Retina MacBook Pro Could Lose EPEAT Status

[firestarter]

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

In their move to retina displays on both the iPad and rMBP, Apple has chosen a technology that seems to be 70%* (or more) less energy efficient than its predecessor (*based on the increase in battery size on the iPad 3).

While retina is a great new feature, this move is absolutely not environmentally friendly in any way. I expect that Apple removed their devices from EPEAT just to avoid negative publicity here. I expect Apple's own EPEAT ratings to be downgraded when they're audited.

 

[Marcus-k]

In terms of recyclability I don't quit get the issue with glue?

Doesn't that make it easier to remove and recycle the battery?

The fact that the battery is not packed in some plastic casing also sounds like a big plus in term of less non-recyclable material used?

How would something glued in be easier to remove then if it was attached by screws like they used to be or not attached at all except for friction?

According to people dissasembling the rMBP the glue is so strong that you can't remove it without damaging the battery, which would cause the battery to leak dangerous chemicals and present a firehazard.

 

[dagamer34]

What I really don't get is the removal of ALL of their devices from EPEAT. There is little doubt that any government or school will be buying the Retina MacBook Pro in significant quantities were it not EPEAT certified, but most places have a far heavier slant towards iMacs and low end MacBook Airs/Pros anyway which are specifically called out with education SKUs.

An unforced error.

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How would something glued in be easier to remove then if it was attached by screws like they used to be or not attached at all except for friction?

According to people dissasembling the rMBP the glue is so strong that you can't remove it without damaging the battery, which would cause the battery to leak dangerous chemicals and present a firehazard.

I also don't think that a "trained" Apple repair technician would be significantly better than the people at iFixIt.

 

[Shrink]

So much confusion. So much indecision.

And here we witness the chaos without Steve Jobs.

I'm actually surprised that the world has gone on in any fashion without Steve Jobs.

Without Steve Jobs...chaos reigns! Indecision destroys all.

Without Steve Jobs...life as we know it is over.

That's it...before it gets any worse, I'm going to sit in a warm bath and open my veins...

 

[GadgetDon]

What I really don't get is the removal of ALL of their devices from EPEAT. There is little doubt that any government or school will be buying the Retina MacBook Pro in significant quantities were it not EPEAT certified, but most places have a far heavier slant towards iMacs and low end MacBook Airs/Pros anyway which are specifically called out with education SKUs.

An unforced error.

Apple only removes the Retina MacBook Pro, EPEAT waggles its finger at Apple at tells them to do better.

Apple removes all devices from EPEAT, EPEAT leadership considers the bad PR implications of one of the founding companies jumping ship which might get other companies to jump ship, calls Tim Cook and says "Let's talk". After some negotiations for "flexibility", Apple issues mea culpa and relists everything.

And yes, Apple jumping ship would be bad for EPEAT, might not take the same hit Apple took from the general public, but Apple's continued listing of EPEAT helps push EPEAT as something devices should have.

 

[york2600]

Probably not, actually. Government offices and corporations don't use Macs very much to begin with, and when they do they usually aren't portables. Assuming it just affects the RMBP, anyways.

Reasons why this statement is totally wrong:

Government includes schools and corporations are buying tons of Macs now. As soon as my company gave people the option Macs became 1/2 of new purchases. We have tons of them.

 

[Aodhan]

The glued in battery is inexplicable. They could have just as easily used double-sided tape. You can get it as thin as masking tape, and it could relatively easily be separated. Soldered ram means a wasted motherboard if it goes bad, plus there's no upgradeability. Proprietary flash drive too. These are some of the reasons I cancelled my Retina order.

Gluing that battery in like they did, though... it almost seems malicious.

 

[iCaleb]

I say Apple should start to allow user replaceable batteries on all portable devices.

And if they really wanted to I bet they could make the battery door look pretty sleek / stylish.

Things I hate Apple for.

No user replaceable battery's.

No wired track pad / wired magic mouse.

No anti reflective glass yet.

No dsl / cable modems built into airport products.

No black / white colored Apple products any more......people should have a choice when it comes to colors.

No Blu-ray.

On some iMac's dust and black junk can get stuck under the screen.....Apple should SEAL the display.

The only good thing I like about Apple would be their operating system's.

