4 ms·

The more I learn about what happens to the electronic waste we produce, it impacts my buying habits. I've been considering replacing my 2012 Macbook Air with a

by nkrisc 7y ago

The more I learn about what happens to the electronic waste we produce, it impacts my buying habits. I've been considering replacing my 2012 Macbook Air with a new Macbook, but maybe I should just keep using it as long as is absolutely possible. I mean, it still works even if it is a bit sluggish. What would really be better was if I could upgrade it. That would help minimize waste. The screen works perfectly fine, but I'd have to buy a whole new screen (and everything) just to upgrade it. Maybe I won't buy Apple anymore. Maybe I'll find a laptop that lets me upgrade components and run Linux instead. (Any suggestions?) I'm not going to personally have a material impact on the solution, but I can change my habits, and maybe convince others to change theirs. If more people knew what happens to their waste, maybe they'd change their habits too.

everdrive 7y ago
Have you ever thought about switching to a desktop? You could keep the screen, and case, and other peripherals. It'd be cheaper, and there'd be less e-waste, and you could more conceivably use the desktop for a longer period of it. My 2011 desktop PC can even play modern games, and the only upgrades have been RAM and video cards.
- nkrisc 7y ago
  Well, I already have a desktop computer too. So if I'm going to make my little contribution to the problem by having two computers, the least I can do is minimize my impact in other ways.
Scoundreller 7y ago
You can sell every single part of your MacBook Air. LCD, keyboard, trackpad, SSD logic board, power board, wifi card, etc. Even the screws. I sold every single component of mine (except the battery which was put into a bin at ikea). Just follow the ifixit guides and buy one of the% $2 screwdrivers. It behooves you to do so to keep other units out of the e-waste trade. % the screwdrivers, you don’t have to buy it from ifixit.
- germinalphrase 7y ago
  Did you sell them on EBay?
  - andihnesq 7y ago
    Wow I am indeed a schizo phrenic
  - Scoundreller 7y ago
    Yes. With ample re-use of bubble wrap and cardboard from other Ebay and Amazon packaging.
- nkrisc 7y ago
  That's a great idea, I'll look into that. Hadn't thought of scrapping it for parts.
hayksaakian 7y ago
If you're concerned about waste, you could donate your old devices to an individual you personally know who would use them. Young children and "hand me downs" are the prototypical case for this.
- nkrisc 7y ago
  I definitely plan on doing that. If I am going to get rid of my old device I'd like to find someone who will continue to use it.
threatofrain 7y ago
But I thought Apple has a reputable and serious consumer electronics recycling program; why do you think going with another laptop vendor would be better?
- GuB-42 7y ago
  Here is an article criticizing Apple recycling practices. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yp73jw/apple-recycling-iphones-macbooks https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yp73jw/apple-recycling-ip... The idea is: - Recycling is done by third parties - Recyclers who are part of Apple's program are not allowed to salvage the part, they must shred. - Only a small part of Apple products are recycled through their program.
  - Scoundreller 7y ago
    It’s truly horrible given how difficult it is to get OEM parts. This also means tons of old MacBooks are profitable to salvage for parts.
- HeWhoLurksLate 7y ago
  Apple is also one of the companies most responsible for this I-can't-fix-it-let-alone-upgrade-it garbage. Do you want to support a company that's creating a large amount of the problems, too? I'm still running an HP Pavilion from 2008 that's got a GPU strapped to it and an external monitor connected to that. It's actually capable of playing games now, (esports titles, such as CS:GO, run perfectly fine on there), but part of that is because it has a quad-core i7 mobile CPU that more or less equates to a lower-tier i5 or higher tier i3. I also have a little 14-ish inch laptop made by the same manufacturer at the same time (it has an AMD CPU) that runs really slowly even though it has an SSD in it. I also have a bunch of stuff laying around that I don't use- such as a FX-era computer with a dual-core machine, that's not even worth the trouble of setting up, and a Pentium III machine that I don't even bother with because ugh. There's a balance to be found between not wasting things, and not wasting money keeping them running- if your car is constantly breaking down, it might be time to send it to the junkyard and get a new one, but for heaven's sake, please make sure that wherever your trash is going there aren't going to be abused workers dealing with it. why do you think going with another laptop vendor would be better? There is an entire community of people running old ThinkPads and repairing them and upgrading them, because they are well-thought-out products that can withstand life, meanwhile dropping your macbook means that you've probably broken your screen and getting the full device replaced is going to be cheaper.
johnvaluk 7y ago
A friend gave me a Mid-2011 MacBookAir4,2 because some keys died, the battery lasts less than an hour on a charge, and it freezes up regularly when running MacOS. I installed Linux on it and connected it to my 4K TV (at 1080p resolution). I use a wireless keyboard and mouse with it. It runs flawlessly, and since the fan rarely kicks in, it's replaced a much more powerful (but loud) tower PC. I mainly use it for surfing the web and streaming music, with some light YouTube use. It's no longer very useful as a portable laptop, but it's a great media PC. I have some even older 2009 white MacBook5,2s that run Linux fine, as will most Intel MacBooks manufactured in 2015 or earlier. They also tend to have fast WiFi cards, so performance seems better than their processors would suggest. It's a shame to see them scrapped when they can be creatively repurposed.
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  You may be able to solve current and/or future problems if you replace the thermal compound.
opan 7y ago
The MNT Reform[1] is an interesting option, although it's not available quite yet. One thing in particular your post made me think of is the fact that they've changed the battery to a bunch of 18650s that you can swap out at your leisure. Also, it's all completely open with schematic and source code online, and they mention that if they make a RISC-V board, it'll fit in this one's chassis. [1] https://mntre.com/media/news_md/2019-05-20-reintroducing-reform.html https://mntre.com/media/news_md/2019-05-20-reintroducing-ref...

