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Apple, the company that requires the entire panel to be replaced by design when a 6 dollar display cable malfunctions, is proud to announce its latest marketing

Apple, the company that requires the entire panel to be replaced by design when a 6 dollar display cable malfunctions, is proud to announce its latest marketing slogan for a better environment.

rubyist5eva 5y ago
Obsession with emissions has really made people start to miss the forest from the trees.
- castis 5y ago
  Could you elaborate on what you mean by this?
  - supertrope 5y ago
    I'm guessing they mean greenwashing statements about lower CO2 emissions glosses over more "traditional" pollution as heavy metals, organic solvents, SO2, NOx. Taming overconsumption is greener than finding ways to marginally reduce per unit emissions on ever more industrial production.
  - 8ytecoder 5y ago
    Not OP. Personally, I've had Dell, HP and Sony laptops. But the macs have been the longest lasting of them all. My personal pro is from 2015. It has also come to a point where none of the extensions makes sense for me. 512GB is plenty. RAM might be an issue - but I honestly don't have enough data on that. The last time I had more than 16GB RAM was in 2008 on my hand built desktop. As long as the battery can be replaced/fixed - even if it's not user serviceable, I'm okay with that. I'd guess I'm not in the minority here. Most people buy a computer and then take it to the store even if there's a minor issue. And Apple actually shines here. I have gotten my other laptop serviced - but only in unauthorized locations with questionable spare parts. With Apple, every non-tech savvy person I know has been able to take to an Apple store at some point and thereby extend the life. That's why I believe having easily accessible service locations does more to device longevity than being user-serviceable. (In comparison, HTC wanted 4 weeks to fix my phone plus 1wk either way in shipping time and me paying shipping costs in addition to the cost of repair. Of course, I abandoned the phone entirely than paying to fix it.) We could actually test this hypothesis - if we could ask an electronics recycler on the average age of the devices they get by brand, we should get a clear idea on what brands actually last longer.
    - fomine3 5y ago
      Apple don't offer cheaper laptops. No one doubt it lasts longer in average.
    - caddybox 5y ago
      I'd much rather have the ability to fix a device myself than be locked into a vendor controlled repair solution. I've been able to extend the life of many devices I've had (the earliest from 2010) through repairs like dust removal, RAM upgrades and thermal paste reapplication. Also worth noting that some people might be taking laptops to repair shops precisely because they are not user serviceable. Companies like framework are trying to change this with well-labelled internals and easily available parts.
- jedberg 5y ago
  Emissions affect everyone on the planet, no matter where they happen. But polluting the ground or water only happens in China, so a lot of Americans that care about emissions don't care about the other types of pollution, because it doesn't affect them.
  - someperson 5y ago
    You would be surprised just how much food you eat has been grown in China using polluted land and water. It's not so much fresh vegetables, but ingredients in other types of food -- especially the frozen fruit, vegetables and farmed seafood that finds its way into grocery store and restaurant supply chains.
  - RNCTX 5y ago
    > But polluting the ground or water only happens in China I see you've never been to Houston.
  - bigbillheck 5y ago
    > But polluting the ground or water only happens in China, Do you have any idea how many superfund sites are in Silicon Valley alone?
    - jedberg 5y ago
      Yes, one of them is under my house. But that’s not what my comment was about. I was pointing out the mindset of people who don’t care about ground pollution of their products because their products are made elsewhere.
rdw 5y ago
Just because you're not getting that panel back doesn't mean it's destroyed and wasted. I figure that these policies simplify their front-line technician jobs, getting faster turnaround times and higher success rates. Then they have a different department that sorts through all the removed/broken parts, repairing and using parts from them. No idea if this is what they actually do, but it would be the smart way to handle it.
- zelon88 5y ago
  Apple does nothing to improve front line technician procedures. They aren't even an engineering factor. If you happen to be able to replace something on an Apple product, it's only because the cost-benefit ratio wasn't in favor of making that part hostile to work with. Apple puts 56 screws in the Unibody MBP keyboards. They were practically the pioneer of gluing components in permanently. They don't care about technicians. Not even their own. They have been one of the leaders of the anti-right-to-repair movement from day one.
  - modulusshift 5y ago
    Oh hey they went back to screws on the keyboards? that's nice, they used to be single use plastic rivets, so at least you can redo that. Also Apple's glue isn't usually that bad to work with. Doesn't leave much residue, so as long as you know where to apply the heat you can do a clean repair and glue the new component back in.
    - techdragon 5y ago
      I think apple might have learned a painful lesson about keyboard repairability… with all those warranty repairs they are *still* stuck with.
  - stirlo 5y ago
    > Apple does nothing to improve front line technician procedures. I’m not a fan of planned obselence and waste but this is clearly wrong. They’ve spent loads of engineering effort designing a machine for their store that can replace and reseal and test iPhone screen replacements out back.
partiallypro 5y ago
Not to mention all the eWaste that comes with the AirPods.
- CharlesW 5y ago
  Who's doing better to mitigate e-waste? > "AirPods are designed with numerous materials and features to reduce their environmental impact, including the 100 percent recycled rare earth elements used in all magnets. The case also uses 100 percent recycled tin in the solder of the main logic board, and 100 percent recycled aluminum in the hinge. AirPods are also free of potentially harmful substances such as mercury, BFRs, PVC, and beryllium. For energy efficiency, AirPods meet US Department of Energy requirements for battery charger systems. Apple’s Zero Waste program helps suppliers eliminate waste sent to landfills, and all final assembly supplier sites are transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy for Apple production. In the packaging, 100 percent of the virgin wood fiber comes from responsibly managed forests."
  - partiallypro 5y ago
    Weird that they leave out the parts about the battery and casing waste; and are design to only last on average of 18 months to force you to buy new ones. https://www.vice.com/en/article/neaz3d/airpods-are-a-tragedy https://www.vice.com/en/article/neaz3d/airpods-are-a-tragedy
    - andrekandre 5y ago
      absolutely, the worst part of the airpods is the degrading non-replaceable battery... it really left a bad impression.
      - kube-system 5y ago
        Does anyone have a comparable product that doesn't have this issue?
        5y ago
kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago
As long as they plant a tree every time they replace a panel, it should be fine?
- ajyotirmay 5y ago
  We'll be able to undo most of our damage to environment this way, as it's always replacements
m3kw9 5y ago
And what are the chances of that part failing enough to impact the environment?

