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It's less expensive and MUCH less toxic to the environment than plastic.

When it comes to the environment aluminium is a dog for eating energy so I doubt it's realy more "eco" than plastic.

Also keep in mind that the cases are the smallest worry if a cell-phone ends on a landfill or is being burned.

If it does end up in proper recycling, they are just gonna grind it down, seperate the casing from the rest. If that casing is aluminium, seperating will cost more energy before it's refined and cast into a new product (useing even more energy).
If it's plastic seperation will be done based weight either sending it over an air-cushion or letting it swim on water (very little energy needed) and than it will be made into a flowerpot or garden-furniture.

In the end it won't make much of a difference.
 
Serious question:

Is plastic manufacturing that much cheaper/easier than aluminum? There are many new processes for aluminum smelting that will make the [already efficient] Hall-Héroult process seem antiquated.

Ironically, China is the top producer of aluminum, followed by Russia, Canada and the USA. Over the last 50 years, Australia has become a major producer of bauxite ore and a major producer and exporter of alumina (before being overtaken by China in 2007).

It's less expensive and MUCH less toxic to the environment than plastic. I do not understand the reasoning for a "cheaper" plastic iPhone, aluminum anodizing allows for colors and is already being used by Apple. Not even going to mention the mess plastic waste has made of this planet, which is astronomical.

When it comes to a phone with radio signals, yes, plastic is much cheaper than a combined aluminum/glass body.
 
I'm not so sure about that. Aluminium production is very energy intensive and uses a lot of chemicals. The second generation of bioplastics can be produced in a very environmentally friendly process and many types are even biodegradable.

Not necessarily true:

Aluminum is currently the best material for mass production in products, especially tech due to e-waste. Bauxite being the most common aluminium ore. Refinement uses much less energy to produce, and is improving with recent advancements, especially compared to the Hall-Héoult Process (the major industrial process aluminum extraction). Aluminum is theoretically 100% recyclable without any loss of its natural qualities and requires only 5% of the energy used to produce aluminium from ore, though a significant part (up to 15% of the input material) is lost as dross (ash-like oxide). Recycled aluminium is known as secondary aluminium, but maintains the same physical properties as primary aluminium. Secondary aluminium is produced in a wide range of formats and is employed in 80% of alloy injections. The process produces aluminium billets, together with a highly complex waste material, which can be reused as a filler in asphalt and concrete.

Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times (http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html). Plastic produces more waste from recycling and general consumer discard. Recycling produces more pollutants, including chemical stews when breaking down different products.

Recycling is not cost-efficient and annually results in a net loss. It costs $50-60 to landfill a ton versus $150+/- to recycle. Only the recycling of aluminum really makes any money. Reclaiming metals is feasible and fairly easy, whereas plastics and paper are expensive, wasteful and overly difficult. The biggest disadvantage to recycling is that it gives the consuming public a false sense of 'security'; a sense that they're doing something to benefit the environment. recycling can be bad for the environment. In fact, except for materials like metal and some glass, recycling is almost always bad for the environment. One of the best places to start is with a report from Perc.org, called the Eight Great Myths of Recycling. "One argument made for recycling notes that we live on a finite planet. With a growing population, we must, it seems, run out of resources."

E-waste is a major issue, especially with plastics. There are 2 plastic islands the size of Texas, one in the Pacific Ocean - the "Great Pacific garbage patch"and one in the Indian Ocean and more being discovered almost monthly.

The patch is characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge and other debris that have been trapped by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre. Despite its size and density, the patch is not visible from satellite photography, since it consists primarily of suspended particulates in the upper water column. Since plastics break down to even smaller polymers, concentrations of submerged particles are not visible from space, nor do they appear as a continuous debris field.

Newly Discovered 'Plastic Island' Shows Global Epidemic Worsening

Charles Moore - TED discussion on plastic - 7 minutes but alarming facts on plastic toxicity and huge annual increases in waste.

As Japan has serious garbage issues, a Japanese scientist invented a machine that breaks any plastic down into oil! I've mentioned the on MacRumors before as it is an issue the tech industry needs to take into serious consideration. This device is no larger than a microwave and uses less energy than a coffee maker. Read and watch the short 5 min video, if for nothing else than the tech as it's amazing. Hoping quick mainstream adoption lowers the $10k price tag quickly enough for residential use and can make up for its price by reusing the oil. Used in large industrial recycling centers would be amazing!

