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So glad Apple is sticking to their guns on this one and not hindering their innovation while at the same time still making it loud and clear their effort in keeping green on their products.

Can't wait to see the future redesign of an iMac (and the other Macs as well)using what they've learned on the retina Macbook Pro.

Right, because smearing a bunch of glue, instead of engineering an ultra lightweight bracket for the batteries -- just to save a millimeter or two -- is extremely innovative.
 
I'll take "San Francisco thinking" over most of the "red state thinking" any day.

Wait - does using "red state" and "thinking" in the same sentence constitute an oxymoron? I think that it does....

It does.


Yes, I even down-voted myself for that one. I just couldn't resist the temptation.
 
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I'll take "San Francisco thinking" over most of the "red state thinking" any day.

Wait - does using "red state" and "thinking" in the same sentence constitute an oxymoron? I think that it does....

So you'll hand a blank check over to your governor so that he can build a high speed rail between those bustling metropolises of Bakersfield and Fresno?

San Francisco is being shortsighted. They are buying PCs based on the label, rather than any specifics. Apple will still take back their old Macs for recycling, and a few years from now would take back their new Macs. But because it doesn't have a sticker on it saying they meet some arbitrary standard, they won't buy one. No wonder the state is broke, despite having the 9th largest economy in the world.
 
So you'll hand a blank check over to your governor so that he can build a high speed rail between those bustling metropolises of Bakersfield and Fresno?

Yes, yes, yes. Because to get from Los Angeles to Silicon Valley you need to pass through (or near to) Bakersfield and Fresno.

Yes!


San Francisco is being shortsighted.

Apple is being shortsighted. Instead of manufacturing systems to the current standard, and working *with* the standard to adopt it to new techniques - Apple is turning its back on a group that it's been touting for years.

If this is the "Tim Apple", then may the lord have mercy.
 
EPEAT is just jealous of all the press that Consumer Reports got about AntennaGate.
 
Trolls should read before running off at the mouth. The author of the article added the part about the standard being out of date. The requirement for being able to take the device apart easily is unnecessary when you can take it to an Apple store or ship it back to them for disposal. They will even pay you for you trouble.

Not trolling. I am saying Apple pulled out of the EPEAT standard because they can't meet it any longer. Rather then making excuses that the standard is outdated. They should just say the truth. They pulled out of the EPEAT standard because they can't meet it. They are trying to throw smoke and mirrors on why they pulled out of the standard. Plain and simple. I admit, it's clever on their part. But come on just say the truth rather then putting up smoke and mirrors.
 
So if Apple were meeting the EPEAT guidelines and renewing their certification, and customers still disposed of their cyberjunk improperly, Apple would be an upstanding company again? It doesn't pass the logic test... Apple has done amazing stuff on its end, now it's time for individuals and municipals to do their part. Apple is backing away and revealing the obvious.

Dude, your name is brilliant.
 
Repairability is an area that apple doesn't want to address properly because they know they're wrong but continue to keep their stance because they they want to make a business out of repairs.

I work for a big box company, and we sell computers. However, we make no money selling the computers, but we do have a in house computer service center that does make a considerable amount of money on repairing computers. Also a majority of that money is made by fixing non Apple products.
i.e. Selling computers = no money, selling computer services = money!

To stop the person before they point this out, Apple has made a successful business out of selling computers(fact: back to back to back 30B dollar + quarters), and less on fixing them(in my opinion)!
 
This really easy to understand. ePeAT has become an outdated organization. Apple doesn't want the consumer opening their products because let's all admit right now, they are 99.9% perfect. Granted apple helped them become the agency that they are, but like every other agency, government, non profit, for profit, they've become lazy and are way behind the over achievers.

Looks like its time for apple to start a whole new aganecy. Btw. For those of you that don't already know, drop off your old Mac, oc, whatever, at the apple store. They will properly dispose of it for you all for free.
 
While it may be true that Apple's products exceed the EPEAT standards, that is not really a reason to remove a product from the listing. The people at EPEAT admit that their standards may be out of date and I believe this is a power move by Apple to get EPEAT to review and update these standards. However, it could bite them in the short run. San Francisco has already banned Apple products, and government organization and public schools are bound by these standards as well. Others will certainly do the same.
 
