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What Indie Gear Makers Can Learn from Apple

Small indie companies arguably form much of the backbone of the production industry, and deliver some of the most innovative solutions to end users. They are by and large forward-thinking, in touch with users, and extremely nimble. They also have a unique set of challenges. In addition to producing a polished product that is 100% functional, their gear must be able to hold up to hard use and the daily rigors of production. And while form should always follow function, gear should at minimum look professional and polished. And preferably it should be sexy! Alas, those guidelines are all too often the exception and not the rule. Another area that is consistently overlooked is packaging and manuals. Which is a shame, because those last two items are literally the first things a new owner sees when they tear into their box.

The packaging for Apple’s original iPod Nano was flawless...it unfolds like a beautiful dark flower, the product is the centerpiece. Apple’s iPhone packaging is just as impressive. And any Macbook owner can attest to this. Sleek, understated box graphics. Smooth styro enclosure. Cords neatly coiled, each in their own space, each with their own cord wrap. It even has a carry handle, so you can use it to transport the notebook for the first week while you shop for a proper case. Attention to detail. Unfortunately, this is an area that is all too often lacking in indie gear.

FreshDV sees a lot of gear come through our doors. Products generally arrive in nondescript brown boxes, wrapped in yards and yards of bubblewrap underneath layers upon layers of packing tape. It’s a demoralizing task to disassemble boxes that have been literally taped together around a product. There I am, waist-deep in packing peanuts on the floor as I feebly slash through the last few hundred layers of tape. Most of the time products arrive with no printed instructions...I’m forced to find the latest assembly diagrams on a website, or maybe scattered around an online forum. In some cases the most useful instructions are posted by the users themselves. And the real pain comes when it’s time to ship a review product back...you’ve got to re-engineer what’s left of the packing materials and box(es) to make it work. So when a product arrives that is neatly secured for shipment in packaging that looks like it was actually designed for the purpose of said product...I breathe a sigh of relief and raise my glass in a silent toast to those who took the time to treat their gear like it matters.

All is not lost to small companies and gear makers, and several notable exceptions spring to mind. Red Digital Cinema has done a great job of taking run of the mill electronics and metal and making it look simply amazing! They truly seem to understand the geek factor...yes we make a living using this gear, but we also want it to look cool. Another company that has done a fantastic job of marrying form and function is Zacuto, their products are hands down some of the most solid gear on the market, yet look and feel polished, sexy, and extremely well branded. Silicon Imaging showed that they understand this when they commissioned P&S Technik to create a integrated case for the SI-2K. Our latest Letus Extreme shipment arrived in an (optional) hard case with laser-cut foam enclosing the adapter and every lens mount and accessory in the case. It was easy to unpack, easy to use, and the product remained protected the entire time. Boxing it up for return shipment was a cinch. Another breath of fresh air came from Redrock...their M2 adapter and follow focus units arrive in cardboard boxes surrounded by foam cut for the product itself...perfectly cushioned, and a great first impression for a new owner. And the Redrock M2 even had a professionally printed instruction manual. Printed instructions! Imagine that!

As I stated earlier, form should always take a back seat to function. Extra touches and slick packaging won’t matter one iota if a product doesn’t perform in the field. But when a company is able to bring the two together seamlessly, and takes it a step further by presenting their quality gear in packaging that does it justice, they will always get my attention. Gear companies, are you listening? Form matters. Manuals matter. Packaging matters. And people wonder why Apple users are so loyal to the brand…

iPhone unboxing photo Creative Commons licensed courtesy 7500 @ Flickr

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No comments here about something more important than sexiness. What about the “greenness” of packaging?

Posted by  on  09/11  at  05:24 AM

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Valid point Matt… I guess you could say I was hoping for baby steps first, and perhaps we’d evolve to Sexy + Green from there.

-Matt Jeppsen

Posted by Matt Jeppsen  on  09/11  at  05:42 PM

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Personally, I don’t care for the packaging, styling or pricing of Apple hardware. It’s paying more for ego, status and superficiality - that’s Hollywood studio not indie and I hope indie gear makers avoid that like the plague.

Apple did not innovate nice manuals or boxes - that stuff costs extra money and money is generally what indies don’t have.

You are asking indie gear makers to simply make their stuff cost substantially more money - it’s not low cost to produce that stuff.

I don’t buy indie gear based on manuals etc. - if they can do it fine, but it’s never something I want to pay more for.

Indie is the DIY spirit. It’s about low-cost, substance, function, flexibility. Who care’s what your camera or other looks like? It’s the image it makes that matters.

Posted by stephen v2  on  09/11  at  06:02 PM

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To be clear, my main argument is that delivering gear without a printed manual and poorly packaged is to deliver an incomplete product. “Packaging” doesn’t have to mean a complex origami structure around the product, it can be as simple as basic foam or airpaks, and a ziplock bag for all the screws and a printed instruction sheet.

Take a look at the Redrock follow focus image example above, that is really quite simple packaging. It doesn’t cost a lot of money or take a lot of time to make a printed instruction manual. Nor do you need tons of R&D;dollars to come up with a solid packaging and shipping solution. Yet these little things really do matter to me, and I have a feeling that they matter to others as well.

Thanks for reading,

-Matt Jeppsen

Posted by Matt Jeppsen  on  09/12  at  07:09 AM

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Keep in mind guys that in addition to turning out great gear for end users most valid indie gear manufacturers are running a business. I think that because you are “indie” doesn’t excuse you from sloppy business practices. Good business is good business, and like it or not both marketing and good branding are important aspects of business, and do not necessarily drive up the bottom line. good branding and business should increase a companies market share, and therefore profitability without passing that on to the end user. I am all about great gear and rock bottom prices BUT if bad business practices ultimately ship wreck companies then we all lose out. Lets face it a lot of the longevity of some of these practices as valid business models has yet to be proven, this digital revolution and indie market is very new. Companies need to make profit to do R&D;and provide support etc… As indies we can strive to do the same things more effectively than bigger companies but just because we are indie doesn’t excuse the oversight of those practices. I think thats more the angle Matt was addressing here. I for one agree that good business transcends whether a company is indie or not.

Posted by Kendal Miller  on  09/12  at  08:50 AM

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Matt,

I hear what you are saying but I think Red Rock Micro is not the price/performance leader in their market - they are on the high side (though they make do make nice stuff).

A business is a business to make a profit and 99% of the time, you don’t get stuff for free. If you want great boxes, manual etc. ultimately, you have to pay for them.

Posted by stephen v2  on  09/12  at  08:24 PM

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hey
you have a good point on the packages!

i had a ARRI IIC, and it came with a metal-covered wooden box that held the camera, extra mag, rack for filters, etc-- all neatly padded too

and the camera lasted a lot longer than if i had just stuck it in some generic box and hauled it around

$7000 camera
$200 box
yes, charge $7200
and people will say… my camera has lasted from 1960 to 1997…
why?
good camera....  (and good box protected the camera)

and when i got my sony hdr fx1, i bought a $200 case for it too..
and it has lasted ....!!!

Posted by billS  on  09/14  at  05:21 AM

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