Do iMacs ship in original packaging or a brown outer box?

[pinkoos]

Just wondering when you order an iMac from Apple or Amazon or anybody else, how does it ship?

Just the original packaging so that everybody and their grandmother can know what's in the box? Or, is the original box placed in a much larger, outer brown box?

Thanks in advance.

[Carm]

Original packaging unless its a refurb.

Joe

[OWC Jamie]

Slipcover outer brown box with color main box inside. No padding between the layers. Refurbs come in a brown box only

[Jimmypoo]

Apple online store MacBook came in brown outer, then white inner.

[Z]

Refurb or new? Both from apple:

Refurb imac two weeks ago: Brown box, no original box, discreet apple logos on one or two corners.

iBook G4 circa 2005: Brown external box covering original iBook box. Shipped as Applecare Replacement for iBook G3 that crapped out a sufficient number of times.

[Buzz]

as Jamie says from Apple, but have gotten w/o the slipcover outer box from others, though having seen paletted shipments from Apple to resellers arrive w/o said slipcover outer boxes, it's not surprising that they would show up either way... as a result of being part of a small or large order originally.

[GGD]

No iMac experience, but MacBook and MacBook Pro from Amazon shipped like Jamie stated, plain brown outer box, fancy retail box inside.

[pinkoos]

Is there anything wrong with just shipping it in the retail box only in terms of potential damage, etc? If an outer brown box is present without any padding, does it provide any benefit other than concealing the contents of what's inside?

[Harbourmaster]

Hmmm lets see are two layers of cardboard stronger than one?...Yes!

Of course the second layer of cardboard won't help at all if they run your box through with a forklift tine!!

[rgG]

[quote Harbourmaster]
Of course the second layer of cardboard won't help at all if they run your box through with a forklift tine!!
That happened with a painting my in-laws were shipping. I think it was in something stronger than cardboard but not stronger than the forklift tine.

As far as the computer, I think the outer brown box is just to disguise what's inside and to protect the inner packaging. My MacBook from Amazon came with the brown outer box and the white original packaging inside.