Apple Shares 2021 Environmental Progress Report

[fncd]

How about with the $.05 that they save from the production of a larger box, power adapter, and earphones they switch from Lightning to USB-C.

Edit: Oh that's right - Apple is still producing them, they are just making people pay extra for them (and the packaging / shipping) now.

 

[anthogag]

It was unnecessary to YOU. Now how much carbon will be emitted dealing with support phone calls, YouTube searches, and trips to the apple store to teach people how to enable iCloud syncing if Apple gives in to your idea and doesn’t turn it on by default?

No, it's not "ME". I am normally editing a picture like anyone else would and every edit goes through the iCloud back-up process.

How about you list 1,000 more but...but...but reasons

 

[cmaier]

No, it's not "ME". I am normally editing a picture like anyone else would and every edit goes through the iCloud back-up process.

How about you list 1,000 more reasons

Yes, the edit goes through the iCloud back-up process, which is WHAT MOST PEOPLE WANT. Why would you want to edit a photo and NOT have it backed up to icloud and available on your other devices? You think when grandma drops her phone in the toilet she wants to lose all her photos? You think that people won‘t be confused when there are different versions of the same photo on different devices? Instead of just resorting to name-calling, perhaps consider that your own personal desires are not shared by the vast majority of apple’s customers, as evidenced by the fact that nobody knows what apple’s customers want more than apple, and that’s what apple gives them.

 

[cmaier]

How about with the $.05 that they save from the production of a larger box, power adapter, and earphones they switch from Lightning to USB-C.

Edit: Oh that's right - Apple is still producing them, they are just making people pay extra for them (and the packaging / shipping) now.

I wasn’t aware the chargers were massless and thus cost no money to ship around the world.

 

[fncd]

...evidenced by the fact that nobody knows what apple’s customers want more than apple, and that’s what apple gives them...

So that's why we can't have Nvidia GPUs in our MacBooks. . . Nobody wants them. Thanks for clearing that up

 

[BigMcGuire]

Sure, but it the last few versions of ios you don’t even have to store those. You just share right from the screen shot screen and click the trash can icon and it’s never stored on your device or iCloud in the first place.

For me it still loads up my deleted photos folder ? I just tried now - took a screenshot, sent to my wife, and deleted screenshot in the screenshot edit phase. Still showed up in my Mac's deleted photos (meaning uploaded to iCloud).

---

<--- picture of me deleting the screenshot in the screenshot edit phase after sharing screenshot to iMessages.

 

[fncd]

I wasn’t aware the chargers were massless and thus cost no money to ship around the world.

That's a fantastic job of deflection. You should work for Apple Marketing.

 

[anthogag]

Yes, the edit goes through the iCloud back-up process, which is WHAT MOST PEOPLE WANT. Why would you want to edit a photo and NOT have it backed up to icloud and available on your other devices? You think when grandma drops her phone in the toilet she wants to lose all her photos? You think that people won‘t be confused when there are different versions of the same photo on different devices? Instead of just resorting to name-calling, perhaps consider that your own personal desires are not shared by the vast majority of apple’s customers, as evidenced by the fact that nobody knows what apple’s customers want more than apple, and that’s what apple gives them.

Yes, having the instantly updated picture on several devices while it's being edited and saved is important. This coordination between Apple devices can happen locally with AirDrop or Wifi syncing if the Apple devices are on the same local network. Otherwise use iCloud for syncing.

My point is all of these little things add up to "big data" and this should also be in the report.

 

[ELman]

How are they moving the issue to other vendors on power adapters? Apple still sells power adapters. It’s just now you only buy one when you need it, and don’t incur the environmental costs of manufacture and shipping when you don’t.

You are correct. Apple does sell power adapters. Apple should give new iPhone buyers the option of a free adapter if they want one. If carbon neutral is so important why give the consumer the option of purchasing a less expensive, less environmentally safe product.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Yes, having the instantly updated picture on several devices while it's being edited and saved is important. This coordination between Apple devices can happen locally with AirDrop or Wifi syncing if the Apple devices are on the same local network. Otherwise use iCloud for syncing.

My point is all of these little things add up to "big data" and this should also be in the report.

That was one thing I really liked about Dropbox - it had the ability to scan the network to see if I had another device with Dropbox - no need to download it from the cloud again. Never understood why more services didn't do this.

I have almost 100GB of photos. Why should my iPhone redownload all from iCloud when I have my MBP with all my photos sitting on the same wifi network? Now that would be nice especially when I have to set up a new device.