Plastic to oil fantastic


While everyone is celebrating a new plastic device, my concern is the waste this will produce when thousands then millions more upgrade every year.

If you got this far, thank you. Collectively we can make a difference in plastic usage by "voting with our dollars". We don't need more waste; plastic in tech produces much more waste (and chemical waste from wires, displays, etc) than other naturally occurring metals and smelting. It's great Apple is trying to produce a lower cost iPhone, however plastic shouldn't be much cheaper than smelting aluminum, especially as Apple has dedicated plants for product shells using green energy.
 

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Serious question:

Is plastic manufacturing that much cheaper/easier than aluminum? There are many new processes for aluminum smelting that will make the [already efficient] Hall-Héroult process seem antiquated.

Ironically, China is the top producer of aluminum, followed by Russia, Canada and the USA. Over the last 50 years, Australia has become a major producer of bauxite ore and a major producer and exporter of alumina (before being overtaken by China in 2007).

It's less expensive and MUCH less toxic to the environment than plastic. I do not understand the reasoning for a "cheaper" plastic iPhone, aluminum anodizing allows for colors and is already being used by Apple. Not even going to mention the mess plastic waste has made of this planet, which is astronomical.
I would imagine manufacturing is probably cheaper. Also I think Apple wants a clear delineation between the flagship device and the cheaper model. So the flagship device will look and feel more premium and will have new features that the cheaper model doesn't. I would imagine the goal is increased market share and less cannibalization of the flagship device.
 
One question is why ship these early to the US at all? I understand that they will sell, but doesn't Apple expect the launch day earlier adopters to buy the 5S nearly exclusively? Is anyone from the US with enough techy interest to be on these forums going to buy the 5C?

Me.
 
Hinky

Something (actually, several things) about this photo seem a little hinky to me.

- The odd assortment of only three colors (at what point in Apple's supply/distribution channels would iPhones be arranged like this?)
- The different height of the package that's flipped on its face
- The flimsy appearance of the plastic (It looks thin and cheap. Apple tends to use rigid thick plastic in its all-plastic packaging)
- The color-coordinated background on the sticker of the OS on the screen (doesn't seem like Apple to use a simple solid tone BG, as opposed to an artsy photo of a tonal range). Also the apparent lack of a clearly defined "dock" area on the sticker OS.

I may have to eat my words come Sep 10, but I'm still highly skeptical that there will be ANY 5C, cheap, multi-colored iPhone. I can maybe see it for the emerging Chinese market... maybe.

It's not really the cost of phones that's prohibitive, it's the costs of the plans. Until that changes, making a slightly cheaper iPhone isn't saving the consumer that much over the course of a contract.
 
No... iPod packaging is only curved around the sides – this has curves leading from the sides onto both the back and front of the packaging as well as the curved corners. It's far less premium looking.

But it still looks like the iPod packaging.
 
Am I the only one who feels that the iPhone 5S won't be released until Christmas season?!..
 

Thanks for this. Answers like these are what makes this forum honestly the only one that I keep coming back to.

I absolutely agree with you. In terms of plastic I was referring to the new generations of bio-plastics that are produced through fermentation or other processes. Some of these types of plastics are actually biodegradable and in quality very very close to the types of plastics we see every day. I currently do some consulting work for a bio-process facility that tests scale-up processes for these bio-plastics and it's amazing what they can produce even in large quantities. Unfortunately the quality of these plastics is not yet high enough for consumer electronics, but we are getting close.

I agree with your concern about the disposing of the handsets, but many of them go from hand to hand once or twice and I think on the whole the impact of smartphone-garbage pales in comparison to the amount of plastic grocery bags and other garbage we throw away each day.

Thanks again for those links and info!
 
Imagine if these ARE the 5S's. They've done away with an S and only have C's now.

