For so long as many people can keep in mind, Apple has provided a “reward wrapping” possibility when buying Apple merchandise from its on-line retailer. It was a kind of stylish touches that set Apple other than many different retailers, however sadly, it seems the corporate is discontinuing this little perk.
Apple’s reward wrapping got here in just one kind, and it was elegant in its simplicity. Merchandise would ship in a “signature” white field with a purple ribbon and a greeting card that might embody a private message from the sender.
When you usually needed to pay additional to have an Apple product gift-wrapped on this method, the corporate often provided reward wrapping throughout vacation seasons and different limited-time promotions. As a rule, reward wrapping was solely out there for Apple’s personal merchandise, though Apple additionally provided it for a couple of widespread third-party objects. Ordering a product on-line and having it gift-wrapped for in-store pickup was additionally doable.
Not too long ago, Apple has quietly nixed its gift-wrapping choices. As we speak, the oldsters at MacRumors that Apple has eliminated all references to the service from its Gifting web page and the choice is now not out there at checkout.
The change applies to all international locations the place the gift-wrapping possibility was beforehand out there, together with the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. It’s unclear precisely when Apple eliminated the gift-wrapping choices, however they nonetheless appeared on Apple’s Gifting Web page on June 16, the final time that web page was listed by the Web Wayback Machine.
MacRumors provides that Apple additionally now not gives an possibility to incorporate a present message on the packing slip for an order, though free customized engraving stays out there for a restricted collection of merchandise, together with the Apple Pencil, AirTags, AirPods, Powerbeats Professional, Beats Match Professional, and iPad.
Engraving can embody a {custom} message or choose emojis, though you might wish to suppose twice about doing this with pricier merchandise just like the iPad, as it might probably cut back the worth of the product do you have to ever determine to resell it.
It’s unclear precisely why Apple made this alteration, however it could have been a cost-cutting measure, significantly if few prospects availed themselves of this service. Reward bins have been custom-tailored to suit every of Apple’s merchandise that might be gift-wrapped, which meant that Apple needed to preserve a provide of those bins at its warehouses and even in its retail shops for in-store pickup orders.
There’s additionally a slight chance that this might be an environmental transfer, though Apple would possible be extra open concerning the change if that have been the case. The reward bins have been constructed from recycled, biodegradable supplies, so the environmental affect was possible minimal — and definitely extra so than most self-gift-wrapping choices.
Whereas many Apple prospects possible selected to have reward merchandise delivered to themselves and deal with their very own reward wrapping, Apple’s gift-wrapping choices have been useful in these conditions the place you needed to ship a present on to a buddy or relative that lived far away. This let Apple deal with the transport, and the additional value of getting it gift-wrap the bundle for you might have been properly price it.
This makes it disappointing that Apple has discontinued all elements of its gifting service. Whereas the precise reward bins and ribbons have been understandably sophisticated from a logistical perspective, together with a present message on the packing slip could be very useful for sending items out straight. Sadly, even that’s now not an possibility when shopping for straight from Apple, which may depart some people doing extra of their Christmas buying at Amazon this yr.