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Maybe. But now I can't get it out of my head -- is it true that the smallest box contains the smallest laptops in general? It raises even more (admittedly poin

Maybe. But now I can't get it out of my head -- is it true that the smallest box contains the smallest laptops in general? It raises even more (admittedly pointless) questions, like "Is that true for Apple laptops, or all laptops? I bet Dell packs their tiny laptops with a bunch of peripherals or padding. A larger box might get sold more frequently." And even for Apple, are the boxes physically smaller between different models? I unpacked an M1 MBP the other day and was surprised how large the box was compared to the laptop. I think there's a 13 inch and a 15 inch, and it almost seemed like the box was designed for the 15 inch. Hmm... This calls for an empirical study. Too bad I don't live across the street from an Apple store anymore, or I'd just go look. But "How could any of this possibly matter to a CPU designer?" won't be so easily resolved. E.g. even if it's true that the smallest laptop comes in the smallest box, why didn't they ask for the smallest laptop? The salesperson would've been like "Of course, it's right over here." It sounds like he compared the actual sizes of boxes, which is fascinating.

theelous3 5y ago
Fascinating? Come on. It's clear OP _wants_ to illicit this feeling of superiority from others, as even after the fact - and with unlimited time and space - they do not state the actual reason. Hypothetical time: Let's say we have some reason to want to buy the laptop with the smallest box. We'll say it's some reason so incredibly intellectual we could never explain it to anyone else because everyone else is so much dumber than we are. So, the best we can do while remaining perfectly honest is simply state we have this desire. Actually explaining it will either not work or cause the apple employee to turn in to a black hole. So, we stand around asking them like an idiot for the laptop with the smallest box, which we know is easily misinterpreted, but for no reason at all we feel like we must remain perfectly honest. This creates a back and forth as the employee - predictably (especially so to someone of our amazing intellect) - tries desperately to help us see our error in thinking. The whole process takes much longer and has been unpleasant for all involved. But hey... at least we got to feel really smart? Rubbish. The actually smart thing to do is to come up with a plausible reason for the stupid request. It's not even hard. "This is a vanity gift for my rich employers spoiled kid, to unwrap in some stupid status showcase. None of them understand computers. I know the request is stupid, but let's just get it over with. Can you show me the smallest packaged laptops please?" There. Nobody's time is wasted. There is a difference between a willingness to look stupid in order to achieve your goal, and a desire to look stupid while enjoying being a conceited "smart" person at the expense of achieving your goal.

theelous3 5y ago

Fascinating? Come on. It's clear OP _wants_ to illicit this feeling of superiority from others, as even after the fact - and with unlimited time and space - they do not state the actual reason. Hypothetical time: Let's say we have some reason to want to buy the laptop with the smallest box. We'll say it's some reason so incredibly intellectual we could never explain it to anyone else because everyone else is so much dumber than we are. So, the best we can do while remaining perfectly honest is simply state we have this desire. Actually explaining it will either not work or cause the apple employee to turn in to a black hole. So, we stand around asking them like an idiot for the laptop with the smallest box, which we know is easily misinterpreted, but for no reason at all we feel like we must remain perfectly honest. This creates a back and forth as the employee - predictably (especially so to someone of our amazing intellect) - tries desperately to help us see our error in thinking. The whole process takes much longer and has been unpleasant for all involved. But hey... at least we got to feel really smart? Rubbish. The actually smart thing to do is to come up with a plausible reason for the stupid request. It's not even hard. "This is a vanity gift for my rich employers spoiled kid, to unwrap in some stupid status showcase. None of them understand computers. I know the request is stupid, but let's just get it over with. Can you show me the smallest packaged laptops please?" There. Nobody's time is wasted. There is a difference between a willingness to look stupid in order to achieve your goal, and a desire to look stupid while enjoying being a conceited "smart" person at the expense of achieving your goal.