I'm going to sidestep the EPEAT business a bit and speak to something that's been rattling in my head about this movement by Apple towards non-serviceable computers.

One of the really great value propositions for customers purchasing a Macintosh is, much like BMWs they retain much of their value on the used market. If Macs become appliances that you just hand in to Apple for refurbishing, or more to the point if the used market dries up because Macs have a shorter lifespan due to limited upgradeability and limited repairability, then the overall value of a Macintosh will be significantly diminished.

Right now, you can reasonably sell a used Mac for 75% of its value within the first three years of ownership. Dropping that down to maybe 25% due to a diminishing used market is something both customers and Apple should consider and be concerned about.
 
Damage control... or rather image control or PR... what ever you wanna call it. This is what Apple is doing.

I have admit there are certain things the EPEAT can do to make their standards better. (If they so believe they are outdated).

This sort of "your standards aren't good enough so we're withdrawing" isn't atypical of Apple.

I don't have their entire PR archive in front of me, but they've used this line before.
 
That's exactly the type of statement that I was expecting from Apple and glad of it. It also makes sense that EPEAT must be able to modify its standards to emerging technology and be able to adjust policies so that companies that have shown to be responsible in regards to the environment should continue to get the support of the environmental community.

Good point.

One thing to remember is that we don't have any idea what went on before this happened. Apple helped start the standards for this company, and for all we know Apple could have been trying to get these standards updated, but were unsuccessful, so they pulled there products.

We may never know.
 
This sort of "your standards aren't good enough so we're withdrawing" isn't atypical of Apple.

I don't have their entire PR archive in front of me, but they've used this line before.

We know that, but the whole, "I'm withdrawing from my biggest eco ad boost" is. After all they present all Macs as environmentally friendly. If they move out of EPEAT, then how to back themselves? What does this show for Apple's eco protection? Do they have something to hide?

Those are a few question the average Joe will think at first.
 
Not trolling. I am saying Apple pulled out of the EPEAT standard because they can't meet it any longer. Rather then making excuses that the standard is outdated. They should just say the truth. They pulled out of the EPEAT standard because they can't meet it. They are trying to throw smoke and mirrors on why they pulled out of the standard. Plain and simple. I admit, it's clever on their part. But come on just say the truth rather then putting up smoke and mirrors.

Please read the article! "The Loop's Jim Dalrymple notes that even EPEAT acknowledges that many of its standards are outdated, with Apple apparently believing that those criteria have become too restrictive". (emphasis added)

If their design decisions would be compromised and interfere with creating a better product then they should pull out. This explains why over the last couple of years they have been actively expanding their recycle program and getting the word out about it.
 
In a mobile Device like iPhone, iPad I can appreciate the need to save a mm or 2, but on a laptop computer, I think it's pointless
 
If I were Apple (too bad Steve is no longer alive) I'd pull WWDC and other Keynotes out of SF permanently. Santa Clara Convention Center would be glad to host some Apple events.
 
Sure, but now, even those who used to dismantle their computer can't without paying for the tools to do so.

Like a hammer?

Seriously though. If I'm going to think about buying something because it's recyclable - which I won't - it's not going to be the computer that I buy for $1000 bucks. It's going to be some junk I throw out every week.

Not that I give a damn, but the surest way to be a "bad recycler", is to buy some piece-of-**** recyclable computer that's going to fall apart, fail, or be rendered obsolete from bloated crapware in a couple years. You know, like the majority of computers out there that you could buy just because they're "epeat."
 
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I'm going to sidestep the EPEAT business a bit and speak to something that's been rattling in my head about this movement by Apple towards non-serviceable computers.

One of the really great value propositions for customers purchasing a Macintosh is, much like BMWs they retain much of their value on the used market. If Macs become appliances that you just hand in to Apple for refurbishing, or more to the point if the used market dries up because Macs have a shorter lifespan due to limited upgradeability and limited repairability, then the overall value of a Macintosh will be significantly diminished.

