Apple Grows Greener with MacBook Air
There’s been days of rumors about the MacBook Air, Apple’s big announcement at MacWorld in San Francisco on Tuesday. But we just heard from the show floor, where NewTeeVee editor Liz is representing the GigaOM crew, that not only is Apple claiming that MacBook Air is the world’s thinnest laptop, but it’s decidedly greener, too (except for that non-user-replaceable battery).
Liz liveblogs from the show floor that the MacBook Air’s earth-friendly qualities are:
- it has a fully recyclable aluminum case
- it’s Apple’s first display that is mercury-free, with arsenic-free glass
- the Apple circuit boards are BFR-free and PVC-free
- and it has 50 percent less packaging than the MacBook
Not huge leaps, but solid incremental steps, given Apple has been criticized by groups like GreenPeace for being lax on the eco aspects of its hardware. The green moves are part of Steve Job’s pledge, announced last May, to change the company’s policies with regards to eliminating certain toxic chemicals and enhancing recycling.
In that post, Jobs said Apple planned to introduce in 2007 its first displays using arsenic-free glass, but I guess January 2008 is better late than never. By the end of 2008, Apple says it plans to completely eliminate the use of PVC and BFRs in its products. There you go, readers, it costs $1,800, is shipping in two weeks, and can help placate your green guilt.
and no word on the non-replacable battery?
that’s not really ‘green’, is it?
Agreed, that is pretty lame. Thanks for the input.
Green energy is definitely the best solution in most cases. Technology like solar energy, wind power, fuel cells, zaps electric vehicles, EV hybrids, etc have come so far recently. Green energy even costs way less than oil and gas in many cases.
[...]Green energy is definitely the best solution in most cases. Technology like solar energy, wind power, fuel cells, zaps electric vehicles, EV hybrids, etc have come so far recently. Green energy even costs way less than oil and gas in many cases.[...]
I’m with you in spirit. Yes, this is where we need to be. But the entire issue around fuel cells kills me. Among the scientific community, the possibility of that as a near-term solution is a joke. It’s just not there.
I agree. Fuel cells are a mess. And the new clean coal technology ads are too much. They really expose how little is really there and what a massive PR campaign they have been running on lies about coal.
wow cheers for this just posting on my twitter now.
Well, this is a small step for Apple trying to be greener. I am sure they will still catch a lot of criticism from the green community for the battery, but it is a start.