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Dear Aunt TUAW: Apple borked my box. Now what?

Dear Aunt TUAW,



I ordered a 32GB iPad WiFi+3G model back in March, shortly after they were announced. I ordered a few accessories too, each of which has shipped separately ahead of the iPad.

I received the first accessory today via FedEx--the iPad Dock. I've always been a fan of Apple's packaging and the dock is no exception. As so, I'm always especially carefully when opening Apple stuff as not to damage the packaging.

What I did find a little odd, though, is that they put one of those plastic tabs (as if it was hanging in a retail store) right over the only opening to the box. Despite my best efforts, I wasn't able to remove the plastic tab that was VERY well affixed to the box without damaging it and leaving glue-like residue behind.

I guess I won't be saving this well-designed box for the future -- unless you can help!

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Love, your nephew,

Andrew B.



Darling Andrew,

How awful to hear that... I know how special Apple packaging can be. It's like getting a new toy inside a new toy, so to speak. Many of Apple's boxes are little works of distribution art. So I went ahead and consulted with Auntie Megs, who knows many, many secrets of life and technology.

Her advice is this: Use a hair dryer at a low heat setting to soften the glue. Point it at the tag residue for a minute or so to warm it up and then peel off the glue with your fingers. This should help you get that stuff off and preserve the beauty of your box.

Kissies & snuggles,

Auntie T.




Dear Auntie T,

That worked! Although there's still some slight discoloration and warping from the initial removal, it did fix the issues with the sticky residue.

The hardest part of all was finding the hair dryer in the back of the closet!

Thank you!

Your nephew Andrew


Dear Andrew,


Glad to hear it! Infrequently-used hair dryers, like many other household appliances, can become shy and reticent. And yet, isn't it nice to know that if you have one on hand, it becomes an important part of your engineering arsenal?

Don't forget to get outside and soak up the beautiful Spring sunshine.

Love,

Auntie T