Apple Recycling Old Macs for Free 190
charleste writes "CNN is reporting that Apple is going to recycle Macs for free. I wonder if this means they will actually recycle them in Cupertino, or sent overseas to be dumped as many 'recycled' computers do, or if they will actually mine them. And does this make the MacQuarium obsolete?"
I will do one better! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:5, Informative)
Not necessarily. Often these old machines are highly inefficient in terms of the computing power they provide vs the electricity they consume. Sure, having one of these [sun.com] at home would be cool - in fact I did used to use the next model down as my home server - but these days I just don't want to either pay the power bill or try to justify the waste of resources. Sometimes it really is better just to let this old kit go to silicon heaven.
Re:I will do one better! (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Therefore, you don't need to do very much fancy analysis to determine if it's worth buying a new computer or using an old one. If (cost of energy * expected use time for new computer + price of new computer) < (cost of energy * expected use time for old computer), then you're saving energy by buying a new one.
There are some externalities with the new computer, b
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
But it's still very hard to do some evaluation: if you keep your old computer, when you have to buy a new one (because the old one doesn't work anymore), the new computer will be cheaper and use less energy than if you buy a computer now, your formula doesn't take this into account..
So it's quite difficult to compute, plus you don't know when you
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
While I'm hardly going to pretend that that formula is some sort of magic formula that completely encapsulates the reasoning behind whether you should buy a new computer, even if only for energy reasons, you're actually wrong that I don't cover that case. That's part of what
Re:I will do one better! (Score:5, Informative)
So your dead mac is worth money. Pull the roms, send the rest back.
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:3, Interesting)
Maybe I have a skewed view of the typical Mac user - but I consider them more progressive, open to new technologies and, well - maybe even more likely to be a vegetarian or drive an economical but classy car then a PC user.
You must remember that Microsoft won't be able to compete on this level - they don't make the hardware and likely won't recycle it for free. The averag
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2, Insightful)
What makes you say that? Your views are perfectly in line with what Apple's marketing team wants you to think.
Re:I will do one better! (Score:3, Insightful)
10 years ago that was true. Now it's cheaper to buy a used G3 or G4 Mac entire than screw around with clones or emulation (if any of these are still sold at all) of an obsolete OS.
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
1) Franklin was an Apple II clone with pirated Apple firmware. Nothing to do with Macs
2) In the 68K days, many Macs came with ROMs socketed in SIMM slots, so they were very easy to remove and use in a clone system. At my university, these ROM SIMMs were frequently stolen by dasterdly Amigians and Atarians.
3) Some of the later official PPC clones had ROMs, but they were soldered on rather than socketed. At this point the ROM was basically a copy-protection dongle rather than something that saved
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
--wiki
So your dead mac is worth money. Pull the roms, send the rest back.
That seems to be
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Apple changed the OS away from ROMs about six or seven years ago. Or was it mid-90s? Any Mac with a ROM is so old that it's probably best recycled anyway.
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
But really, how much high load do you really need at home, anyway?
Even if you're in the hosting business (and who in their right mind would do that from home?), throughput would be much more important than load.
I suppose you could be a computational chemist or doing bioinformatics stuff from home, but even then, I would think it would be cheaper to get a few x86 boxes and cluster them for
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Yes, computing power-per-watt is less, but:
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Old equipment without power-saving features doesn't necessarily save anything over modern equipment.
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
i would seriously like to know. i love seeing those kinds of statistics, especially in real time!
Re:I will do one better! (Score:3, Informative)
I used it to replace a server in my house (old server: HP Vectra VLi8 PIII-650, 46 watts idle, new server: Toshiba Tecra 8100 PIII-650 laptop, 15 watts idle), and find some surprising waste, such as a set of Boston Acoustics speakers that drew a continuous 40 watts, even when "turned off", and my HP Laserjet 2100, which draws 13-16 watts in powersave mode. (The speakers are now on a power stri
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Then there is the energy that is consumed during this process
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
but you can't put more than one machine on a desktop generally (you can but it requires quite advanced trickery). So if they don't need more power than the old machine provides and the old machine isn't some insanely power hogging server then I don't see the issue.
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Re:I will do one better! (Score:2)
Some Context (Score:3, Interesting)
Just a note (Score:2)
At this point Schiller added that "I think there are a lot of PCs that should be recycled"
MacAquarium (Score:2)
Re:MacAquarium (Score:2)
My other recycling project is upgrading a Mac SE to run OS X. Nothing terribly challenging, just an SVGA 9" CRT and a Mac Mini mounted inside. The best part of that is the "Mac SE X" nameplate on the front. {grin}
Of course Macquaria are really tangential to the question of Mac re
Re:MacAquarium (Score:2)
Re:MacAquarium (Score:2)
Not about being green (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Not about being green (Score:4, Interesting)
OK. As long as it achieves the same effect, whether by some altruistic concern for the environment or through sheer greed, it's all good. Besides, it helps the individual Mac resllers who will be able to maintain a greater profit margin on used equipment due to less product glut on the open market.
