A Greener Apple

[jondaapplegeek]

http://www.apple.com/hotnews/agreenerapple/

An interesting artical, especially after greenpeace's campaign (http://www.greenpeace.org/apple/)

Not quite what they will be wanting - but some interesting points about their displays, and Macs:

We plan to introduce our first Macs with LED backlight technology in 2007
could this be the new notebook we hear so much about?

Apple is on track to introduce our first displays using arsenic-free glass in 2007
and new cinema displays?

This, along with the iPhone, and AppleTV - Apple are being very open about things for once!

Thoughts?

[splacid]

It is generally not Apple’s policy to trumpet our plans for the future; we tend to talk about the things we have just accomplished. Unfortunately this policy has left our customers, shareholders, employees and the industry in the dark about Apple’s desires and plans to become greener. Our stakeholders deserve and expect more from us, and they’re right to do so. They want us to be a leader in this area, just as we are in the other areas of our business. So today we’re changing our policy.

In addition to the confirmation Apple is planning on introducing Macs with LED backlighting by the end of this year, I found the above quote extraordinary. As far as I can recall, this is one of the first times Steve Jobs has publicly commented on upcoming products.

[macuser256]

yeah after apple did this i better see some recognicion from greenpeace after doing all that complaining they do.

[Banana]

Cool news.

While I sorta could see "we don't comment on upcoming products" policy to change due to economical ramifications of not announcing anything, could it be concidenical that they announced plans that had no significant impact on the market (e.g. they didn't announce anything revolutionary, they merely announced that they would be committed to make their product greener, something nobody in their right mind would dare disagree with)

[turtle]

Interesting news. Thanks for posting it. :)

[Paranoid666au]

I wonder if they are still using lead solder, there's still a gram of lead in the display so maybe they are. I've noticed some other companies stating lead free solder being used in there products.

[chucker]

Blogger Steve is at it again. :D ;)

[mooty]

I'm sure we'll see a response from Greenpeace - and I've no doubt Steve & Co. have been in discussions with them before this little note. Same scenario as the "free music downloads of DRM" and EMI thing...

[rasmits]

Blogger Steve is at it again. :D ;)I know, really.

I remember some tech journalist asking Steve if the introduction of iWeb meant Steve would start blogging. He said something like "We'll see" but it never happened, obviously. I think they need a "Blogger Steve" tab at the top of Apple.com.

[ShadowOfGed]

Best translation so far is linked from Daring Fireball (http://www.daringfireball.net/).

Dear Greenpeace,

Fuck you.

Love,
Steve

Greenpeace is out of their minds for basing evaluations on published plans. A deed is worth a thousand words, and it seems Apple's been focusing on deeds more than writing plans. Why does Greenpeace feel the need to give Apple so much shit?

:rolleyes:

Probably because they're out for blood, and Apple is high-profile enough to make headlines. Jerks.

:no:

I'm glad Apple's on the ball here. I'm all for being environmentally-conscious; I just don't like Greenpeace's militant tactics.

[Brad]

yeah after apple did this i better see some recognicion from greenpeace after doing all that complaining they do.

You're kidding, right?

The most Greenpeace might do is come up with new ways of trash talking Apple. Greenpeace just wanted to stir up controversy and it succeeded in that. There would be no benefit to Greenpeace's agenda to be gracious to Apple.

Probably because they're out for blood, and Apple is high-profile enough to make headlines. Jerks.
That's exactly why. Apple is a trendy company that everyone is talking about. What better way to get some attention for your own cause then by rubbing shit in Mr. Cool's face?

[BuonRotto]

Now Steve has to do something about all that gold used in their circuits because poor kids are being killed in mines digging it up. Mike Dell will of course say that we need to use soy tech for circuitboards, and get hoorays for it, but until Apple actually does ship a soy (computer) chip, it doesn't matter how many press releases Steve-O pumps out.

See? This is the flip-side of the perception that Apple does everything first: Apple has to do everything first!

[jondaapplegeek]

The most Greenpeace might do is come up with new ways of trash talking Apple. Greenpeace just wanted to stir up controversy and it succeeded in that. There would be no benefit to Greenpeace's agenda to be gracious to Apple.

