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According to research firm NPD, .Mac boxes are flying off the shelves as Mac users seek its unique integration of OS X's iLife, personal information and internet software with corresponding web services and applications.

Initially .Mac was sold exclusively through Apple's website, the retail box introduced only once Apple had begun opening its own bricks-and-mortar stores. But many customers are surprised that on opening the box all they get is the piece of paper with a serial number and a small Welcome to .Mac setup guide, no disc.

That is simply explained by the fact that .Mac's features are built-into OS X by default or reside on Apple's servers. All that is required to unlock them is the serial code.

And that is very much the future of software distribution, according to the NPD survey, which found that more and more companies are adopting the "empty box" model.