“iFixit called the the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display the ‘least repairable’ laptop ever made, and for good reason. Apple’s super-strong glue, soldering, and proprietary screws make it impossible to replace the battery, upgrade RAM, swap the circuit boards, etc.,” Alex Heath writes for Cult of Mac.
“That’s why Apple originally withdrew its products from EPEAT, the American standard for eco-friendly consumer electronics,” Heath writes. “After plenty of public outcry, Apple issued an apology and re-added its products to the EPEAT’s registry, despite the fact that laptops like the Retina MacBook Pro aren’t exactly ‘green.'”
Heath writes, “Last week EPEAT said that Apple’s products, including new laptops like the Retina MacBook Pro, meet its eligibility requirement for registry approval. Now EPEAT is giving the Retina MacBook Pro its highest ‘Gold’ approval rating. Today iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens is calling EPEAT out for compromising to accommodate Apple.”
Read more in the full article here.
Kyle Wiens writes for iFixIt, “We know that Apple’s products aren’t green: iPods routinely fail after a couple years. Just about everyone I know has a dead iPod in a drawer somewhere. Apple’s design trend is toward glued-together products with batteries that may fail after 12-24 months—they make repair so difficult that people rarely replace the batteries, opting instead to buy a replacement device.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: How does that make Apple’s products less “green?” Take batteries for example: user replaceable batteries – one of the dirtiest, most-polluting parts of portable electronic devices – are easily thrown away in the trash, however built-in batteries would require the user to throw away the entire device. Apple’s way is an impediment to throwing hazardous parts in the landfill or ocean. Faced with the prospect of a device they can’t dismantle needing repair, where does the user turn? Why to Apple’s Battery Replacement Program, of course. The new batteries are installed and the old batteries are recycled responsibly by Apple. There’s no opportunity for the batteries to get dumped into the landfill as with the old removable batteries.
What about when you’re done with your computer or smartphone? Send it in to the very comprehensive Apple Recycling Program, of course:
Turn that iPhone, iPad, or computer — Mac or PC — you’re not using anymore into something brand new. Send it to us and we’ll determine if it qualifies for reuse. If it does, that means your device has monetary value that we’ll apply to an Apple Gift Card, which you can use for purchases at any Apple Retail Store or the Apple Online Store. If your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC doesn’t qualify for reuse, we’ll recycle it responsibly at no cost to you.
If all you want is to dispose of your unwanted equipment — regardless of brand — we can help you do that. Apple contracts with Sims Recycling Solutions to responsibly recycle computers and displays from any manufacturer. Just call 800-966-4135 to receive a free prepaid shipping label. Then pack up your equipment using your own box and send it off. More info here.
Again, that’s ANY brand of PC or cellphone. Send it to Apple’s contractor Sims and they will recycle it responsibly. That’s as clean as clean gets.
When you think about it for more than a second, Apple’s way is more enviornmentally responsible than the old way.
iFixIt is a repair shop. Obviously, they’d be incensed at the prospect of losing business, but that doesn’t mean that Apple’s products “aren’t green.”
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]