Filed under: Apple Corporate, Apple, Macbook Pro, MacBook
Apple's new "green" notebook ad
Apple aired a new television ad here in the US earlier tonight. It touts the MacBook's low power consumption, recyclable enclosure and lack of some of the toxins present in other computers.Activist group Greenpeace has been pressuring Apple to adopt more environmentally-friendly production methods and materials over the last couple of years, and last month responded favorably to Apple's efforts to go green.
Additionally, Apple has posted a page to their website describing not only their efforts toward environmental responsibility with the MacBook, but their overall efforts as a company. At the risk of sounding like a tree-hugging hippie, let me say, well done Apple!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Johnny said 10:24AM on 11-25-2008
It's great to see things go green. As long the costing of going green isn't...higher costs.
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Rich said 12:13PM on 11-25-2008
No, it's lower.
Cost is a very accurate indicator of something's environmental impact.
Just compare the Toyota Prius Whybrid and the Yaris.
Compare any premium "environmentally conscious" dish washing detergent with the cheap stuff from Costco (half a cup versus half a drop for the same result).
But then when things are produced in different markets, the distinction isn't so obvious. While the price to the consumer of fair trade goods may be higher than their free trade counterparts, the cost to government in terms of aid, and to Your Favorite Charity, is vastly lower.
Simple economics isn't so simple any more.
Unfortunately, Apple has produced a laptop that many will buy to replace an older, less environmentally friendly laptop. There you've got a hidden cost to the environment that nobody's talking about.
And make no mistake, the environment is the basis of our economy. It all starts with clean, plentiful water and toxin-free, nutrient-rich soil. If you're an economist who's not an environmentalist, you're a myopic fool.
Tony said 10:31PM on 11-25-2008
"Unfortunately, Apple has produced a laptop that many will buy to replace an older, less environmentally friendly laptop. There you've got a hidden cost to the environment that nobody's talking about."
You fail to take into account the huge resale market for used Apple computers. There are plenty out there who will buy the older laptop, thus keeping it from the landfills or recycling plants. There are many out there still holding on to very old (in tech terms) PowerBooks, etc.
gmoney said 10:54AM on 11-25-2008
I deal with comments like this all the time. Even if your out-of-pocket costs do go up the environmental costs go down, think of it as a way to get a return on your investment. We look to Apple to push the envelope of design and user experience, why not in pioneering new ways to get us all the toys we want in a way that has less impact on the earth.
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vicont said 10:58AM on 11-25-2008
Anyone knows the song played in a background? :)
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Riche said 2:01PM on 11-25-2008
Yeah, the song is called Run by Broadcast 2000
sjkhuth said 11:09AM on 11-25-2008
Well… The new MacBooks might be green if you look at the recyclable (does that word exist?) materials, but what concerns me is how much energy do they use up in the production?
I'd imagine all the drills that are used to cut the unibody, re-using of the aluminum shavings (like melting them down, pressing them into a new block over and over again) would use up a lot of energy. I don't know if anyone has ever looked at it from that point, but it would be an interesting investigation to do, because I don't think the unibody is all that eco friendly on that side
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sjkhuth said 11:12AM on 11-25-2008
Alright, have to take some of that back, didn't read the page that was linked in the article, they do seem to take care of a small carbon footprint.
I still can't imagine that the unibody cutting is energy efficient in any way.
KA said 11:30AM on 11-25-2008
recyclable |rēˈsīk(ə)ləbəl|
adjective
able to be recycled.
noun
a substance or object that can be recycled.
DERIVATIVES
recyclability |-ˌsīk(ə)ləˈbilitē| noun
doug said 12:17AM on 11-26-2008
you are really concerned about how much energy was used in the production of the macbook? i could care less. if apple believed all this crap that is being said in this thread and by Al Gore, they would cease polluting the planet with their products and close down the place and distribute the cash to shareholders. however, the only green that apple is interested in is cash, and I am sure they see this as a marketing opportunity to sell their products to eco-idiots that are dominating this thread and the environmental movement. remove the guilt, go by your mac and have fun, go rent a gas guzzling car and go for a meaningless drive. I promise, the earth will be here tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, and so on....
KA said 11:32AM on 11-25-2008
This is really good; I hope we see more ads like this.
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Sarah said 11:51AM on 11-25-2008
That was a cute ad. Not to be all "Mac is pretty and plays good music so im gonna love them" but still. They do a damn good job of being pretty and playing good music so.
Being young, I am really hopeful for our environment. It seems like what we always said, if gas prices (and it turns out all prices) go up enough, people will finally get that we need to go green. Now what sucks is in the economic downturn, we are realizing we need to be green, but are sometimes unable to do so because of financial issues.
Really ironic world. Really.
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balls said 4:24PM on 11-25-2008
The part of the ad that made me chuckle was when the voice-over mentions how the new mac is more green than other laptops, aka, all the previous model macs.
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fnl said 6:03AM on 11-26-2008
Tree-hugging hippie? All former human cultures gone extinct did so because of environmental collapse, either direct or indirectly because their trading partner they dependent on collapsed. So what costs and what hippie-craziness are you talking about? It's high time we make sure we are not facing our own culture's extinction... Great work, Apple!
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