Attention, new iMac owners: The M4 iMac sits upside down inside the box it comes in. This can be an unwelcome surprise if you open the box the wrong way — your new computer could tumble onto the floor on its first day, just like mine did.
Don’t fall for the picture on the front of the packaging, which shows the base of the iMac on the bottom. Follow these instructions on how to open an iMac box to avoid catastrophe.
The iMac’s misleading box design
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Apple is known for its attention to detail and clever packaging. The designers want to create a good first impression, with “surprise and delight” starting from the retail experience itself.
But several design cues on the new M4 iMac box can lead you to open it the wrong way:
- The picture on the front shows the iMac with the top at the top and the bottom at the bottom. Often, Apple products are arranged inside the box to match the orientation of the picture, in actual size. You’d be forgiven for thinking the iMac matches the picture.
- The handle on the top of the box leads you to set the box down vertically.
- The tape holding the box closed is on the rear upper corner, and the top side of the box needs to be pulled open first. It’s easiest to open when the box is standing up.
How to open your M4 iMac the right way
There’s a right way to open your new iMac’s box (which Apple has been using since the design debuted in 2021). Be sure to place the box flat on its back on the floor, so it opens up like a pizza box.
Otherwise, if you try to open it upright — like I did — you’ll be in for a nasty surprise. After you pull off the top of the box, the face of the box will open forward, like an oven. If you happen to pay attention to the product inside, you might notice that the iMac is upside down. If, like me, you’re distracted by filming and photographing the unboxing for a review, you might miss it.
In the box, the heavy aluminum foot of the iMac sits at the top. If you open the box while it’s sitting upright, as soon as you pull open the interior cardboard padding, down your iMac will go.
Luckily, my iMac came out without a scratch, even though I have a hardwood floor. The desk I had the iMac sitting on is a standard 30 inches tall (thankfully, not a standing desk). The iMac’s fall was also broken by the lid of the box overhanging the desk, which certainly lessened the impact.
Needless to say, I was surprised, but I was not delighted.
