Nate Lanxon
Nate Lanxon is CNET UK's Senior Editor of News and Features, and covers every aspect of technology for Crave. He also enjoys popular-science books, obscure Japanese animation and plays 'technical metal' on the drums, whatever that is.
Wednesday 30 January 2008, 10:35am
Blister packaging is just more DRM -- please kill it
We all hate blister packaging. You know the stuff: the thick plastic vacuum-sealed casing that companies pack their products into that makes it almost impossible to open with anything other than a bread knife. Manufacturers are aware of the issue and know how much we all hate the damn stuff, yet they continue to use it because it makes stealing what's inside much harder.
So what we've got here is something that only punishes the honest among us; something that companies use despite knowing how much it drives honest consumers mad. But if it makes stealing it harder, of course it's fine.
Haven't we experienced this exact scenario before? DRM is famously one of the biggest pains for honest people and only punishes those who cough up their honest money to pay for something others steal.
But DRM is finally on the decline. Companies are finally coming to their senses and realising that DRM not only doesn't stop piracy, it makes piracy all the more attractive to honest consumers. So please, when we've finished destroying DRM, can we please move our hatred to blister packaging? It's the DRM of the physical product and I'm sick to death of the stuff.
Comments on this post
I know exactly what you mean - worst case of this is the packaging for the playstation eye. In the end I had to use my catering blow torch to get inside the bloody thing, after breaking my £45 sabatier bread knife. Needless to say Sony were unsympathetic to my plight, saying, "You can ask the employee in the shop to open the packaging for you." Would that include a rooom for the night and breakfast on boxing day morning too?
Posted by Jon Evans on Thu 31 January, 2008 9:05 AM
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