“Environmentalists are targeting the iPod, Apple Computer’s phenomenally successful digital music player, as a symbol of the growing problem of electronic waste. The Computer Take Back Campaign, an umbrella organization for dozens of environmental groups, is trying to force Apple to beef up its recycling program and to redesign the iPod, which has a battery that can wear out in just 18 months and is not easily replaced,” Joan Lowy reports for Scripps Howard News Service.
“Last month, protesters gathered outside the company’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters carrying signs that read ‘from iPod to iWaste – toxic trash in your pocket;’ ‘take back your rotten Apples;’ and ‘Dell and HP do, why don’t you?’ Protesters also turned up at the company’s recent Macworld Expo in San Francisco. They have generated thousands of letters to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. And they are vowing to bring their complaints to shareholders at the company’s annual meeting in April,” Lowy reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We have iPods with much longer than 18 months use on them that have original batteries that are still going strong. Apple has a battery information page here which explains: Apple rechargeable batteries provide a better solution for both your pocketbook and the planet. For instance, if your iPod were powered by 4-AA Alkaline batteries and you used one pack per week (which is conservative), after two years you would have spent over $200 (buying in bulk) and piled up 400 dead batteries for your local recycling center.
the environmentalists are just a bunch of whiners. rebel without a cause/clue.
magic word: next
as in next story please.
environmentalists are just plain stupid sometimes.
oh Pleez….
While I think environmental waste is a snowballing issue, I hardly think spending time protesting apple (3% of market in computers, remember?) is an honest effort by this group. They are merely riding on the phenomenal success of the iPod to deliver their message.
They should focus on something more relevant like PCB’s and Nuclear waste.
brought to you by “Total”, as in almost a total waste of their time.
My dear, the best for the environment is: less human beings ..
Perhaps the iPod does help to produce less of them.
I think there is always room for improvement. Perhaps Apple can take a look at environmental concerns. I think the fact they’ve improved battery life is a sign they are working on these concerns.
I think moving to digital distribution of music helps the environment. We are not creating all these plastic CDs with jewel cases and then shrink wrap. Add to that the waste to produce all those items and the toll on the environment to ship all those CDs – polution from trucks to more packaging to box them all.
Considering 36% of the world’s Carbon Dioxide emissions come from the United States, with only 5% of the world’s population, I would have thought these groups had bigger problems than iPods to worry about.
After all, on those super scorching hot days of 2015, when the smog and extreme heat battle it out for who kills the most in an hour, you may as well have a choice of tunes to listen to, eh!
I have an original 5gig iPod with an original battery that is still working well. So this electronic waste thing is just trying to target a popular product and make Apple look bad. iPods last longer than 18 months unless your driving your car over them or something.
Although I do share the environmentalist concerns, I believe that they are only targeting Apple because Apple happens to have the hot commodity right now. The success of the iPod gives them a larger audience. When someone wants to picket, they want the largest audience possible. That’s why they aren’t going after Dell’s Jukebox or one of the hundred other iPod knockoffs.
My magic word: works. As in, “Gee, my iPod works so much better than that crappy Dell Junkbox.”
I would guess that close to 70% of the iPod’s components are made from recyclable materials.
Are these the same “Environmentalists” that say we should be using electric cars and not burning through fossil fuels?
Maybe they have nothing better to do since neither Nader nor Kerry are in office. (sarcasm)
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”rolleyes” style=”border:0;” />
This whole article is old news. Especially about the guys iPod. You can now get an iPod better than original replacement battery for $39 including a kit to help you take it apart and instructions on how to do so. Since the iPod is using a rechargable battery they should go pick on the makers of MP3 players who use standard AA or AAA batteries. They cause more hazardous waste then the Apple iPod.
That’s because environmentalists are extreme nuts.
Apple should make the POD’s batteries replacable by consumers, but people should realize that the amount of plastic that is saved by using an iPod is significant.
Computer waste is a real problem. Electronics contain heavy metals and toxic stuff. Some computer companies like Dell have recycling programs where you can bring your old PCs and they dispose of it properly (I hope). I wish Apple had something similar. BTW, calling environmentalists whiners shows you are really unaware of environmental problems. Just learn a little about it and you’ll have more respect.
Those tree-huggers just latch on to the company du jour for free publicity.
well.. it’s annoying since this is how they get press… beating up on Apple..
it’s only annoying because they assume the most popular product is all sizzle, no steak.. so to speak..
The iPod is, absolutely, more economical and environmentally friendly.. and it’s also the cheapest when you factor in battery costs (Uhm, yes they cost ALOT of money)
I’ll kick the ass of any tree-hunging pussy that gets in the way of my ipod!
I am all for taking care of the environment but frankly there are much more important issues these people should be spending their time and effort on. They should be protesting George W. Bush. He has been much worse for the environment than any iPod.
Okay, it’s totally silly to blash environmentalists for their efforts in this sector. The rechargeable batteries found in iPods, cell phones, etc, are *very* harmful to the environment. They should never find their way to landfills.
Places like Radio Shack will take and properly dispose of old cell phone batteries.
I would love to see Apple adopt a similar policy, for their entire hardware catalog. It would be great if I could bring an old Apple product to the Apple store and know that they would either dispose of it in an environmentally conscious way, or put it in the hands of somebody who could get some use out of it.
I don’t think any environmentalist is suggesting Apple stop selling iPods–only that they have a strategy for the device’s eventual end of life.
Hmmm. Perhaps they should read Tom’s Harwarde regarding the power consumption of the Mac mini compared to a typical PC (Dell anyone ?). 28W versus 160W.
There’s no doubt that Apple could do more in terms of being environmentally friendly. But Apple is probably not a especially bad case.
There’s also no doubt that environmental concerns should be raised, but these guys would do better protesting about barely acknowledging Kyoto rather than having a dig at the iPod.
They should be targetting the manufacturers of motorised lollipops (spin pops). Now THAT’s a waste of a good battery.
How ironic. I thought you Mac pansies were all liberal environ-mental-ists, and now the real enviro-nazis are after you. That’s so funny.
Oh puleeze. THe environment is in the best shape it’s been in years… and that includes 4 years of George Bush. Environmentalists won’t be happy until the economy is destroyed to “protect our mother earth” and we’re all living in caves.
The problem with environmentalists is they have no pratical requests and are all DOOM AND GLOOM all the time.
Perhaps environmentalists should stop spewing their hot air all the time and save the earth from all the CO2 coming from their mouths.
Seems that everyone just wana make Apple the whipping boy.
If they wana do something right, they should go n target Dull computers! People who buy PCs usually change their machines on the aveage of 18 to 24 months. Do your sums and those Dull machines have more electronic waste per year than the entire life of all iPods added together.
And if you think that Dull’s got a good recycling programme, you’re soooo wrong! After you pay them $20 to haul your machines away, they ship everything to 3rd world country n sell them off as used goods. And those parts that can’t be used are not Dull’s problem after that.
Obviously, they are picketing Apple because it is near to where they live. The great gray gay Bay we call it.
“How ironic. I thought you Mac pansies were all liberal environ-mental-ists, and now the real enviro-nazis are after you. That’s so funny.”
This kind of political generalization seems out of place here. The Computer Take Back Campaign is targeting the product and the concept rather than any particular group of users.
You’ve also shown your ignorance about the iPod’s customer base since it has been clearly stated numerous times that the vast majority of iPod owners actually use Windows.