Traditionally, Mac purchases have included a cardboard envelope with basic instructions, other materials, and Apple logo stickers.
The 2020 M1 MacBook Air included a white cardboard envelope that measured 3.25 x 5 x 0.375 inches. The envelope used a fold-over tab at the top. The envelope was printed on the front with the words “Designed by Apple in California” and contained a trifold “manual” printed in color, a one-page notice that included safety information, and two Apple logo stickers.
The Apple logo stickers were printed in a metallic silver reminiscent of Space Gray, unlike the traditional white Apple logo stickers usually accompanying Apple devices.
The back of the envelope included the copyright date of 2020 and the part number 602-03390-A.
This particular version of this packaging was included with M1 MacBook Air laptops purchased in a five-pack bulk purchase in March 2021. These were the first version of MacBook Air laptops with Apple’s M1 chip.
This packaging set shipped with the iPad Generation 8 with Wi-Fi + Cellular. This entry-level iPad had a 10.2-inch touch screen and included the optional cellular network service. According to Apple:
“The new iPad combines tremendous capability with unmatched ease of use and versatility. With the powerful A12 Bionic chip, support for Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard, and the amazing new things you can do with iPadOS 14, now there’s even more to love about iPad.”
The packaging included a cardboard envelope, a 4-page pamphlet with a color diagram of the iPad’s basic features, a 2-sided safety guide, a cardboard insert with an attached metal SIM-eject tool, and two white Apple stickers.
In 2020 Apple made a major change to its iPhone 12 packaging when they stopped including Lightning headphones and a wall power “brick” charger in the box at the time of an iPhone purchase. With these items removed, Apple was able to reduce the size of the iPhone box and reduce the extra packaging associated with the headphones and charger. It was announced that the iPhone 12 would ship only with the phone and a USB-C-to-Lightning charging cable.
Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, announced at an October 2020 Apple event, “Customers already have over 700 million Lightning headphones, and many customers have moved to a wireless experience with AirPods, Beats, or other wireless headphones. And there are also over 2 billion Apple power adapters out in the world, and that’s not counting the billions of third-party adapters. So we are removing these items from the iPhone box.”
With the iPhone 12 announcement, I was not at all expecting this packaging change to also affect older, but still manufactured iPhone models. At the time of the iPhone 12 release, Apple was still offering the iPhone XR as a lower-end and less expensive iPhone option. Surprisingly, the iPhone XR packaging was also reduced in size and shipped without the headphones and charger. Also, the cable was switched to a USB-C-to-Lightning, replacing the former USB-to-Lightning option.
While the change may contribute to some environmental benefits, the situation was not universally accepted as positive. Some critics noted that, “The move saves the company money, but some of the environmental benefits could be offset by people buying earbuds and chargers separately” (The Verge). From a practical standpoint, some users—namely enterprise, government, and school districts like mine—had not switched to USB-C when this decision was made. As Apple indicated, it is likely that most users likely already have more than one charger and at least one set of Lightning headphones.
The photos here represent my school district’s iPhone XR upgrade affected mid-stream—where iPhone XR models purchased before October 2020 used “classic” packaging, and devices purchased in late-October/November 2020 unexpectedly used the new packaging without an announcement or warning.
This T-shirt is white with the top view of a white Apple HomePod design. The center of the design features the multicolor pattern displayed on a HomePod when Siri is responding. The shirt was purchased at the Infinite Loop Apple Store in Cupertino, CA. Its product number is HM3C2LL/A.
The shirt is a size XXL, unopened in its original box.
This T-shirt is black with a technical-style drawing of an Apple HomePod printed in neon colors. It was purchased at the Infinite Loop Apple Store in Cupertino, CA. Its product number is HLMW2LL/A.
The shirt is a size XXL, unopened in its original box.
This Apple Tote is black with the Apple Park “loop” logo in the shape of the main “spaceship” building at the Apple Park campus. The loop logo is in the same colors as the classic, multicolor Apple logo.
This tote bag was purchased at the Apple Visitor Center Apple Store at Apple Park. Its product number is HLGG2LL/A. It is unopened in its original box.
This Apple Park T-shirt is black with the Apple Park “loop” logo in the shape of the main “spaceship” building at the Apple Park campus. The loop logo is in the same colors as the classic, multicolor Apple logo.
This shirt was purchased at the Apple Visitor Center Apple Store at Apple Park. Its product number is HLD32LL/A. The shirt is a size XXL, unopened in its original box.
This Apple-logo design t-shirt is curiously labeled “Apple Park T-shirt Black / Rainbow.” The design depicted on the box shows a black t-shirt with a classic, multicolor Apple logo (not the Apple Park logo also offered at this location).
This t-shirt was purchased at the Apple Visitor Center Apple Store at Apple Park. Its product number is HLEW2LL/A. The shirt is a size XXL, unopened in its original box.
This Apple Park T-shirt is black with the Apple Park “loop” logo in the shape of the main “spaceship” building at the Apple Park campus. The loop logo is in the same colors as the classic, multicolor Apple logo.
This shirt was purchased at the Apple Visitor Center Apple Store at Apple Park. Its product number is HLD12LL/A. The shirt is a size L, unopened in its original box.
This Apple Logo T-shirt is black with a classic, multicolor Apple logo. It was purchased at the Apple Visitor Center Apple Store at Apple Park. Its product number is HLEU2LL/A. The shirt is a size XL, unopened in its original box.
