“It has no production values, no nudity, and no laughs, and yet a three-minute silent video of a man opening a cardboard box has been watched online by almost half a million YouTube users. Why? Because inside the box, swaddled in plastic and polystyrene, is a brand new Apple MacBook Air; and because it’s a particularly popular example of one of the internet’s oddest video sharing crazes: unboxing,” Tim Walker reports for The Independent.
“Apple’s classic packaging design makes it the unboxing market leader, but Martin Lindstrom, author of Buyology: How Everything We Believe About Why We Buy Is Wrong, cautions against crediting the company with originating the trend,” Walker reports. “‘Apple adapts a message very cleverly, about five minutes before it breaks through, and I have great respect for that. They’ve done it with packaging design, too, but in Japan you could have seen beautiful concept packaging design as long ago as the Seventies. It also appeared in the fashion and perfume industries long before Apple went into it.'”
MacDailyNews Take: Nothing in Lindstrom’s statement disproves that Apple products did not originate “unboxing” videos online. Probably because they did. Yes, other companies have done beautiful packaging for decades (as has Apple), but – until or unless we’re proven wrong – ’twas Apple products started the trend of online unboxing videos by fans. We’ve been watching them for years and, until just a year or two ago, the only unboxing videos we ever saw for many years prior were of Apple products. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it (we’ll revise this take if proven wrong).
Walker continues, “Apple and its rivals have made unboxing a mainstream pursuit, but they’ll have to be careful: if too many of us discover that we can just stay in and watch a video, will we still bother to buy the company’s beautiful gadgets?”
MacDailyNews Take: Uh, yes.
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “James W.” for the heads up.]
What other company generates this kind of buzz?
That’s the whole concept. Unboxing is like stripping. You want to touch so you buy otherwise what is the point? Dreaming … until you buy. Thanks Apple for this wonderful buying experience. From the moment they unveil the product to the moment you unpack yourself.
There is nothing like unboxing an New Apple product yourself. All the videos in the world can’t do the feeling you get justice…
martin is an ass whose presentations are full of holes, half truths and plain old BS. Most of what he tells you is wrong and little of it makes any practical business sense – hence why you never see him use any of it himself.
I watched the unboxing of an xbox360, and within 3 minutes it failed.
Other than that, can’t think of any other non-apple products unwrapping youtube videos that I’ve watched….
“if too many of us discover that we can just stay in and watch a video, will we still bother to buy the company’s beautiful gadgets?”
That depends… where can I find a YouTube video of someone doing my work for me?
I got to witness the unboxing of my new mac pro at the apple store when they replaced my busted G5…. oh was such a magical moment… but none better than when I unboxed and set up my G5 when I first got it… twas my first Mac… been hooked ever since. Sometimes I’m even tempted to buy something at an apple store cause their bags are damn cool.
Walker continues, “Apple and its rivals have made unboxing a mainstream pursuit, but they’ll have to be careful: if too many of us discover that we can just stay in and watch a video, will we still bother to buy the company’s beautiful gadgets?
last time i checked you couldn’t surf the web on an unboxing video of a macbook air
I can’t tell who is more stupid, Martin Lindstrom for totally misunderstanding the the phenomenon of the unboxing video, or Tim Walker for including Lindstrom’s totally retarded remarks in his article.
You want some good unpacking? Buy an expensive box of cigars!
I just unboxed new aluminum MacBook.
I should have filmed it.
especially the part where I was asked about 5 brief questions and was almost instantly up and running on a secured wireless network & with Mobile Me calendars, contacts and email & bookmarks all “magically” appeared
“Apple and its rivals have made unboxing a mainstream pursuit, but they’ll have to be careful: if too many of us discover that we can just stay in and watch a video, will we still bother to buy the company’s beautiful gadgets?”
That wins the award for most idiotic comment of the year – and it just started.
Seriously, how could he type that and actually believe it? He thinks people buy Apple products just to open them up the first time???
I thought there would be a comedy video showing something that would stimulate geeks. Aw well, pretty interesting nonetheless
…I was thinking perhaps….. there might by irony in that last part of the article. You know, a joke? A quip, a jest, a jape?