Fascinating psychological reason Apple spends millions on their packaging
They purposely make their boxes hard to open
There is a fascinating psychological reason why Apple spends millions of dollars on their packaging.
Ever wondered why an iPhone box is so difficult to open? It turns out that it’s designed that way on purpose.
In fact, there’s psychology behind the way Apple designs its packaging and why they spend so much money on it.
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The anticipation of getting a new product usually means we’re eager to get the packaging out of the way.
However, Apple tries to delay use slightly by designing their boxes in a way so that they must be opened slowly.
This all has to do with the psychology of anticipation.
Apparently, lifting an iPhone box is meant to mimic the feeling of waiting for an announcement or reveal.
Speaking to Retail Brew, Greta Dirsel, the executive creative director at branding and design agency Landor & Fitch, said: “We’re not popping Pringles here. But to me, it’s just creating anticipation and suspense.
“The experience has been engineered so that you have to wait a certain amount of time to reveal the phone.
“There is a suspense created in the time that it takes - time, the most precious commodity, we’re just used to ripping into things. It’s like, ‘slow down. Calm down. You’re about to be transported. You’re about to be amazed’.”
One user on X, formerly Twitter, Terry Kim explained that the Apple boxes were designed to have perfect edges, layered product reveal, premium materials and a precise opening experience.
Kim said: “Apple spent millions designing boxes you'll throw away. Microsoft laughed at them. But this ‘wasteful’ obsession is now studied in design schools worldwide.”
Kim went on to say: “Apple even patented its iPhone and iPad boxes. Each new product gets unique packaging design. The company invests millions in this experience. Why? Because Jobs believed excellence is in the details.”
It seems that Apple users agree, with many taking to social media to share their thoughts.
On Reddit, one person said: “Just got the Apple Watch Ultra over the weekend. Really great packaging and makes the product feel very premium.”
Another wrote: “It may seem silly but it definitely works on me regardless of the brand.”
A third user commented: “If I open any product and it feels like it has that ‘Apple Packaging’ then it automatically seems like better quality.”
And a fourth added: “It’s so good I refuse to throw out the empty box.”