Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Pulls Products from Environmental EPEAT Registry
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
In my mind, EPEAT's requirement that computers are able to be easily disassembled is flawed.
Ultimately a computer is environmentally friendly IF it minimises harm on the environment. It's not ultimately about whether you jump through hoop X or Y, but if it minimises damage to the environment. If you follow EPEAT's guidelines, we should all use Mac Pro's because it's easier to replace parts in them, right?
On the other hand, Apple's solution is small but with non-replacable parts. Think old Dell box vs recent Mac Mini - I'm going to go out on a limb, and say the Mac Mini is more environmentally friendly. MUCH less plastic, instead only a little bit of aluminium, and less energy use (judging by fan noise and size) and not to mention Apple products seem to last a lot longer.
And as for end of life, well Apple has a recycling program for their computers. I think EPEAT is going to need to rethink their guidelines or else they'll get caught in the past.
Ultimately a computer is environmentally friendly IF it minimises harm on the environment. It's not ultimately about whether you jump through hoop X or Y, but if it minimises damage to the environment. If you follow EPEAT's guidelines, we should all use Mac Pro's because it's easier to replace parts in them, right?
On the other hand, Apple's solution is small but with non-replacable parts. Think old Dell box vs recent Mac Mini - I'm going to go out on a limb, and say the Mac Mini is more environmentally friendly. MUCH less plastic, instead only a little bit of aluminium, and less energy use (judging by fan noise and size) and not to mention Apple products seem to last a lot longer.
And as for end of life, well Apple has a recycling program for their computers. I think EPEAT is going to need to rethink their guidelines or else they'll get caught in the past.
It has two Thunderbolt ports. You realize you can run firewire off that, and gigabit Ethernet, and still have four monitors?
They aren't anywhere near their top.
----------
EPEAT is a voice of the recycling industry, not necessarily in favor of Green. Just ensuring that recyclers make money. An iPad replaces how many newspapers, CDs, DVDs? I wake up in the morning and download electrons. Bang! the New York Times. If they use no arsenic in the glass, the proper kind of plastics, recycled materials in the things they make, then the fact that you can't fix an iPad in your garage really is no big deal. Apple will take it back and recycle it for you when it's finished, right?
See Ya
Yes, you are far too good a person to waste your time with a serious evironmental offender like Apple... Okay then, We'll see ya later. Have a good life. Bye, Bye.
Yes, you are far too good a person to waste your time with a serious evironmental offender like Apple... Okay then, We'll see ya later. Have a good life. Bye, Bye.
What?
Why in hell are you on an Apple rumor site then? Why aren't you on a Microsoft
or Google rumor site? Go away please.
Why in hell are you on an Apple rumor site then? Why aren't you on a Microsoft
or Google rumor site? Go away please.
Indeed. The level of stupidy on this forum is mind boggling. People want thin, they want light, they want good battery life and then they scream nonsense when they cant replace battery themselfs or that due to thinness of the case RAM which is soldered to the board.
Have some common sense for petes sake.
My plastic MacBook still lasts ~90 minutes on a full battery charge and its almost 6 years old now. Even if its battery can be easily replaced i havent done that in almost 6 years. That is true for almost all notebook owners. That battery for my MacBook costs around 199 USD here and Apple is ready to replace you not only batter for those same 199 USD (if you going to need it replaced at all, ever). Sounds like a good deal to me.
The problem is the waste generated everytime u fix something In the new retina, you throw everything away....ln the older MacBooks you could replace parts. The new retina approach has gone from recycling faulty components to throwing away all of them if something goes wrong.
Not to mention the inability to upgrade components means your upgrading to an new laptop instead of buying new ram, hdd.... Putting in another hdd where he SuperDrive was etc..... It quiet ***** for the environment. Huge step backwards by apple, shame really just to gloat about how thin thier gear is.
Throwing? Have you lost your mind? You throw aluminum away? You throw glass away? You throw plastic away? Just like that?
Don’t know about you, but in my village we sort it by material and … what do you know … RECYCLE IT. Especially electronics.
Your cluelessness (is that even a word
) … you know it’s not even funny.
That's a good point. It goes to show that large capacity batteries are really not things unqualified users should be messing around with.
