Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard Packaging
If Microsoft wanted everyone to forget Windows XP even existed and instead focus 100% on Windows 7, you’d think they’d take the fresh start as a chance to change everything, including the retail packaging.
To me, the boxes below look pretty much like XP. Or, at least, they don’t look different enough for me to be walking through a Best Buy and say to myself, “Oh wow, look at that, it’s the new Windows 7 box.”
But aesthetics aside, there are two functional and engineering changes I can’t believe Microsoft isn’t making.
- Have you ever tried to open one of these Windows (or Office) boxes? You don’t have a clue if you’re supposed to press it, pull it, slide it, crack it or set it on fire to open the damn thing. From the looks of that stupid curved box, this probably still remains true with Windows 7.
- For a piece of software that ships on one DVD (and most likely, very little documentation), you’d think Microsoft would want to give a nod to the environment and scale the size of their packaging down from the circa 1990 King’s Quest V-style box. I’d bet you could fit 12 Snow Leopard sleeves in this piece of Windows 7 luggage.
And here, the slim, trim and obviously-different-than-its-predecessor, Snow Leopard packaging.
