Created by MBAonline.com
This is a great info-graphic that was sent to us by Jen Rhee that her and her team created to help inform people about the real costs of an iPhone. Some of you might already know a good deal about the life cycle of an iPhone, but for those of you who do not this is important to know!First Impressions
Apple reports environmental impact comprehensively. They do this by focusing on their products: what happens when they design them, what happens when they make them, and what happens when you take them home and use them. Looking deeper into the internal operations of Apple will permit us to better understand Apple’s practices. Breaking down how Apple functions we will use the Cornucopian view to determine how environmentally friendly Apple really is.
Apple unlike most other companies publicly announces their company’s greenhouse gas emissions, which in 2011 were 23.1 million metric tons. To calculate that number Apple for the past three years uses a comprehensive life cycle analysis to determine a real world figure of green house gasses. This means Apple adds up the emissions generated from manufacturing, transportation, use, and recycling of their products, as well as the emissions generated by their facilities. Most competing companies only figure in manufacturing, transportation, and distribution, but once they product leaves their hands they do not take anything else associated with the lifespan of that product into account.
Apple knows that the most important way to reduce impact on the environment is to be constantly improving their products’ environmental performance. Every year Apple invests millions redesigning them to use less material, ship with smaller packaging, be free of toxic substances, and be as energy efficient and recyclable as possible. Even as Apple’s growth is outpacing the rest on the tech industry, Apple remains committed to creating products that have the least amount of impact on the environment. While Apple’s emissions have grown over the past few years because of the company’s growth, greenhouse gas emissions per dollar of revenue has decreased by 15.4 percent since 2008.
Manufacturing – everything from acquiring raw materials to product assembly – accounts for 61% (14,096,000 metric tons)
Just in recent years, Apple’s designers and engineers have pioneered the development of smaller, thinner, and lighter productions, all around. With Moor’s Law Apple’s products are becoming more powerful meaning they require less material to produce and generate fewer carbon emissions. For example, Apple’s 21.5” iMac in 2011 is far more powerful than their 15” iMac from 2006, but is designed with 50 percent less material and generates 50 percent fewer emissions. Apple leads in revolutionizing the industry by working with their manufacturing partners to eliminate toxic material that is commonly found in competing products. While most countries still allow use of certain toxic substances, Apple has eliminated Lead, BFR’s, PVC, Mercury, and Arsenic from their entire product line up.
Transportation – transporting products from manufacturing plants to distribution hubs, then to retail stores – accounts for 5% (1,239,000 metric tons)
As mentioned before, Apple employs teams of design and engineering experts whose sole purpose is to develop product packaging that is as slim and light as possible while being protective. This greatly reduces materials and waste, this also reduces emissions that are produced during the transportation. To truly improve on ones environmental impact you must take a step back and look at every minute detail of your entire operation, this will allow you to make improvements and adjustments where necessary.
Product Use – the use of Apple products – accounts for 30% (6,995,000 metric tons)
Since Apple started a realistic attitude to understand their real carbon footprint they discovered that a significant portion of the greenhouse gas emissions resulted from the use of their products. Because of this discovery Apple has been a pioneer designing their products to be energy efficient as possible. This is possible because of the end-to-end control Apple has over their products, designing the hardware and the operating system that will be on the hardware they are able to achieve the highest possible efficiency. For better example, unlike competing manufacturers who have a handful at best products that are ENERGY STAR qualified, Apple is the only company that has every product that exceeds ENERGY STAR guidelines.
Recycling – reusing building materials to Apple’s Recycling Program – accounts for 2% (396,000 metric tons)
The current industry is pushing towards cheaper computers and companies are cutting costs wherever they can to obtain the lowest price possible. This means computers are being built as cost efficient as possible by using low quality materials, using questionable labor techniques in underdeveloped countries, and pushing as much of the externalities as possible to the consumers. Giving credence to “they don’t build them like they use to”, what you are left with is a disposable computer with a life expectancy of three to four years.
Apple on the other hand currently holds one of the industries top product reliability scores across the board, to achieve this Apple’s priority is building a reliable quality machine that will offer years of productive use. For example, the MacBook Pro is built starting with a single piece of highly recyclable piece of solid aluminum. This offers a sturdy and seamless enclosure that protects the Lead, BFR’s, PVC, Mercury, and Arsenic free innards. Another example is the built-in battery that Apple has in their MacBook Pro lineup. When other portable computer batteries can only be cycled 200-300 times, the MacBook Pro battery can be cycled up to 1,000 times. This means that the battery will offer five years of use; in the same time other portable computers use three. That means an increased life span for the MacBook Pro.
Facilities – including corporate offices, distribution hubs, data centers, and retail stores – accounts for 2% (378,000 metric tons)
Reducing your environmental impact will take more than turning off the lights and recycling office waste, and Apple is once again taking the charge with innovative ways to eliminate greenhouse gasses. To promote clean energy Apple’s facilities in Austin, Texas; Sacramento, California; Munich, Germany; and Cork, Ireland, are completely powered by renewable energy. Those facilities alone eliminate 30,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. Also, Apple is continuously installing top-of-the-line digital controls, highly efficient equipment, and of course uses their efficient computers in all their facilities.