But in the end, I don't think 100GB is all that expensive. Even for Amazon S3 costs - it's pennies that users pay for anyway (iCloud storage) so it probably isn't worth the dev time.

 

[fncd]

You are correct. Apple does sell power adapters. Apple should give new iPhone buyers the option of a free adapter if they want one. If carbon neutral is so important why give the consumer the option of purchasing a less expensive, less environmentally safe product.

Also to the point - why provide a usb-c to lightning cable when they know that a large percentage of iPhone owners don't have a usb-c adapter to use it with?

 

[cmaier]

You are correct. Apple does sell power adapters. Apple should give new iPhone buyers the option of a free adapter if they want one. If carbon neutral is so important why give the consumer the option of purchasing a less expensive, less environmentally safe product.

Why give consumers the option?

Do you even hear yourself?

 

[BigMcGuire]

That's a fantastic job of deflection. You should work for Apple Marketing.

But there was an environmental savings there. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think for a second that this was the motivation. But doesn't negate that there was an environmental savings.

Also to the point - why provide a usb-c to lightning cable when they know that a large percentage of iPhone owners don't have a usb-c adapter to use it with?

Most people I know have USB C chargers. Siblings/friends I know with kids - definitely (Nintendo Switches, etc). Former Android users? Definitely. Most of my house is USB C right now. Granted, my experience isn't everyone but I think assuming a large percentage might not be as large.

 

[fncd]

Why give consumers the option?

Do you even hear yourself?

But you just said that Apple knows best. Apple doesn't provide options, they provide the "apple way". You can't have both.

 

[BigMcGuire]

But you just said that Apple knows best. Apple doesn't provide options, they provide the "apple way". You can't have both.

Apple has access to the exact sales data and has marketing departments whose 24/7 job is to look at this stuff. I'm pretty sure they didn't make this decision lightly.

 

[fncd]

Apple has access to the sales data and has marketing departments whose 24/7 job is to look at this stuff. I'm pretty sure they didn't make this decision lightly.

Oh, I'm sure it took all of 10 seconds to say "If we include a USB-C to lightning cable in the box, multi-generational iPhone owners will be happy to buy a $25.00 adapter for it from us."

 

[BigMcGuire]

Oh, I'm sure it took all of 10 seconds to say "If we include a USB-C to lightning cable in the box, that multi-generational iPhone owners will be happy to buy a $25.00 adapter for it from us."

I don't work for a company nearly as big as Apple but even in our tiny company, decisions aren't made that way. lol. I'm pretty sure a company as big as Apple doesn't make decisions like that either.

Don't get me wrong... companies exist for the want of profit. To make their shareholders $. Environment may be a growing goal but it is not the #1 goal.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Yes, having the instantly updated picture on several devices while it's being edited and saved is important. This coordination between Apple devices can happen locally with AirDrop or Wifi syncing if the Apple devices are on the same local network. Otherwise use iCloud for syncing.

My point is all of these little things add up to "big data" and this should also be in the report.

Check this out, I just did an Amazon AWS cost estimator:

• Tiered price for: 200 GB
• 200 GB x 0.0230000000 USD = 4.60 USD
• Total tier cost = 4.6000 USD (S3 Standard storage cost)
• 100,000 PUT requests for S3 Storage x 0.000005 USD per request = 0.50 USD (S3 Standard PUT requests cost)
• 100,000 GET requests in a month x 0.0000004 USD per request = 0.04 USD (S3 Standard GET requests cost)
• 10 GB x 0.0007 USD = 0.007 USD (S3 select returned cost)
• 200 GB x 0.002 USD = 0.40 USD (S3 select scanned cost)
• 4.60 USD + 0.04 USD + 0.50 USD + 0.007 USD + 0.40 USD = 5.55 USD (Total S3 Standard Storage, data requests, S3 select cost)
• S3 Standard cost (monthly): 5.55 USD

That's uploading 200GB a month (way more than most people).

Granted that doesn't include transmission costs but if Amazon can make a profit on this, I'm going to assume actual infrastructure power costs are going to be less than half of this.