Would most users know how to use the guard or even bother using it when replacing their own batteries? Probably not. Should Apple really allow such a risk of injury?
What waste, exactly? All parts on the MBP Retina are still replaceable, the only glued part is the battery.
The battery replacement changes the top case, keyboard and touchpad. Both the case (aluminium) and touchpad (glass) are readily recyclable, leaving only the plastic in the keyboard, probably outweighed by the not having a plastic case around the battery as other computers do.
My thoughts exactly. I will withhold judgement until it becomes clear whether or not Apple is implementing some new recycling program. It would be an amazing step if Apple implemented a comprehensive scheme for recycling old machines. That would be more in keeping with the form*and*function I've come to expect from Apple.
Your location mentions Melbourne and London. In the UK, where I live, Apple will accept _any_ computer back, no matter what the make, when you buy a new Mac, and they will take back any Mac.
And people living in remote areas of Australia are much less of a problem for environmental damage than people in New York throwing broken computers into a rubbish bin, just because of the numbers. And this has nothing to do with EPEAT, because these computers just don't get recycled, but neither do Dell, HP, or any other computers in these areas.
In fact I won't buy a Retina MB Pro because it's battery sure won't last 5 years, yet to replace it you either pay Apple a fortune, or rebuild the entire computer!!
The battery lasts about four times longer than those in the original MacBook (1000 charges vs. 300, and about 7 hours per charge instead of 4 hours). Those batteries cost $129 to replace, the Retina MBP costs $199. By the time you pay $199 for the Retina MBP battery replacement, you would have spent $520 on the MacBook.
Unless you do what I did, after the second battery stopped charging the MacBook is now permanently connected to the charger. A Retina MBP surely can be used that way as well.
Never heard of EPEAT. So why should i care?
I want better computers, i don't really care about environment.
To the guys from Australia who were complaining: We just found a volunteer who will let you dump all your non-recyclable products in his garden or his living room.
Last edited:
Apple is again taking the heat for being ahead of the curve.
You can't change human nature. People want powerful, thin and light - just go look at just about any laptop review and see for yourself how important these criteria are. If Apple can do this and still recycle the machines themselves, there's no environmental issue.
EPEAT also doesn't look at tablets or mobiles, exactly the devices they should since there's so many more of them out there - look at iPad sales vs Macs! Well done EPEAT, way to make yourselves irrelevant in today's world.
I suspect EPEAT will be replaced by a more realistic and forward thinking group quite soon, so I hope their offices are as easily recyclable as their requirements, i.e. with only a screwdriver and a hammer.
Apple just jumped off that sinking ship earlier than others.
You can't change human nature. People want powerful, thin and light - just go look at just about any laptop review and see for yourself how important these criteria are. If Apple can do this and still recycle the machines themselves, there's no environmental issue.
EPEAT also doesn't look at tablets or mobiles, exactly the devices they should since there's so many more of them out there - look at iPad sales vs Macs! Well done EPEAT, way to make yourselves irrelevant in today's world.
I suspect EPEAT will be replaced by a more realistic and forward thinking group quite soon, so I hope their offices are as easily recyclable as their requirements, i.e. with only a screwdriver and a hammer.
Apple just jumped off that sinking ship earlier than others.
LOL actually found an EPEAT certified tablet:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/5/prweb9552658.htm
But I can see how it won't be very popular.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/5/prweb9552658.htm
But I can see how it won't be very popular.
A lot of agencies require EPEAT certification, so no not directly. But indirectly they help other people pick laptops that are "greener" for the environment. They provide an environmental baseline for companies to adhere to.
While I'm kind of disappointed about this, at the same time it's important to remember that epeat is a very specific measure of "environmental friendliness", and that apple is (I think) more environmentally conscious than most other electronics companies, and this still shows in other aspects of their product designs, even if the are not epeat certified. That being said, I do hope apple keeps up their general (and relative) eco-"friendliness". It's important. Our world is getting way more screwed than most people realize.
The problem is it's glued in place, you CANNOT remove it, I would imagine the only way it's done is by a special machine that breaks the battery and the casing or one or the other, think about it, Apple will charge $199 plus tax and take 3 to 4 hours to replace it in store, 3 to 4 day's if you send it away, that's because they will essentially strip your machine down, and rebuild it into a new top cover with new battery glued in place.
