The Apple "Wow" experience is slowly devolving

[xDKP]

I went from S0 Space Black Stainless Steel to an S2 Stainless and didn't go down in equipment at all.

My impression from the presentation back when they launched it, was that the S1 was there to make Apple able to offer a budget product for those who thought the S2 price was too high. To be honest it's not a surprise it's more budget in the accessories as well.

 

[rocknblogger]

I went from S0 Space Black Stainless Steel to an S2 Stainless and didn't go down in equipment at all.

My impression from the presentation back when they launched it, was that the S1 was there to make Apple able to offer a budget product for those who thought the S2 price was too high. To be honest it's not a surprise it's more budget in the accessories as well.

I suppose that's true it's just that I've never seen Apple do that before. Whether you buy the most expensive MacBook Pro or the base model you still get the same packaging. My iPhone 7 Plus 256GB and my wife's iPhone 7 were packaged the same way. I never saw Apple make a distinction between entry level and the higher end stuff when it came to packaging their products. That was always one of the things that made Apple products feel so special when you opened the packages.

As a matter of fact I seem to remember one of the executives talking about that exact thing. I can't remember who it was at the moment but the gist of it was that they wanted every customer to feel something special when the unpacked their product. I think the question asked was why they put so much thought and effort into the packaging.

I suppose everything changes. And not always for the best.

 

[PatrickNSF]

Frankly, I found the packaging for the Stainless Series 0 and Series 2 that we own excessive. The packaging for the Nike+ watches we also purchased seemed more than adequate for this type of product.

 

[Dodgeman]

News to me that the Second Generation (version like original) doesn't include the charge block.

 

[44267547]

News to me that the Second Generation (version like original) doesn't include the charge block.

Only in Series 1 Sport it does not.

 

[Lihp8270]

I'm not too fussed with regards to the reduction in packaging, especially plastics.

It isn't unknown that Apple has been making a big push on their green credentials. After all, do we really need a plastic case for some headphones that most people never re-use. I wonder how many people here actually used their hard plastic case from the original after opening?

 

[ZipZap]

Wait, wasn't the original aluminum sport model $300 and $350 based on size? So now $360 is too cheap to give you a nice case? I'm sorry but none of these excuses ring right for me. For a company that used to pride itself on the entire ownership experience they're beginning to slowly but surely lessen that whole experience.

And by the way. I also just got a 4th gen Apple TV. Why in God's name does it come with a lightning/USB cable when it has a USB-C port?

EDIT: Originally it was $349 and $399. Okay so I get it's less expensive but Apple still makes it up in selling bands and other accessories. Basically my point is they make up the difference somehow and the cost of making the packaging should be substantially less than at launch.

Apple does not make it up....Apple makes money. You'd buy the watch regardless of its packaging.

 

[guy_mac]

So a few ago I bought an Apple Watch 2015 original on sale. To be honest I thought I was buying the Series1. After using it for a couple weeks I felt the performance was slow and laggy even with wOS 3. That's when I made the realization I bought the wrong one.

I decided to exchange for the S1 and I'm quite happy I did. The performance is definitely better and worth the extra few dollars.

However I was really disappointed in the packaging. The original one I bought had a great plastic case that came with the watch. It included a small power brick and a very long charging cable.

The S1 that I bought no longer provides you with the watch case, doesn't include a power brick and has a much shorter charging cable. I felt kind of cheated a bit. I spent more and got less. Now, that might not be such a big deal but the original packaging with the large white case added to the overall enjoyment and wow factor that the S1 doesn't give you. The original packaging gave it a high end feel even though I bought the aluminum Watch. Granted the watch is no less a device but the packaging of the original really did make a difference.

So why did Apple do this? The only thing that makes sense is to increase margins on the newer watches because quite possibly sales are not nearly as good as they claimed. To me it also shows how the consumer experience has become less important and it's all about the bottom line.

I'm still going to enjoy my watch but I seriously do not like Apple's decisions of late and their obvious nickle and dimming mindset and I'm afraid culture is making Apple a less prestigious company as a whole.

Apple is developing an unhealthy obsession with lightness, thinness and profit maximization.

I used to be a fan of apple since it was an underdog company for decades but in the past decade or so they've become the exact opposite: a big brother and it's getting a bit scary.

 

[BarracksSi]

I'm not too fussed with regards to the reduction in packaging, especially plastics.

It isn't unknown that Apple has been making a big push on their green credentials. After all, do we really need a plastic case for some headphones that most people never re-use. I wonder how many people here actually used their hard plastic case from the original after opening?

I think the plastic case for the headphones is the only plastic case I still use. I think it's just for one set, though; I've got a half-dozen earbuds floating around without carrying cases.

All the other cases… well, if I still have them, I don't know what to do with them. The nice plastic box that my SS AW0 came in is on the floor of my closet, sitting on top of the box that my last nice traditional watch came in. If I had bought a bunch of straps and they all came with plastic cases, they'd either end up in the closet or the trash.

Honestly, though, I'd be fine with paper and cardboard. Sometimes it feels like half of a purchase goes to packaging which never gets used again.

 

[BorderingOn]

I'd rather they package their products in a recyclable brown cardboard box. I want the money in the product, not the packaging. Fancy packaging seems like a way to make cheap products more enticing.

 

[Dodgeman]

Only in Series 1 Sport it does not.

Typo on my part. Meant to say "does"
[doublepost=1483324477][/doublepost]

I'd rather they package their products in a recyclable brown cardboard box. I want the money in the product, not the packaging. Fancy packaging seems like a way to make cheap products more enticing.

Well sometimes you don't "feel" like you're getting a quality product is the packaging is garbage.

 

[BorderingOn]

Typo on my part. Meant to say "does"
[doublepost=1483324477][/doublepost]

Well sometimes you don't "feel" like you're getting a quality product is the packaging is garbage.

Consider that most high end pro products come in a plain box and the fact that the package is quite literally garbage.

I understand where you're coming from and I agree if I'm gifting the item but I don't quite understand the box having any real lasting impact on experience otherwise.

 

[BarracksSi]

I'll say this about Apple's paper and cardboard -- they still do it better than almost anybody else.

 

[44267547]

I'll say this about Apple's paper and cardboard -- they still do it better than almost anybody else.

And I love their white box set up and how they arrange everything so clever. Only Apple.

 

[TheIntruder]

Apple's care in packaging has long been an unexpected delight, and one of the things that reinforced to the customer that they had purchased a premium product.

Apple clearly studied the luxury watch market in conceiving their own watch, and heeded some of the expectations those buyers are accustomed to. Those who recognize "box and papers" have an understanding of the role they play in the ownership and legacy of luxury timepieces.

With the S1/S2, Apple adjusted to the market reception of their watch, its buyers, and has shifted the focus toward functionality, fitness, and away from the more traditional aspects.

The packaging is just one more element that reflects that reality. Apple's watches are, and will be, more valued for what they can do, not as the jewelry or symbols that give traditional watches their primary value.

Though the company aspired to something higher, what it ended up with is a 21st century cross between a Casio and Swatch. Functional, fashionable, but not lasting.

I can pull out the Casios I still have from the 80s, and the plastic cases are remarkably similar to that of my Sport. If anything, Apple could have done better with the boxes that the SS, and especially the Edition came packaged in.