 

[MuppetGate]

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

In their move to retina displays on both the iPad and rMBP, Apple has chosen a technology that seems to be 70%* (or more) less energy efficient than its predecessor (*based on the increase in battery size on the iPad 3).

While retina is a great new feature, this move is absolutely not environmentally friendly in any way. I expect that Apple removed their devices from EPEAT just to avoid negative publicity here. I expect Apple's own EPEAT ratings to be downgraded when they're audited.

Dunno.

With Apple putting all its products back on the EPEAT register, I would think that this has been thrashed out already.

 

[KPOM]

Fortune[/url], however, cites the Electronics TakeBack Coalition's Barbara Kyle in a blog posting that expressed doubts that this rating will ultimately stick:Kyle cites issues with required criteria for EPEAT's "Design for End of Life" which may prohibit the use of glue to attach the battery to the casing as has been seen on the Retina MacBook Pro.

I doubt this very seriously. Before they put their products back on, this had to have been something they discussed. Otherwise, it would be an even bigger issue when the rMPB came off the list.

Indeed... from everything I've seen over the past 3 months I fully expect Apple will see a rather dramatic decline in market domination going forward. And from that, direct evidence to the concept that Steve Jobs really was one of the greatest pioneers in the tech industry.

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It's been 9 months since his death. Will we always here "this would never have happened under Steve Jobs" or words to that effect whenever Apple meets with bad PR? Antennagate happened under Steve Jobs. So did the G4 Cube and "lamp"-style iMac. A lot of people regarded the first MacBook Air as a flop. Heck, even the original iPad introduction left some prominent tech reviewers underwhelmed, and provided fodder for comedians.

It will be tough for Apple to remain on top. That much is certain. However, it would have been tough even for Steve Jobs. Samsung would still have a Galaxy SIII, courts would still be ruling the way they are, Microsoft would still be making a Surface, and Google would still be making a Nexus 7 even if Steve were around.

Most of the team that he built is still around. Ron Johnson left to be CEO of JC Penney (but might be regretting that move), and Bob Mansfield is retiring, but the core crew, including the design team, is still around.

 

[Rogifan]

How will the world survive if the rMBP doesn't meet EPEAT standards. guess I better sell my Apple stock...

 

[Amnesia87]

Things I hate Apple for.

No user replaceable battery's.

- Who cares. The battery is rated to last 5 years... And the replacement cost is fairly reasonable.

No wired track pad / wired magic mouse.

- Seriously?

No anti reflective glass yet.

- Ummm anti-glare screens are available as an option for the MacBook Pro, and is rumored to be included in the iMac refresh whenever that actually happens.

No black / white colored Apple products any more......people should have a choice when it comes to colors.

- Really? Why does it matter what color your computer is? It's a computer not a fashion accessory.

No Blu-ray.

- This I will agree with just cause I can't figure out what possible reason they have for not including it. The drives are cheap now.

On some iMac's dust and black junk can get stuck under the screen.....Apple should SEAL the display.

- You do understand HOW an iMac is assembled and serviced right? The glass can't be sealed since pulling the glass off is how you open up an iMac. Sealing the glass would seal the entire computer

The only good thing I like about Apple would be their operating system's.

 

[Rogifan]

Btw it was reported (I thnk in Fortune) that Apple spends millions of dollars every year for their products to be part of this EPEAT listing. I'm sorry but tat seems a waste of money to me. Being environmentally responsible in terms of recycling and removing toxins from electronic devices is common sense. It's not like Apple would be dumping things in a landfill if EPEAT wasn't around.

 

[johncrab]

So what if it does? EPEAT is just a standards scam, fed by those who attach meaning to irrelevant certifications because they're too dumb to determine if a product meets their needs.

 

[firestarter]

Dunno.

With Apple putting all its products back on the EPEAT register, I would think that this has been thrashed out already.

Then what was the reason for pulling them in the first place?

I think Apple fears downgrading and negative publicity, as the new devices have higher power usage and worse recyclability than their predecessors.

 

[Pyrrhic Victory]

Oh my god, it uses GLUE! It could destroy the rainforest! BAN IT!!!

 

[satkin2]

Surely with a chemical compound the glue can be dissolved or removed somehow, maybe this would mean that it would have to go to Apple for recycling, or that it would be much more expensive for recyclers, but just because there is glue doesn't mean that parts can never be separated again.

