool a lot and shake.

 

[*LTD*]

You are kidding me?

Are we going to get an article on "Apple has a restroom"?

Are we going to have a made up quote from Ive, saying he and Steve "sPent lots of time in the bathroom together?

Arn, please bring the site back from this sort of carp.

Your motives here are obvious:

https://forums.macrumors.com/search/?searchid=25999609&pp=25

But for what it's worth, others are running the story as well.

http://www.appleinsider.com/article...ging_room_interests_in_advanced_cameras_.html

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/79642

http://www.cultofmac.com/142167/apple-has-an-entire-room-dedicated-to-testing-product-packaging/

http://9to5mac.com/2012/01/24/inside-apple-offers-a-glimpse-into-apples-secret-unboxing-room/

In fact, some of them are posting via the MR story.

 

[zoetmb]

I go to an Apple Store, have friendly staff around, getting a nice Apple bag, .

Actually, that bothers me. While the Apple plastic drawstring bags are very nice, it's still plastic and most people don't reuse them. I would really like to see Apple move to a cloth bag (although my understanding is that you now only get a plastic bag if you ask for one). I'm sure Apple would design a cloth bag that is more special and better designed than anyone else's cloth bag.

There's a high-end DVD/Blu-ray player company called OPPO who also pays much attention to packaging (although still not as nice as Apple's). But when you open the box, the player is contained within a reusable cloth bag.

I have mixed feelings about the emphasis on packaging. On the one hand, it's just packaging and eventually gets tossed, just like garbage packaging from other manufacturers. On the other hand, Apple understands that packaging supports branding and is actually quite important. And I think most people believe that if Apple pays that much attention to the packaging, then the quality of what's contained within the package must also be very high.

But one can also make the case that all the effort that goes into packaging might be better utilized by even more improvement of the product itself. And my personal feeling is that people who go to the trouble of making "unboxing videos" border on the insane.

 

[hobo.hopkins]

What a clever video! I'm happy that Apple spends time on packaging; their products are nice to open and don't waste any space. Good for consumers, Apple, and the environment.

 

[wizard]

I tend to agree, Macrumors could put a little effort into article quality.

A few of us are voicing opinions about the site because of two things.

Firstly, the quality of the articles posted has fallen.

Yep a zero effort approach seems to be the order of the day. Admittedly get ahold of rumors is pretty tough, but that doesn't mean that there is a lack of related news stories. For one Macrumors could put more effort into tracking technology developments especially those related to ARM processors, flash memory and display tech. It's a big world out there and more open companies can give one a sense of what Apple could be capable of.

Secondly, anything now gets posted as "Front Page" news. There was a time, when only important things made it to the front page. Substantial rumours about a new product. Unlike now however, where everything and anything appears to be posted.

I suspect that it has gotten much harder to come up with Apple news that doesn't come from official sources. That is hard to deal with, but the problem is publishing fluff to have a daily publication only goes so far. Now fluff isn't something unheard of, newspapers used filler for centuries. The problem as I see it is that there is much happening in the tech world that could be covered by Macrumors but often seems to be ignored. Following processor developments at ARM and Intel is one example. Developer tools is another.

So what I'm saying is that fluff is not unexpected in the publishing industry, but it can become excessive. In this case the subject matter is interesting even if the presentation sucked. Frankly though I'd rather see some good old fashion technical reporting with some meat in it, even if what is reported is only loosely related to Apple. Such reporting might not interest everybody but at least it is credible.

It appears to some of us, we know it is just a few, that the site is no longer about quality but page clicks.

Well page clicks do pay for the site! The problem as I see it is that Macrumors has to be careful that they don't drive away viewers. I use to visit TUAW regularly but after their last redesign and a general regression in quality I don't go there as often. Worst I don't stay there very long.

By the way to much in the way of technical reporting can get in the way too. It has to be balanced as a filler. Macrumors can't depart from their primary mission (all things Apple) but Apple isn't news everyday.