I keep hoping that Cook will step up and burn some of the billions in cash that Apple has and leapfrog the competition. The days of a two year product cycle with an "S" variant are over. What Apple needs to do next Tuesday is announce the 5C as free on contract, the 5S as the mid grade phone and then pull the 6 out of his pocket and announce that it will go on sale right after Thanksgiving. By delaying the launch it would allow them to keep it under wraps longer. Many would wait for it - but lots would not - which is where the 5S comes in. Some folks don't like change and would gladly get the 5S. If he did that - it would shock the industry. Announce a thinner wider 6 at a price that will keep margins higher yet still have the 5S for the masses. It would keep Apple's iPhone sales at peak demand for months. If Apple gives us a 5S next week and then we have to wait an entire year for the 6 all the while Samsung launches a Galaxy S5 next spring...Apple will just continue to see its market share drop. I am a huge Apple fan...but the days of a two year cycle are over and Apple needs to step up to the plate and show the world they can lead not just in a superior OS - but in cutting edge hardware design.
 
Something (actually, several things) about this photo seem a little hinky to me.

- The odd assortment of only three colors (at what point in Apple's supply/distribution channels would iPhones be arranged like this?)
- The different height of the package that's flipped on its face
- The flimsy appearance of the plastic (It looks thin and cheap. Apple tends to use rigid thick plastic in its all-plastic packaging)
- The color-coordinated background on the sticker of the OS on the screen (doesn't seem like Apple to use a simple solid tone BG, as opposed to an artsy photo of a tonal range). Also the apparent lack of a clearly defined "dock" area on the sticker OS.

I may have to eat my words come Sep 10, but I'm still highly skeptical that there will be ANY 5C, cheap, multi-colored iPhone. I can maybe see it for the emerging Chinese market... maybe.

It's not really the cost of phones that's prohibitive, it's the costs of the plans. Until that changes, making a slightly cheaper iPhone isn't saving the consumer that much over the course of a contract.
Yeah I also noticed the top 2! Very.. strange.
 
Where are all the "No way Apple would ever release that plastic garbage!" people now?? :rolleyes:

1) Apple has already done plastic phones (3G/3GS)

2) Their new plastic phone will be the budget model, not a plastic flagship (see: Samsung)

3) Their budget model need not feel cheap despite being made of plastic (see: Nokia)
 
Apple needs to step up to the plate and show the world they can lead not just in a superior OS - but in cutting edge hardware design.

That's funny, I thought Apple was currently cutting edge in hardware design and that it was the OS that was outdated and needed iOS 7 to bring it up to par...
 
I stick with my 4s. Its fast enough for me. I might get a 5c if its very cheap.
Apple must get over that idea of one hand phone only and start building an iPhone Maxi too.

If they get to stuck in that thinking they may end up as Nokia one day.
I love apple stuff.. And i want to buy it.. Then give me a choice with a phone with a bigger screen. Please!
 
I think this is the one I have been waiting for. I jump between my office and jobsites and have cracked both a 4 and a 4s. I suspect this phone is going to being a lot more durable (like the 3GS was) and I just need a basic phone (Phone, text, email, maps - not into a lot of apps)..... Even 8 GB would be fine for me..

To be fair, I literally ran over my iPhone4 with my SAAB (the phone fell out of the pocket on my hoodie) and all it has to show for it is a few scratches, and a couple of smears in the LCD which people only notice if I show them a dark image and point it out to them. It has been dropped numerous times, and now it has a home button problem (it's what, three years old now? Reasonable failure) so when it acts up I either crack it open and re-seat the connector, or if I don't have the time or tools handy, I just drop it flat on the face and the button will work flawlessly for a few more days. Not too shabby. I don't understand how people break the screen so easily on the iPhone4 after all I have put it through - including running it over on a crushed-stone driveway. As far as I am concerned, the iPhone 4 is a virtual tank.

Now, the 3GS - durable? BWAHAHA! I gave it to my best friend when I upgraded, and she broke the screen not once, but TWICE.

All the same, I'm done with the iPhone and have turned to the dark side - for now. I got sick of waiting for real upgrades (SD slot, larger screen) so now I am a very happy Galaxy S4 user. Yes, it's cumbersome to use with one hand with the 7500mah battery installed, but with the stock battery it's not bad at all, and is lighter than my iPhone4 is.

I still keep my iPhone 4 handy - it's great for playing Plants vs. Zombies 2, and for running TomTom. It's a glorified iPod Touch now. BTW I am looking at making an SD-to-microSD adapter so I can upgrade my S4 to 160GB (128GB SD cards are out now!).
 
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