Chuck
Re:Not about being green (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Not about being green (Score:2)
Re:Not about being green (Score:2)
Re:Not about being green (Score:2)
Re:Not about being green (Score:2)
I think that the transition to Intel CPUs will be another such dividing line. If you buy a non-intel Mac the day before that model goes to Intel, your resale value down the road will be considerably less than if you waited a day.
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition vs. Apple (Score:5, Informative)
How has Apple handled recycling?
According to the "The 2005 Computer Report Card [svtc.org]" by the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, "Apple, Dell, Gateway, and HP are the companies that use recyclers that have signed the Electronic Recyclers Pledge of Stewardship. To learn more about the Recycler Pledge go to: http://www.svtc.org///cleancc/recycle/recycler_ple dge.htm [svtc.org]".
In that report, note that Apple received the second highest score in the category of "DISPOSAL CHAIN". That category indicates the degree to which a company will audit the entire disposal chain (including work sub-contracted to suspicious companies in China, Taiwan Province, and Korea) to ensure that recycling of old computer equipment is done in accordance with the most ethical, most responsible practices.
Note that Apple management actually signed the Electronics Recycler's Pledge of True Stewardship [svtc.org], committing to the gold standard of ethical, responsible recycling.
Finally, the recent decision by Apple management to take back old equipment for free is probably due to the tireless efforts of the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition [svtc.org] (SVTC) and other groups in the Computer TAKE-BACK Campaign [computertakeback.com] (CTBC). When Steve Jobs gave the keynote speech at the 2005 graduation ceremony at Stanford University, CTBC flew a banner over the ceremony [e-takeback.org]. The banner exclaimed, "STEVE - DON'T BE A MINI PLAYER - RECYCLE ALL E-WASTE".
Indeed... (Score:3, Informative)
They've been really aggressive about getting letters, etc. to Jobs and BOD members about doing take-backs on the computers (They already do them on iPods for free...) and to handle the returns in a responsible manner.
Re:Not about being green (Score:3, Informative)
What you wrote might be true if the program was restricted to recycling old Macs. This program covers any computer; the only requirement is that you purchase a new Mac to participate. More details [apple.com]. More info [apple.com].
HP, AFAIK, charges a small fee [hp.com] to recycle your computer.
If you're going to slag on companies, at least get your info straight. Then you'll have some factual basis for your cynicism.
Re:Not about being green (Score:2)
recycling... (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:recycling... (Score:3, Informative)
As you can imagine, these people are not exactly working in healthy conditions. In fact, the report I was listening to recently said that the operations were polluting the area so badly that this little village by a river had to start importing bottled water
Re:recycling... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:recycling... (Score:2, Informative)
Apple tried that already [wikipedia.org] when in 1989 they dumped about 2700 Apple Lisas in a Utah landfill, because the tax writeoff was better that way than if they donated them to charity.
Recycling is easy (Score:2)
This came from Steve (Score:3, Insightful)
I remember a quote from him once, pretty excellent example of Steve Jobs' mentality actually. It was both very poetic and utterly ridiculous. This was from back in the early Apple days before he was fired by Scully. He said (paraphrasing), 'I want a computer factory that takes raw beach sand in one end and outputs fully assembled Macs from just that raw material.' What a crazy, wonderful idea.
Re:This came from Steve (Score:4, Funny)
Great, so there goes another ecologically important wildlife habitat and economically important tourism attraction! :)
Re:This came from Steve (Score:2)
Re:This came from Steve (Score:2)
Now we need a factory that takes old fully assembled Macs and produces raw beach sand.
Old Computers are a Gold Mine (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Old Computers are a Gold Mine (Score:5, Informative)
Very true. There are also a lot of metals besides gold that are worth more (though in smaller amounts, like platinum). I've been part of a business before where we chunked up old Macs and PCs, packed all the circuit boards up in huge wooden crates, and sent them off to a recovery mill... a couple months later, a few tons of scrap is turned into a check for $20,000. It's not bad money but it takes a lot of manual labor to separate it out (i.e. separating circuits from CRT's and plastic) or the mill will charge you to do the separation and sorting.
Also, newer computers have much lower amounts of these materials, making them almost worthless. The sweet spot are the 68020's and 486's (the heavy processors are where you get the most precious metals per oz.).
batteries (Score:2)
Re:batteries (Score:2)
Obsolete? (Score:3, Insightful)
When there are less items available on the market, the value increases if there's still a demand for it. (if there's no demand, then the value's effectively 0)
The conspiracy theorist would assume that Apple's trying to corner the market on MacQuariums, and they need more spare parts, so they're tricking people into giving them the parts under the assumption of 'recycling' (which it is). They might even have a company that's willing to buy lots of thousands of these for the very purpose. (pbfixit comes to mind)
They might also find that it's more cost effective to strip and refurb some machines than to have new parts manufactured for those with extended warranties. (this assumes that the product is on the market long enough for people to recycle out of warranty machines while other people still have them under warranties)
ever so timely and accurate (Score:2, Funny)
. Ahh,
Re:ever so timely and accurate (Score:2)
More like a week ago.