Right now, you can reasonably sell a used Mac for 75% of its value within the first three years of ownership. Dropping that down to maybe 25% due to a diminishing used market is something both customers and Apple should consider and be concerned about.

+1. Another point everyone seems to be missing is that using glue to permanently attach the battery to the chassis is extremely inelegant. It's something I would expect from a low priced competitor but not from Apple. It seems that the only reason to do so is to prevent any legitimate service providers from servicing the rMBP and forcing consumers to pay their premium price to get a replacement.

Also a lot of people around here make the assumption that Apple has some kind of special top secret procedure to remove the battery. But how do you know this? How do you know that the entire top half of the chassis doesn't get replaced with the battery?

Ive also read comment after comment about how you can bring it back to Apple (or ship it) but the sad fact is that a lot of people simply won't do this and eventually these devices WILL end up in some recycling bin somewhere. Since these devices are not easily recycled this means a lot of them will end up trash dumps. One thing people fail to realize is that recycling on many levels is done by hand. Even plastic and glass first has to be separated at the recycling facility by hand. These jobs are performed by regular folks who don't have time sit there carefully disassembling parts. Hence why they have to be easily disassembled using basic tools in order to be classified as EPEAT friendly.

I refuse to believe that Apple of all companies couldn't come up with a better solution in regards to the battery in the rMBP.
 
Apple is being shortsighted. Instead of manufacturing systems to the current standard, and working *with* the standard to adopt it to new techniques - Apple is turning its back on a group that it's been touting for years.

On the contrary, Apple is playing this strategically.

They could stick to the standard and halt development and release of future products while they talk over the new requirements with EPEAT (and they don't strike me as an organisation that moves with a sense of urgency).

Or they light a rocket under EPEAT by removing their entire lineup (including products that are still compliant). Rather than risk other companies follow the Apple line, EPEAT will get their finger out and have a new set of guidelines out by early next year.

If this is the "Tim Apple", then may the lord have mercy.

Not the "Tim Apple"; the same Apple. To protect future innovation, Jobs would have done the same thing, and he wouldn't have been polite enough to tell them why.
 
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+1. Another point everyone seems to be missing is that using glue to permanently attach the battery to the chassis is extremely inelegant. It's something I would expect from a low priced competitor but not from Apple. It seems that the only reason to do so is to prevent any legitimate service providers from servicing the rMBP and forcing consumers to pay their premium price to get a replacement.

It also prevents illegitimate(?) service providers from taking the old battery and slinging it in the bin, or from fitting the battery badly and causing incidents on commercial flights.

Also a lot of people around here make the assumption that Apple has some kind of special top secret procedure to remove the battery. But how do you know this? How do you know that the entire top half of the chassis doesn't get replaced with the battery?

I suspect if this was the case then Apple would be charging a lot more than $200 to replace the batteries. Besides which, I'm not sure why I care as long as the battery gets disposed of correctly and the chassis gets recycled.

Ive also read comment after comment about how you can bring it back to Apple (or ship it) but the sad fact is that a lot of people simply won't do this and eventually these devices WILL end up in some recycling bin somewhere. Since these devices are not easily recycled this means a lot of them will end up trash dumps. One thing people fail to realize is that recycling on many levels is done by hand. Even plastic and glass first has to be separated at the recycling facility by hand. These jobs are performed by regular folks who don't have time sit there carefully disassembling parts. Hence why they have to be easily disassembled using basic tools in order to be classified as EPEAT friendly

I think that in return for money off Apple kit, folk will not only return Apple's stuff to them, but also send them old Dell and HP kit for recycling too.

You go to the Apple site, click about, they send you a shipping parcel, you pack up the machine and take it to your nearest postal depot. Not sure how they could have made it any easier.
 
Yep, Apple truly doesn't care about the environment anymore. They're just greedy and want their designs to be the smallest, lightest, regardless of how terrible it is for the rest of the planet. How dare they.

</sarcasm>

smallest and lightest is what the consumer want. do you want your portable gadget to be heavy and bulky?
 
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