by nkrisc 7y ago

everdrive 7y ago

Have you ever thought about switching to a desktop? You could keep the screen, and case, and other peripherals. It'd be cheaper, and there'd be less e-waste, and you could more conceivably use the desktop for a longer period of it. My 2011 desktop PC can even play modern games, and the only upgrades have been RAM and video cards.

nkrisc 7y ago
Well, I already have a desktop computer too. So if I'm going to make my little contribution to the problem by having two computers, the least I can do is minimize my impact in other ways.

Scoundreller 7y ago

You can sell every single part of your MacBook Air. LCD, keyboard, trackpad, SSD logic board, power board, wifi card, etc. Even the screws. I sold every single component of mine (except the battery which was put into a bin at ikea). Just follow the ifixit guides and buy one of the% $2 screwdrivers. It behooves you to do so to keep other units out of the e-waste trade. % the screwdrivers, you don’t have to buy it from ifixit.

germinalphrase 7y ago
Did you sell them on EBay?
- andihnesq 7y ago
  Wow I am indeed a schizo phrenic
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  Yes. With ample re-use of bubble wrap and cardboard from other Ebay and Amazon packaging.
nkrisc 7y ago
That's a great idea, I'll look into that. Hadn't thought of scrapping it for parts.

hayksaakian 7y ago

If you're concerned about waste, you could donate your old devices to an individual you personally know who would use them. Young children and "hand me downs" are the prototypical case for this.

nkrisc 7y ago
I definitely plan on doing that. If I am going to get rid of my old device I'd like to find someone who will continue to use it.

threatofrain 7y ago

But I thought Apple has a reputable and serious consumer electronics recycling program; why do you think going with another laptop vendor would be better?

GuB-42 7y ago
Here is an article criticizing Apple recycling practices. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yp73jw/apple-recycling-iphones-macbooks https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/yp73jw/apple-recycling-ip... The idea is: - Recycling is done by third parties - Recyclers who are part of Apple's program are not allowed to salvage the part, they must shred. - Only a small part of Apple products are recycled through their program.
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  It’s truly horrible given how difficult it is to get OEM parts. This also means tons of old MacBooks are profitable to salvage for parts.
HeWhoLurksLate 7y ago
Apple is also one of the companies most responsible for this I-can't-fix-it-let-alone-upgrade-it garbage. Do you want to support a company that's creating a large amount of the problems, too? I'm still running an HP Pavilion from 2008 that's got a GPU strapped to it and an external monitor connected to that. It's actually capable of playing games now, (esports titles, such as CS:GO, run perfectly fine on there), but part of that is because it has a quad-core i7 mobile CPU that more or less equates to a lower-tier i5 or higher tier i3. I also have a little 14-ish inch laptop made by the same manufacturer at the same time (it has an AMD CPU) that runs really slowly even though it has an SSD in it. I also have a bunch of stuff laying around that I don't use- such as a FX-era computer with a dual-core machine, that's not even worth the trouble of setting up, and a Pentium III machine that I don't even bother with because ugh. There's a balance to be found between not wasting things, and not wasting money keeping them running- if your car is constantly breaking down, it might be time to send it to the junkyard and get a new one, but for heaven's sake, please make sure that wherever your trash is going there aren't going to be abused workers dealing with it. why do you think going with another laptop vendor would be better? There is an entire community of people running old ThinkPads and repairing them and upgrading them, because they are well-thought-out products that can withstand life, meanwhile dropping your macbook means that you've probably broken your screen and getting the full device replaced is going to be cheaper.

johnvaluk 7y ago

A friend gave me a Mid-2011 MacBookAir4,2 because some keys died, the battery lasts less than an hour on a charge, and it freezes up regularly when running MacOS. I installed Linux on it and connected it to my 4K TV (at 1080p resolution). I use a wireless keyboard and mouse with it. It runs flawlessly, and since the fan rarely kicks in, it's replaced a much more powerful (but loud) tower PC. I mainly use it for surfing the web and streaming music, with some light YouTube use. It's no longer very useful as a portable laptop, but it's a great media PC. I have some even older 2009 white MacBook5,2s that run Linux fine, as will most Intel MacBooks manufactured in 2015 or earlier. They also tend to have fast WiFi cards, so performance seems better than their processors would suggest. It's a shame to see them scrapped when they can be creatively repurposed.

Scoundreller 7y ago
You may be able to solve current and/or future problems if you replace the thermal compound.

opan 7y ago

The MNT Reform[1] is an interesting option, although it's not available quite yet. One thing in particular your post made me think of is the fact that they've changed the battery to a bunch of 18650s that you can swap out at your leisure. Also, it's all completely open with schematic and source code online, and they mention that if they make a RISC-V board, it'll fit in this one's chassis. [1] https://mntre.com/media/news_md/2019-05-20-reintroducing-reform.html https://mntre.com/media/news_md/2019-05-20-reintroducing-ref...