Late last year Apple announced a new data center in Maiden, North Carolina, that validates their pledge to reducing their environmental impact. The top-of-the-line data center was erected to take the blunt workload of Apple’s new iCloud service. Instead of building a warehouse and throwing in old servers they had laying around in a storage shed, Apple built the facility using the coveted LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. That might sound like nothing impressive, but that facility is the only facility of comparably size that achieved that level of LEED certification, ever.
The data center in Maiden, North Carolina, is highly efficient on its own, but Apple is in the planning stages to open a solar farm nearby that will power the data center entirely off of 100% renewable energy. Once the solar farm is completed it will be the largest 3rd party owned solar farm, once again demonstrating Apples commitment to lowering their environmental impact.
Other projects with a positive environmental impact
There are many other projects Apple has in the works that are designed to revolutionize the tech industry, keep a clean environment and propel the company into new territory.
The first project was just announced a few months ago, Apples entry into the textbook market. Apple saw physical textbooks as something from the Stone Age that has not been moving along with the same pace as technology. Physical textbooks are not interactive, heavy, expensive, and you cannot ask it questions. Switching to digital textbooks will allow students to become emerged in an interactive learning environment that will allow for a better learning experience. Digital textbooks weigh nothing and are less expensive (thanks to Apples restriction on pricing). The e-book market has exploded over the past few years, which has left publishers struggling to change their mission statement to suit the new market. One major benefit of e-books is that they are environmentally friendly, saving thousands of trees per week. The digital textbook market has been around for nearly a decade but has remained relatively stagnant and Apple saw this and saw an opportunity to help progress textbooks to the next logical level.
Apple is always looking to change their practices to become more environmentally friendly, as an example last year Apple introduced new iTunes gift cards that use 100% recyclable paper. Deeply rooted into the very DNA that is Apple, Apple has always made it a priority to do things their own way, building a quality product and be responsibly environmentally friendly. The evidence can be found with the mentality and upbringing of Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs. Living on an apple orchard, spiritual pilgrimage to India, and experimenting with LSD lead to a very different company that thought differently.
All of these industry-leading accomplishments are tied back to technology; Apple would not be the successful or environmentally friendly company if it were not for the groundbreaking advancements in technology. The earth has suffered greatly from the inefficient days of early industrialization and Apple is pulling ahead proving that it is possible to run a company from point-to-point without leaving the world damaged. Steve Jobs once said, “computers are like a bicycle for our minds”, meaning technology is only as good as its intended use. Technology can be used for good or bad, and it has no inherit good or evil. Apple is certainly proving that technology, used correctly, can and will save this earth.
Foxconn, where iOS devices are born
Apples top manufacturing partner for iOS devices is a well-known company in the tech industry named Foxconn. While Foxconn offers manufacturing for most of the top tech companies, nearly 70% of their output is dedicated to Apple. Foxconn is responsible for the manufacturing of iOS devices such as the iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Foxconn has received a fair share of airtime on the news that reports on a very real issue that plagues the company, suicides. Where most manufacturing plants are filled with robotic arms that assemble small components that have minimal tolerances, Foxconn uses physical manpower to achieve the same goal. With a staggering total of just over one million employees, 420,000 based in Shenzhen (where iOS devices are made) Foxconn reported about 17 suicides a year with the projected outlook to increase. The main cause for high suicide rate at Foxconn stems from the living situation of their employees where most of the workers live onsite. Foxconn itself has been compared frequently to a “sweatshop” because the laborers do repetitive tasks, wear the same clothing, and live onsite. This produces low moral and evidentially leads to high suicide rates. The blowback of this situation get put back on Apple, and the press questions if Apple is being ethical to allow such working conditions even if it is legal where the manufacturing plant is. Apple has addressed the issue by stating that they have done a thorough investigation of the Foxconn factory and is in negotiations with Foxconn’s leaders devising a solution to the problem. Outsourcing has been a long time controversy in the U.S. and similar issues plague competitors in the industry. Steve Jobs met with President Obama months before he passed in 2010 and one of the issues he discussed with the President was outsourcing. He stated that until regulations become for favorable companies are forced to look for labor elsewhere.
Non user-replaceable batteries
With smaller and more efficient manufacturing techniques Apple has been able to produce an iPhone that is more environmentally friendly by having an efficient battery. This breakthrough was monumental to battery life, but came at the price of having a non-user replaceable battery. While the battery will last longer than competitors batteries, once the battery is depleted and wont hold a charge users typically will discard the phone and purchase a new one. This leaves devices seen as disposable, not recyclable. The tech industry is plagued with dealing with antiquated technology, most being dispensed to India where underpaid and under protected workers melt down the parts for heavy metals.
Final thoughts
Apple is a company that is taking environmental issues seriously and goes above and beyond any competitor in the industry. Even with the advancements Apple has made in recent years there are still countless issues that Apple and every other tech company is still facing. As progress continues we still may never see a tech company that is able to be 100% efficient end-to-end with their operations. If such a status is achievable technology will be what makes that possible.
