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So much for a stellar environmental record!
Why? Apple may be able to use a recycled plastic for these. They might not be as recyclable as aluminum at end of life, but realistically each Watch would have only a couple of ounces of plastic. I know that I put much more plastic into the recycling bin each day and I'm not sure what happens to it.
 
From the $17,000 solid gold Edition Apple Watch to this Cracker Jack toy
Through the years I though the same. However, the features haven't lived up to the hype (O2, temp, etc.) in my opinion.

Watches are disposable after 7-8 years and the battery tanks, and unsupported from a software perspective, so a plastic basic version actually makes more sense for most people as long as it covers basic things like heart rate, steps, and has GPS.

Considering how easy it is to break them or smash the screen, the cheaper the better.
 
plastic iPhone SE: yes. would buy it. but i would also buy an iPhone 16 if it were offered in plastic. i dont mind plastic on a mobile fon. im not trying to impress anyone with it. i want it to be fun, however.

plastic Watch SE: no. i would only buy it if it were in a plastic that is very understated and doesn't scream PLASTIC or look cheap.

the Watch is a wearable. something displayed on my wrist (even a Watch that i use for Fitness every day) is also there on my wrist when i go to dinner or at a meeting. i want something more neutral in terms of working across a variety of settings. if apple can achieve that, then yes, i would buy it. no problem. but for a wearable, that's a tall order.
aluminium (my Watch case preference), does work across gym, outside runs, business, and casual.

now, for me to feel good about buying that plastic iPhone or plastic Watch, i do need and expect apple to sell me on why its good for our planet. i think there are available plastic options that apple could use for this.
 
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Paint would add to production costs, not decrease them. Plus, there are potential durability issues: paint can scratch. And potential environmental issues with solvents being emitted during the painting process.
Molded plastics are not painted. Even the shine is built into the molding process.
 
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Through the years I though the same. However, the features haven't lived up to the hype (O2, temp, etc.) in my opinion.

Watches are disposable after 7-8 years and the battery tanks, and unsupported from a software perspective, so a plastic basic version actually makes more sense for most people as long as it covers basic things like heart rate, steps, and has GPS.

Considering how easy it is to break them or smash the screen, the cheaper the better.
I always thought it was a huge missed opportunity to not have swappable shells. So if you really were stupidcrazy enough to buy that gold-plated or ceramic first-gen Watch, you could just replace the internal hardware with a newer upgrade and keep your original watch look
 
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Seems fine if it's cheaper than the current SE line... any chance it will be though?
Aluminum costs about $1.30 per pound so there is not much material cost to be saved. The metal is machined and anodized and this is where there might be savings. Plastic can be injection molded. But the possible savings is small.
 
I always thought it was a huge missed opportunity to not have swappable shells. So if you really were stupidcrazy enough to buy that gold-plated or ceramic first-gen Watch, you could just replace the internal hardware with a newer upgrade and keep your original watch look
I always liked the stainless but could never stomach the cost knowing it would end up in electronics recycling. This is actually a cool idea I could get behind if they came up with a service like this.

It must be nice to be able to spend $17K on something that will be obsolete in less than a decade. I don't have that kind of money :)
 
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