Just got an email from greenpeace - looks like they are happier then we thought:

It's not everything we asked for. Apple has declared a phase out of the worst chemicals in its product range, Brominated Fire Retardants (BFRs) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) by 2008. That beats Dell and other computer manufactures' pledge to phase them out by 2009. Way to go Steve!

But, of course, they still want more:

Apple hasn't gotten an actual green product to market, but no other electronics manufacture has either. That's a race worthy of the wizards of Cupertino.

So there's still work to be done. But for the moment, we're smiling and saying THANK YOU Apple fans!

so, as BuronRotto says:
See? This is the flip-side of the perception that Apple does everything first: Apple has to do everything first!
yes - but I guess it would be cool if they where to lead the green-ness too, aulthough it does seem like they are doing quite well alreaddy!


On a side not, nowing how Steve is roumered to be so 'incharge' and know everything that goes on at Apple, this surprised me:

I hope you are as delighted as I was when I first learned how far along Apple actually is in removing toxic chemicals from its products and recycling its older products.

Surely Steve would know exactly how 'far alone' Apple where?

[ShadowOfGed]

Surely Steve would know exactly how 'far alone' Apple where?
He's very much involved with the design process, yes. That is, the enclosures and software that people will touch, see, and use. I'm sure he has intimate knowledge of those aspects of Apple's products.

Aside from the choice to use aluminum enclosures, he has little (if any) need to be involved in the selection of chemicals and compounds used to manufacture the devices. That's not his area of expertise; it's not part of his job description to be involved at that level. Certainly the chemicals used within the computers are of no significance to the aspects he cares about.

Frankly, he has no need to know, which is why some of this could easily have come as a "surprise," even after laying the groundwork for environmentally-sound product design.

[joveblue]

I wonder if this has anything to do with Investors pushing Apple to meet or beat Dell enviro goals (http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/07/04/27/investors_push_apple_to_meet_or_beat_dell_enviro_g oals.html)

An investment group plans to use Apple Inc.'s upcoming shareholder's meeting to press for greener products -- and is holding the company's arch-rival Dell as the benchmark.

Trillium Asset Management roused Apple shareholders to action on Thursday, calling on them to support a motion that would require that the Cupertino-based company outline a schedule for ridding its hardware products of toxic materials.

[BuonRotto]

I should add that I think it's good to push Apple like this, and it's just The Right Thing to Do(tm) of course. I don't mean to be dismissive of the idea, rather that Apple bears a disproportionate amount of pressure on that front. But they bear a disproportionate amount of press, which is the reason for all of this in the first place, so if Apple likes the good of that, they have to deal with the bad too. Eh, it's all a two-way street.

Why did I write this post?

[bassplayinMacFiend]

On a side not, nowing how Steve is roumered to be so 'incharge' and know everything that goes on at Apple, this surprised me:


I hope you are as delighted as I was when I first learned how far along Apple actually is in removing toxic chemicals from its products and recycling its older products.

Surely Steve would know exactly how 'far alone' Apple where?

I believe that part of Steve's letter is talking about how far ahead Apple is compared to the competition. Steve knows what Apple is doing but it wasn't until Apple did some research that Steve knew where Apple stood in comparison to the competition. That part of Steve's letter may not be the most clearly worded, but if you reread it, I believe you'll take away this interpretation of Steve's comment.

[turtle]

I believe that part of Steve's letter is talking about how far ahead Apple is compared to the competition. Steve knows what Apple is doing but it wasn't until Apple did some research that Steve knew where Apple stood in comparison to the competition. That part of Steve's letter may not be the most clearly worded, but if you reread it, I believe you'll take away this interpretation of Steve's comment.

I read it the same way you did. Not that Steve was ignorant of his company, but rather how it compared to the others out there.

[jondaapplegeek]

I believe that part of Steve's letter is talking about how far ahead Apple is compared to the competition.
Not that Steve was ignorant of his company, but rather how it compared to the others out there.

Ahhhh... that makes a bit more sense, yeah! Can be read each way, and in reality probably is a bit of both - finding out more about Apple's product AND (not or) thier competition.

[Chinney]

Looks like Apple was doing it, not talking about it. A reverse of my impression of what most companies do for the environment.