AppleInsider StaffApple Computer is kicking off its free computer take-back program this week. Meanwhile new builds of the company's forthcoming operating system update are also making the rounds.
Apple on Wednesday announced the launch of its free computer take-back program, offering US customers environmentally friendly recycling of their old computer when they buy a new Mac.
Beginning today, the Apple Store online store and Apple retail stores will give US customers the option of recycling their unwanted PCs, regardless of the manufacturer.
The program was announced back in April of this year.
When a customer chooses to participate in the program, Apple will send an email with instructions and a label for free shipping and recycling. Customers will need to simply package their recyclable equipment and attach the label provided.
All equipment received by the program will be recycled domestically and no hazardous material is shipped overseas, Apple said.
Through its recycling programs, Apple has processed more than 21 million pounds of electronics worldwide since 1994. The company also offers a free iPod recycling program through its US retail stores, which offers customers 10 percent discount incentive on the purchase of a new iPod.
New Mac OS X 10.4.7 builds
Just before breaking for this past holiday weekend, Apple released to developers a second round of pre-release Mac OS X 10.4.7 software builds, according to reports.
The new builds are listed as Mac OS X 10.4.7 build 8J2115 (Intel) and Mac OS X 10.4.7 build 8J115 (PowerPC). There appear to be no major issues with the software and a release looks ripe for shipment sometime next month.
Mac OS X 10.4.7 is expected to deliver bug fixes and enhancements to a broad range of Mac OS X components, including Mail, Safari, Synching, and iChat.
Malcolm Owen
Wesley Hilliard
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
18 Comments
The company also offers a free iPod recycling program through its US retail stores, which offers customers 10 percent discount incentive on the purchase of a new iPod.
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... which offers naive customers 10 percent discount incentive on the purchase of a new iPod in case they forget their old one may still have value 2nd hand exceeding that
Me, recycle a Mac? Never! Not because I'm anti-environment, but because re-use is way better than recycling whenever something can still have a viable purpose / looks good on my shelf.
The Sierra Club guys picked on the wrong company to harass for low recycling of their old computers, if you ask me. How many 5, 10, 20 year old PC's are there still being coveted by geeks? There's a fair few Macs!
... which offers naive customers 10 percent discount incentive on the purchase of a new iPod in case they forget their old one may still have value 2nd hand exceeding that
Some people don't want to deal with it, I suppose. I don't think anyone would trade a functioning iPod, but if there is something in the iPod that still works (screen, drive, circuit board), it may still be worth more than the trade-in value. If it's just a dead battery, then that can be replaced for under $50.
The fact that they would take back non-Apple machines on trade-up is nice.
The three Rs, starting with the best:
Reduce - get computers that serve longer (Macs) and buy fewer!
Reuse - an older Mac can be perfect for someone with limited needs. Freecycle.org or eBay will hook you up!
Recycle - at least keep it out of our landfills and water. A lot of those materials can be useful again!
"All equipment received by the program will be recycled domestically and no hazardous material is shipped overseas, Apple said."
Excellent. Apple is moving from doing "OK" with the environment to being quite responsible. AND neatly solving the problem of how to get rid of that old Dell.
10.4.7 hmm, I don't expect any improvements with this that I will notice. After 5 years of OSX it looks like they have got rid of most bugs and each update no longer seems to break printer and scanner drivers
What are they going to offer with Leopard, why should I upgrade? Unless I buy an Intel Mac, I doubt Leopard will have anything for me. For Intel, we might just see a Windows environment to allow windows applications to run without re-booting, but to do so would raise the risks of developers just not bothering to write anything for OSX anymore.
It's too bad that they couldn't offer the option of simply handing over the equipment to be recycled while you're at the Apple retail store. It might be easier for some than to scrounge around for box, pack the stuff, then drive to FedEx. But this is definitely a step in the right direction.
Let's see... I've got a 286, an old Pentium, a K6 Aptiva, Mac SE, Classic, Classic II, Color Classic, LC 475, Duo 230, Duo 280, 5500/250, and iBook/466 lying around. How many Macs would I have to buy before they're all gone??