Where Do All the iPhones Go?
image courtesy of apple.com
I’m kinda tired of hearing about the shiny, new iPhone. Granted, it is an incredible piece of technology, and will probably further revolutionize the way we utilize mobile services, much like the first iPhone did.
But, honestly? I’m kind of tired of technological waste.
Think about it. Where are all the year-old iPhones going to go when gadget ghurus decide they want the latest version? Who is going to buy them? Especially in this economy.
For companies that claim to be eco-conscious, Apple seems to be more worried about the green in its pocket, than green living.
What is Apple planning to do with all of the old, outdated iPhones? I hope they have some sort of recycling plan. They could make a cool art exhibit, utilizing some kind of structure-sculpture base. Probably not the best doggy chew-toy.
I’m all about technological innovation (I DO work for a technology company), but it seems as though we live in this fast-paced, throwaway society, where something that was worth $500 only a year ago, now has devalued immensely. We need to take some responsibility. What about a trade-in program, where you get $50 off a new iPhone? The parts can then be recycled to create the next generation of iPhones, instead of using new resources.
Maybe I will buy one for nostalgia sake, and in 10 years it will be worth something. Maybe I can sell it to a museum.
What are your ideas for recycling the old iPhones, even if you don’t plan on getting a new one?
4 Comments
I’ve often wondered the same thing. The iPhone is not a good candidate for giving to third world countries, where the only service available is cellular because the features mostly won’t work.
What are the chip and board manufacturers doing about this? Can the raw materials be recovered by melting the whole units down (doubtful!)?
It would make a cool portable gaming platform if some alpha geeks could repurpose it. Tetris, for instance, would transition well to a touch-screen gaming interface, as would other games. You could also use the Edge data network to download purchased or free games to the platform. The first step would be to get Linux installed on the iPhone, and I don’t think that has been done yet. The video below on Youtube is questionable in its authenticity.
@randulo I have wondered how the chip and board manufacturers can reuse materials…maybe it can be figured out sooner rather than later…
@ cory maybe you can figure out how to get linux installed…then you’ll be a millionaire!