 

[malman89]

Reasons why this statement is totally wrong:

Government includes schools and corporations are buying tons of Macs now. As soon as my company gave people the option Macs became 1/2 of new purchases. We have tons of them.

If something is true for me, it must be true for all. Especially when I live in a super hip/progressive/liberal part of the country. The same can be said for everywhere!

Schools (universities) are 50/50 at best (if not 50-70% Windows) due to different programs, having the money, having the need - which really can't be said for many K-12 institutions.

Government operations are probably as minimally Mac as necessary.

Corporations - just depends on the company/industry.

I'm sure there's a much greater proliferation of iPads and iPhones than Macs in schools, government, and corporations, but as seen in the market share, there's still no mega-Mac takeover. Not yet.

 

[Major.Robto]

What is apple thinking with the MBPR

No upgrade for ram,
No upgrade for the SSD
No replaceable battrie at all, and its glued in.

What the hell.

What if the macintosh was never made, Would 1984 been like what the book said?

Guess, I should go read it.

You know I thought apple was about creativity and choice and stuff like that,

Where is the choice? The choice of parts and such? I think to be honest my next computer is a pc running OSX

 

[iBug2]

I don't see any government office buying a retina MBP. Regular MBP yes but retina? No way. No reason they should.

 

[McKs]

Makes sense to me. No upgradability, means it gets tossed as soon as better performance is needed. I don't know about the rest of the world admitedly, but where I'm from recycling is almost unheard of and considered unnecessary and a waste of time.

Ah, yes, the american. This is for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16K6m3Ua2nw

This glue thing deserves to blow up in Apple's face.
Using glue is just poor engineering, it's not elegant and frankly undeserving of a (self proclaimed, no less) high end product.
And it adds unnescessary difficulty for both replacement in the event of early failure, and end of life recycability.

 

[MuppetGate]

It's been 9 months since his death. Will we always here "this would never have happened under Steve Jobs" or words to that effect whenever Apple meets with bad PR? Antennagate happened under Steve Jobs. So did the G4 Cube and "lamp"-style iMac. A lot of people regarded the first MacBook Air as a flop. Heck, even the original iPad introduction left some prominent tech reviewers underwhelmed, and provided fodder for comedians.

And let's not forget that stock option scandal that we never really got to the bottom of. Amazing to hear people talk as though he never made a mistake while he was in charge of Apple.

 

[Rogifan]

Oh my god, it uses GLUE! It could destroy the rainforest! BAN IT!!!

Yes we're all going to die sooner because Apple uses glue in it's products and makes more room for bigger batteries because *shock* people want devices that go longer without requiring a charge and *shock* want beautiful displays that require more power. How dare consumers ask for this. And how dare Apple meet consumers demands.

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What is apple thinking with the MBPR

No upgrade for ram,
No upgrade for the SSD
No replaceable battrie at all, and its glued in.

What the hell.

What if the macintosh was never made, Would 1984 been like what the book said?

Guess, I should go read it.

You know I thought apple was about creativity and choice and stuff like that,

Where is the choice? The choice of parts and such? I think to be honest my next computer is a pc running OSX

Last time I checked no one was forced to purchase a rMBP. Apple does have other options. Oh and of course everyone ha the choice to buy something other an Apple. Great, isn't it?

 

[DoNoHarm]

I've also been really surprised with the trend of MBP's and MBA's with all these non replacable parts. They've put so much thought into the designs that I refuse to believe that this is the only way. I think they are purposefully designing them this way to encourage more people to throw them out instead of upgrading.

In fact, with the outer body largely remaining the same, why not even make them so that you can replace the logic board from say a 2009 model like mine to a new 2012 model? Some ports have changed, but if they wanted to, I'm sure the could have designed their new logic boards to have the newer ports in the place where the larger ports used to be and users could fit them in with adapters.

They don't care about the environment, they just care about profit.

 

[MuppetGate]

Surely with a chemical compound the glue can be dissolved or removed somehow, maybe this would mean that it would have to go to Apple for recycling, or that it would be much more expensive for recyclers, but just because there is glue doesn't mean that parts can never be separated again.

If it's the same adhesive they use in the iPads, then it may be as simple as running a hairdryer over the underside of the laptop to soften the glue.

In case I'm right, I'm going to start off the next round of complaints if that's okay.

"Apple's manufacturing processes prevent the battery from being removed by bald people."