Friday, March 1, 2002 |
09:23 - Techno Lust: iMac Undressing Ceremonies
http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,50384,00.html
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This Wired article is worth reading for anyone who has ever wondered just what is up with all that talk about how much "Mac users love their Macs".
The latest phenomenon, which this article covers, is how people will photograph the process of removing their machines from their shipping boxes. Why? Why would they do this? Well, I would say that first of all it has a lot to do quite simply with the quality of the packaging. Mac boxes are glossy and covered with full-color PR photography; then when you open up your box, you find that it's been packed almost as though the factory intends the unpacking experience to be an unusually momentous and enjoyable one.
I've kept all my Mac boxes. I'm not sure why. I think it's got something to do with how the box and the packing materials feel like they're a completely functional part of the machine, even two years after they have parted ways. Sometimes I can justify it by saying "Well, I'll need them in case I transport the equipment"; but that's so far only held true for my Cinema Display. The box for my G4 has traveled from garage to garage, like a crate of photo albums.
In cleaning out the space under my animation desk last night, I nearly threw out my iPod box-- but on closer inspection, I found I just couldn't do it. I mean, c'mon! Look at it! It's a cube, you slip off the sleeve, it splits in half-- lift the glossy silver flaps, and there are these two halves with the indentations and the clear plastic slipcovers and... and... I dunno, I just couldn't do it.
These things get under your skin. I can't explain it. Maybe it's partly because it's a more expensive machine, and because everything is packaged so lovingly, that buyers just feel helpless to resist the charms of the machine and its clothing.
Or maybe the Reality Distortion Field generators are somehow built into the packaging itself, and so they actively coax you into keeping the boxes around in the house so they can continue to exert their power over your mind.
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