It's not very good IMO, but obviously Apple HAS to by law ensure it does recycle the battery's and it's aluminium.
I don't class the computer as a throw away as no doubt the average machine will last for 4 years or so before needing a new battery, I doubt it's any less environmentally friendly at the end of the day, and you do have a solution to replacing the battery's.
But people have been so used to changing their own laptop battery's, it's a shame Apple don't want you to. But that's why it has dropped the EPEAT certification as it declares you can take the machine apart and replace items easily.
As for the Retina's screen being glued into the top cover argument, that's a moot point as you would alway's change the whole top cover anyway, far less hassle, then someone else can worry about breaking it down for recycling.
However, the other issue with this is the markets Apple has just closed off to itself, which are vast and large from what I can gather. It's a very strange and backward business decision to make, just for a thinner laptop design.
It is clear the retina macbook pro is disposable and clearly their direction. Its not repairable and has a 1yr or optional 3yr only. Really, really bad move and bad sign for Apples direction.
Said the fanboy, you went as far as to include mac in your username...
I am here because MacRumors is a great source (if not the best on the internet) of apple related news and a open forum for discussion about everything, whether that be apple related or not. I bring a level headed, non bias opinion to the table and it is not required that you own a mac to be eligible to comment, discuss or help new users who want advice. Sometimes it's good to listen to others opinions, whose interest span further than just apple, you may learn something.
This is my forum/news site for apple, I have others for non apple related interests... anything else?
Remember the "Greenest Family of Notebooks" Campaign only 3 years ago? What a difference a few years can make: A complete reversal of direction.
Apple TV Ad: Introducing the Greenest Family of Notebooks
http://youtu.be/n42XFU3GLOk
Apple TV Ad: Introducing the Greenest Family of Notebooks
http://youtu.be/n42XFU3GLOk
To be totally honest, I could care less about the environment. Therefore, the EPEAT mess really doesn't bother me. What does bother me is the fact that the consumer does not have full access and upgradeability after shelling out $2200 on a laptop. That's ridiculous. Apple's "new direction" sucks, and I would rather have a computer that I could fix myself than to shed 0.000384 inches on the enclosure (hyperbole). For this reason, I have remained on my white Macbook from 2008 until this day. It has seen two hard drives, a memory max out, and a bezel/top enclosure replacement. If I was not able to upgrade my memory, I would be stuck with 1GB which would be severely underpowered for Lion.
I am not a fan boy, but I love Apple products. I understand that they are going in a "new direction" but that new direction does not have to eliminate the possibility of upgrading your computer yourself. Why is it mutually exclusive? Why can't the "new direction" incorporate the ability to swap out battery, RAM, etc?
There's no way to get around the fact that Apple products are more expensive than the competition. I'm ok with this extra expense when I have full confidence that my computer will last as long as my white MacBook has. When PC fanboys would criticize me for using an Apple, my comebacks were: awesome OS and QUALITY, long lasting materials. The latter comeback is now defunct.
I am not a fan boy, but I love Apple products. I understand that they are going in a "new direction" but that new direction does not have to eliminate the possibility of upgrading your computer yourself. Why is it mutually exclusive? Why can't the "new direction" incorporate the ability to swap out battery, RAM, etc?
There's no way to get around the fact that Apple products are more expensive than the competition. I'm ok with this extra expense when I have full confidence that my computer will last as long as my white MacBook has. When PC fanboys would criticize me for using an Apple, my comebacks were: awesome OS and QUALITY, long lasting materials. The latter comeback is now defunct.
There is this thing called an "uninterruptible power supply" you can buy for that you know
iPads and iPhones aren't under EPEAT rules so it's moot on that one
And for the record, Apple has nothing to do with the FAA decision. Or any other group picking up the iPad for use. The groups alone make that call
----------
They want iPads, not laptops, in schools and those are void of EPEAT anyway. So I doubt they really care that much.
Besides groups that picked to go with EPEAT can always unpick it and in a year or so they may all have.
----------
The issue there being that they don't have the tools to pull it apart before they toss it in a shredder. Which means it cuts into their business and their money making. Nothing more or less.