Apple, the company that requires the entire panel to be replaced by design when a 6 dollar display cable malfunctions, is proud to announce its latest marketing slogan for a better environment.

rubyist5eva 5y ago

Obsession with emissions has really made people start to miss the forest from the trees.

castis 5y ago
Could you elaborate on what you mean by this?
- supertrope 5y ago
  I'm guessing they mean greenwashing statements about lower CO2 emissions glosses over more "traditional" pollution as heavy metals, organic solvents, SO2, NOx. Taming overconsumption is greener than finding ways to marginally reduce per unit emissions on ever more industrial production.
- 8ytecoder 5y ago
  Not OP. Personally, I've had Dell, HP and Sony laptops. But the macs have been the longest lasting of them all. My personal pro is from 2015. It has also come to a point where none of the extensions makes sense for me. 512GB is plenty. RAM might be an issue - but I honestly don't have enough data on that. The last time I had more than 16GB RAM was in 2008 on my hand built desktop. As long as the battery can be replaced/fixed - even if it's not user serviceable, I'm okay with that. I'd guess I'm not in the minority here. Most people buy a computer and then take it to the store even if there's a minor issue. And Apple actually shines here. I have gotten my other laptop serviced - but only in unauthorized locations with questionable spare parts. With Apple, every non-tech savvy person I know has been able to take to an Apple store at some point and thereby extend the life. That's why I believe having easily accessible service locations does more to device longevity than being user-serviceable. (In comparison, HTC wanted 4 weeks to fix my phone plus 1wk either way in shipping time and me paying shipping costs in addition to the cost of repair. Of course, I abandoned the phone entirely than paying to fix it.) We could actually test this hypothesis - if we could ask an electronics recycler on the average age of the devices they get by brand, we should get a clear idea on what brands actually last longer.
  - fomine3 5y ago
    Apple don't offer cheaper laptops. No one doubt it lasts longer in average.
  - caddybox 5y ago
    I'd much rather have the ability to fix a device myself than be locked into a vendor controlled repair solution. I've been able to extend the life of many devices I've had (the earliest from 2010) through repairs like dust removal, RAM upgrades and thermal paste reapplication. Also worth noting that some people might be taking laptops to repair shops precisely because they are not user serviceable. Companies like framework are trying to change this with well-labelled internals and easily available parts.
jedberg 5y ago
Emissions affect everyone on the planet, no matter where they happen. But polluting the ground or water only happens in China, so a lot of Americans that care about emissions don't care about the other types of pollution, because it doesn't affect them.
- someperson 5y ago
  You would be surprised just how much food you eat has been grown in China using polluted land and water. It's not so much fresh vegetables, but ingredients in other types of food -- especially the frozen fruit, vegetables and farmed seafood that finds its way into grocery store and restaurant supply chains.
- RNCTX 5y ago
  > But polluting the ground or water only happens in China I see you've never been to Houston.
- bigbillheck 5y ago
  > But polluting the ground or water only happens in China, Do you have any idea how many superfund sites are in Silicon Valley alone?
  - jedberg 5y ago
    Yes, one of them is under my house. But that’s not what my comment was about. I was pointing out the mindset of people who don’t care about ground pollution of their products because their products are made elsewhere.