Just downloading the environmental report PDF cost 20MB! <cough>

 

[fncd]

Check this out, I just did an Amazon AWS cost estimator:

• Tiered price for: 200 GB
• 200 GB x 0.0230000000 USD = 4.60 USD
• Total tier cost = 4.6000 USD (S3 Standard storage cost)
• 100,000 PUT requests for S3 Storage x 0.000005 USD per request = 0.50 USD (S3 Standard PUT requests cost)
• 100,000 GET requests in a month x 0.0000004 USD per request = 0.04 USD (S3 Standard GET requests cost)
• 10 GB x 0.0007 USD = 0.007 USD (S3 select returned cost)
• 200 GB x 0.002 USD = 0.40 USD (S3 select scanned cost)
• 4.60 USD + 0.04 USD + 0.50 USD + 0.007 USD + 0.40 USD = 5.55 USD (Total S3 Standard Storage, data requests, S3 select cost)
• S3 Standard cost (monthly): 5.55 USD

That's uploading 200GB a month (way more than most people).

Granted that doesn't include transmission costs but if Amazon can make a profit on this, I'm going to assume actual infrastructure power costs are going to be less than half of this.

Just downloading the environmental report PDF cost 20MB! <cough>

Just stay away from Route 53.

 

[anthogag]

Check this out, I just did an Amazon AWS cost estimator:

• Tiered price for: 200 GB
• 200 GB x 0.0230000000 USD = 4.60 USD
• Total tier cost = 4.6000 USD (S3 Standard storage cost)
• 100,000 PUT requests for S3 Storage x 0.000005 USD per request = 0.50 USD (S3 Standard PUT requests cost)
• 100,000 GET requests in a month x 0.0000004 USD per request = 0.04 USD (S3 Standard GET requests cost)
• 10 GB x 0.0007 USD = 0.007 USD (S3 select returned cost)
• 200 GB x 0.002 USD = 0.40 USD (S3 select scanned cost)
• 4.60 USD + 0.04 USD + 0.50 USD + 0.007 USD + 0.40 USD = 5.55 USD (Total S3 Standard Storage, data requests, S3 select cost)
• S3 Standard cost (monthly): 5.55 USD

That's uploading 200GB a month (way more than most people).

Granted that doesn't include transmission costs but if Amazon can make a profit on this, I'm going to assume actual infrastructure power costs are going to be less than half of this.

Just downloading the environmental report PDF cost 20MB! <cough>

Amazon? Are you joking? Amazon is part of the problem, not the cure, for addressing climate change issues.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Amazon? Are you joking? Amazon is part of the problem, not the cure, for addressing climate change issues.

I'm no fan of Amazon, my point was to show how much it costs to move 200GB of data a month with "normal" cloud usage (with put/list requests).

Amazon is hardly the beacon for environmental / worker treatment change - I wasn't intending to suggest that at all .

 

[gf1b]

Actually, I’d think their biggest environmental impact lies in the products Apple puts out into the world. Apple’s reported repairability scores as mandated by the French government were telling. Curious about the Company’s silence on right to repair, planned obsolescence, and upgradability. Recycling is a far less environmental option than reduction and reuse.

 

[hans1972]

My trouble with this is Apple is just moving the the issue to another vendors. Especially when it comes to power adapters.

If it is important to you, buy power adapters from Apple or other vendors who are carbon neutral.

If you don't care you can buy power adapters from anyone.

 

[AlifTheUnseen]

Wow, businesses-not-ruining-the-planet thread went to iCloud photos argument hotwheel... LOL!

In a time when all the happy Paris-signing governments fail to implement actions to reduce the growth of greenhouse gas emissions a tiny weeny bit, it's good to see big companies such as Apple, and yes... Amazon, Tesla and others take steps towards sustainable business. It's a bumpy road ahead and a lot of criticism is justified, but I am very glad Apple is as active as they are. Some years ago, as they hired Lisa Jackson, I knew they are willing to go beyond green PR... and it shows. Thanks, Lisa, thanks, Tim and everyone helping to prevent that we ruin the planet.

 

[hans1972]

iCloud, by default, backs-up everything to iCloud. Photos and videos backed-up to iCloud.

I don't backup photos to iCloud because every time a picture is edited it goes through the upload process again and if I delete a picture after I use it the whole iCloud backup process was for nothing.

This goes-on for millions of Apple users every day. How much unnecessary iCloud traffic goes-on every day for Apple users? This is a stain on Apple's "Environmental Progress Report".

Then you would have a problem with every cloud synching service including Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive.
Also think about Office 365 which have autosave turned on. Every time you do a change in an Office application which are stored in online SharePoint, Teams and alike the changes synchronises.

Also in iCloud Photo Library syncing I wouldn't be surprised if only the commands you used for editing was sent over not the entire photo again.