Is this big news? I dunno. I guess it's a good thing.
A rebate would grease them skids! (Score:2, Funny)
Wow, why not a rebate of say 100.00 to make a user switch from win-ux and just fill a warehouse with the junk.
When it's full they can have a new ad campaign with bulldozers loading barges with all the junk and crow about how many people switched. They could probably write it all off as marketing costs and sell more hardware to boot!. Apple wins!
Reuse rather than recycle (Score:2, Insightful)
Staying in the US (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Staying in the US (Score:2, Funny)
Apple recycling old COMPUTERS for free (Score:3, Interesting)
Not just Macs... (Score:2, Informative)
Here's a snippet from the Shareholder meeting stating so. [tripod.com]
Taking over the world (Score:3, Funny)
- Apple all of a sudden recycles computers for free
- Steve Jobs owns Apple
This can mean only one thing: Steve Jobs has a new trapper keeper.
what the article actually says (Score:2)
not free (you need to buy a mac). not macs (any computer as long as you buy a mac)
Re:what the article actually says (Score:2)
Easiest for the PowerBook 5300 (Score:2)
Links from the horse's mouth (Score:3, Informative)
Apple are hilarious (Score:2)
In response, Jobs noted that the Sierra Club recently voted Apple one of its top 10 environmentally friendly companies. "So there is some kind of disconnect with your numbers," he said. Jobs also noted that Apple's new recycling program takes any computer, not just Macs, "because we like switchers, too."
"I think there are a lot of PCs that should be recycled" Schiller added.
teehee
Uhh... It actually costs 8 dollars. (Score:2)
Uhh, the free program starts in JUNE. (Score:3, Informative)
The old program costs you eight bucks, while the new one is free [apple.com]. The old program was still very reasonable.
It's just you. (Score:3, Informative)
From the
Or clearer details: http://www.mpcco [mpccorp.com]
sent overseas? (Score:3, Informative)
Do a little research before you submit a story next time.. especially if the story is several days old. From Apples homepage [apple.com]:
Hazardous materials
No hazardous waste from Apple's U.S. recycling program is shipped outside North America. All recovered materials are processed domestically, with the exception of some commodity materials that can be recycled for future use. Apple's recycling policies prohibit the use of recovered plastics as fuel in smelting.
Not a clone, but very close to a "G5 in Black" (Score:2, Interesting)
Apple complies with Electronic Waste Recycling Act (Score:2)
The big push behind this is because of the phaseout of CRTs. Until recently, the leaded glass in CRTs could be recycled into new CRTs, and there was some value in used monitors. Now nobody wants the things, and CRTs are being discarded at a huge rate. So keeping all that lead out of landfills i
Re:why not... (Score:2, Insightful)
Urban schools have plenty of technology, thanks to programs like E-rate. What they don't have is people to set it up, whether it's old junk like this or brand new machines. Take a walk around a typical city school some time; it's enlightening.
(I live in Buffalo, not an exceptionally wealthy city by any means.)
--saint
Re:why not... (Score:2)
Re:why not... (Score:2)
Most schools now don't accept anything below a certain point technology-wise. The limit on PCs seems to be P2 or higher. The limit on macs seems
I agree (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:I agree (Score:2)
Slashdot has serious moderation quality issues.
And yes, I do Meta-Moderate, about three times a week.
Re:In other news (Score:3, Insightful)
1)This isn't only Apple computers, they will recycle computers made by anyone.
2)I'm sure if the computer has value people will sell it. I put an old 486 up on EBay before (working Pentium system). No one even bid a dollar on it, something like that has no value on the market I could find, if this program was around then I would have recycled it, but it ended up going into the trash.
Re:In other news (Score:2)
Re:Other uses than destroying? (Score:2)
Consider the nightmare of supporting a classroom of unique computers. Better to put up some ads and offer it cheap (if free, someone will just take it and try to sell it and probably end up throwing it away) and it'll probably end up with someoen who can use it. Schools would be better getting a bunch of Mac Minis.
Re:Other uses than destroying? (Score:2)
1. Only works for companies - individuals can't do it (which is too bad, because I would have donated my entire four box Beowulf cluster (PowerEdge 400sc machines, P4 2.8GHz HyperThreaded CPUs, GigE, and about 6G of memory and 1.3T of drive space spread across the four machines) just for the ability to write them of
Re:Overseas and dumped is my bet... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Overseas and dumped is my bet... (Score:2)
Re:Um..not just Apple.. (Score:2)
this has only be introduced VERY recently and it doesn't retroactivey apply to products sold before its introduction. So it'll be a few years before we find out how well it really works
if someone ships in stuff from a chineese manufacturer without a presence in the EU and then disapears before thier recycling dues come up what exactly can the state do about it? same question if the company who should be responsible goes bust?
and it seems like you missed the following paragraph o
Re:Privacy concerns? (Score:2)
There are numerous freeware, shareware and even commercial utilities out there that do secure disk wipes. And even if you'r