rdw 5y ago

Just because you're not getting that panel back doesn't mean it's destroyed and wasted. I figure that these policies simplify their front-line technician jobs, getting faster turnaround times and higher success rates. Then they have a different department that sorts through all the removed/broken parts, repairing and using parts from them. No idea if this is what they actually do, but it would be the smart way to handle it.

zelon88 5y ago
Apple does nothing to improve front line technician procedures. They aren't even an engineering factor. If you happen to be able to replace something on an Apple product, it's only because the cost-benefit ratio wasn't in favor of making that part hostile to work with. Apple puts 56 screws in the Unibody MBP keyboards. They were practically the pioneer of gluing components in permanently. They don't care about technicians. Not even their own. They have been one of the leaders of the anti-right-to-repair movement from day one.
- modulusshift 5y ago
  Oh hey they went back to screws on the keyboards? that's nice, they used to be single use plastic rivets, so at least you can redo that. Also Apple's glue isn't usually that bad to work with. Doesn't leave much residue, so as long as you know where to apply the heat you can do a clean repair and glue the new component back in.
  - techdragon 5y ago
    I think apple might have learned a painful lesson about keyboard repairability… with all those warranty repairs they are *still* stuck with.
- stirlo 5y ago
  > Apple does nothing to improve front line technician procedures. I’m not a fan of planned obselence and waste but this is clearly wrong. They’ve spent loads of engineering effort designing a machine for their store that can replace and reseal and test iPhone screen replacements out back.

partiallypro 5y ago

Not to mention all the eWaste that comes with the AirPods.

CharlesW 5y ago
Who's doing better to mitigate e-waste? > "AirPods are designed with numerous materials and features to reduce their environmental impact, including the 100 percent recycled rare earth elements used in all magnets. The case also uses 100 percent recycled tin in the solder of the main logic board, and 100 percent recycled aluminum in the hinge. AirPods are also free of potentially harmful substances such as mercury, BFRs, PVC, and beryllium. For energy efficiency, AirPods meet US Department of Energy requirements for battery charger systems. Apple’s Zero Waste program helps suppliers eliminate waste sent to landfills, and all final assembly supplier sites are transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy for Apple production. In the packaging, 100 percent of the virgin wood fiber comes from responsibly managed forests."
- partiallypro 5y ago
  Weird that they leave out the parts about the battery and casing waste; and are design to only last on average of 18 months to force you to buy new ones. https://www.vice.com/en/article/neaz3d/airpods-are-a-tragedy https://www.vice.com/en/article/neaz3d/airpods-are-a-tragedy
  - andrekandre 5y ago
    absolutely, the worst part of the airpods is the degrading non-replaceable battery... it really left a bad impression.
    - kube-system 5y ago
      Does anyone have a comparable product that doesn't have this issue?
      - 5y ago

kkjjkgjjgg 5y ago

As long as they plant a tree every time they replace a panel, it should be fine?

ajyotirmay 5y ago
We'll be able to undo most of our damage to environment this way, as it's always replacements

m3kw9 5y ago

And what are the chances of that part failing enough to impact the environment?