This weeks Worth Watchin' spot light is on WovnHD. Starting out about a year ago with a few funny Battlefield Bad Company 2 videos, WovnHD caught YouTubers by surprise. Once Battlefield 3 was released WovnHD found himself a game that allowed more in depth gameplay that ultimately resulted in better montage videos. If you are a fan of the Battlefield series, WovnHD's videos will provide long lasting memories of comical montage videos. Definitely well worth your time.
Apple just sent out the email letting people know that it is that time of year again, WWDC time. Last year the tickets sold out in a mere 8 hours, so if you plan on attending WWDC this year to make your reservation a top priority.
This year looks like it will have a large focus on iOS 6, Apple's new unreleased version of their mobile operating system. While WWDC may have a small amount of tickets to offer, what you get in return is an opertunity for a one-on-one with an Apple engineer to help answer any technical questions you might have. Overall WWDC is going to be something to pay close attention to this year, so make sure to get your tickets APAP!
Intel has made the official announcement to release the first wave of Ivy Bridge CPUs. The first batch to be released are a set of quad core i5's and i7's. Intel has decided not to wait until all of Ivy Bridge's line up to be finished and choose to do a staggered release schedule. This will hopefully turn out to be beneficial in the sense that the first wave of Ivy Bridge CPUs will most likely be used in the upcoming releases of MacBook Pros/Mac Pros/iMacs.
Apple has a special deal setup with Intel to get first dibs on newly released CPUs, hopefully this is still the case as numerous people are growing impatient awaiting the next release of Apple's portable lineup. Or at least I know I am.
With a projected CPU improvement of 15% and GPU improvement of 22% over Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge looks like it will be a major improvement over last the generation of Intel CPUs.
PAX East started off with a bang. The halls were full of with loyal enthusiasts and venders were eager to give away ample prizes to anyone lucky enough to win their raffles. This year being my first year in attendance, I planned my whole day out looking to maximize my experience by attending as many presentations as possible. I was sideswiped by the everything that is PAX, I was so stunned with just the showroom floor I ended up spending my entire first day visiting venders.
Countless venders made an appearance this year, ranging from Asus, Alienwear, Kingston, G4 TV, Intel, NVIDIA, and many others.
There were also some sneak peaks to up and coming games such as the new Ghost Worrior, and Boarderlands 2. All gamers from the causal to the professional will feel right at home at PAX East, so purchase your ticket for next year so you don't miss out on the fun!
I am looking forward to Saturday as I hope the shock will wear off leaving me more level headed to spread out a little more in hopes that I may take in a little more.
"Joe Smoe" scares me sometimes.
I overheard some of my classmates and a teacher talking about how some employers are requiring employees to give up their facebook passwords and they all arrived at the conclusion that it's a good idea. How is that a good idea? What if your employer sees something that they don't like but has no bearing on job performance? A lot of Joe's out there are just going to say "Well, I have nothing to hide!" but they're wrong. I know they can't fire you/not hire you for reasons that are protected, e.g. religion, age, veteran status, etc. but whats to stop them from seeing one of those things and manufacturing a legal reason to fire/not hire you? It's really not hard to find reasons to fire/not hire someone.
Even if your employer can't find anything they dislike about you specifically, what about your friends and family? Did you friend that guy from college who claims to be an anarchist, socialist, or any other "ist"? What about you're fifteen year old cousin who's on her third kid and won't shut up about it? They say you can really judge a person by the company one keeps. Do you know who "They" are? Is anyone really sure who "They" are? Do you want to trust to blind faith that "They" are not your employer?
After your employer has thoroughly pillaged your facebook account, what's to stop them from going through your friends accounts? Your employer can now see everything you can see, read every message you can read, and thus you and you're employer have just violated the privacy and trust of everyone on your friends list. Good luck explaining that your friend that just confided in you about catching the herpeghonnasyphilaids. Ok, I think we've established that giving up your facebook password is a bad idea.
"But can't I just lie and say I don't have a facebook account?" -- Joe.
Well I guess you could but they won't believe you, with half all US citizens active on facebook and accounting for people not in the job market (under 18 and over 65) approximately 7 out 10 people have a facebook account. So even if your employer believes that you don't have an account, there is no shortage of other people they can look to.
"I'll create a dummy account!" -- Joe.
I suppose this a viable option if you're willing to go through the work, but how far are you willing to go to make the dummy account look legit? Also with the new timeline feature it'll be painfully obvious that you made your dummy account in the waiting room before your interview. So I guess if you want people to buy your dummy account you better make one now to use next year.
If you're still with me, the bottom, line here is, what you do at home on your own time, who your friends are, or if your friend with the herpeghonnasyphilaids got it from a toilet seat or a Taiwanese prostitute of indeterminate gender, is of no concern to your employer. Giving up your facebook info sets a dangerous precedent (want to give up your gmail/yahoo/hotmail passwords to?) and must be stopped now.
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May 25, 2012