You can definitely thank Apple for leading the tech revolution, for all of the glamorous apps and the new levels of convenience it brings to our daily lives. But together with all lets not overlook the environmental issues it carries along.
While Apple is preparing to sell iPhone built on the latest iOS 6, the news sources also release information about its new, smaller 9-pin connecting port. Although for some Apple users this might seem like a moderate bother, the environmentalists are especially concerned about the effects it might have on the production of eWaste.
It has been nine years since Apple introduced its 30-pin iPod connector in 2003. And with the increasing popularity of Apple goods it is only obvious that the old port has essentially become a ubiquitous accessory. According to TechCruch calculations over the last 9 years Apple has sold an estimated number of forty-five million devices that use the old port connector. As a result, this could mean that most of these still well working Apple products will go partially obsolete with the new port change.
The value of Apple technology using old connectors will ultimately plunge, which will make people unable to sell iPhone devices and rather push them into the stream of eWaste directly. Sequentially old iPods or iPads could start their decline too as consumers will prefer newer versions with the same connector as their updated iPhones. This simple move could potentially become a bigger generator of waste than just what looked like a moderate user inconvenience.
Perhaps it is a plan for Apple to continue generating sales by pushing consumers into buying 9-pin port commodities as the era of 30-pin electronics fades away. Read more on how you can avoid being a part of eWaste generation, by recycling used electronics through trade-in services.
