The iPad (PHOTOS): How Green Is Apple's Latest Gadget?

The release of Apple's iPad today has the web abuzz, and there's one question on the minds of the green-inclined: How eco-friendly is Apple's latest gadget? Some argue that it's an extraneous purchase, making it unenvironmental based on that alone. Then there's the recent discussion on cloud computing, which are shared computer servers that process user data requests to stream video, download, check email, etc. Basically, it's a huge power suck that, according to Greenpeace, releases more carbon into the atmosphere than previously thought, and the iPad falls under the cloud-computing umbrella.

But when it comes to the device alone, turns out the iPad fares pretty well, especially in comparison to other electronics. Apple has taken measures to ensure the iPad is energy-efficient and does less damage to the environment than it could if it followed some industry standards. We've compiled the attributes that make the iPad a green gadget. Take a look, and vote for your favorite feature!

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The iPad's enclosure is made from recycled aluminum.

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The iPad's enclosure is made from recycled aluminum.

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Comments

[VerdantCasey]

02:22 PM on 04/11/2010

However misdirected, Greenpeace is getting a great deal of press for their attacks on Google, Facebook, and Apple: the IT sector is small but growing, so it’s nice to see energy sourcing in the headlines if only because such popular corporations are forced to respond to their coal-intensive data centers and cloud computing.

Researching how to make your company, product, or next project more Green? Go to www.greencollareconomy.com for sustainability white papers and the largest b2b green directory on the web.

[Tommygun264]

02:51 PM on 04/07/2010

I gave it the benefit of the doubt - I waited until it was in the store, I went in, picked it up, no choirs of angels sang when I touched it, I was not swaddled in a warm glowing ecstasy while I play with it, perhaps I would have felt different I had received a free one loaded with apps like most of the reviewers, but I didn't and I don't. The TamPod is a dud.

[Jason Winders]

06:24 AM on 04/05/2010

Wow, did Apple write this piece for Huffington Post? Apple continues to pump out Tech Candy - sweet, fun and consumed quickly - and spin it as "green" because it could have been constructed in a worse way. "Seriously, people, we constructed the iPad out of recycled materials and not the flesh of newborn snow leopards. See, we're responsible." I don't care what you make of it of, when a business model is built on perceived obsolescence as much as Apple's model is, that needs to be hammered on constantly. Until Apple allows us to (and we do) upgrade instead of replace then they shouldn't even be in the sustainable discussion. Come on, Huffington Post, you can do better than this fluff.

[Amadahy]

01:27 PM on 04/05/2010

"I don't care what you make of it of, when a business model is built on perceived obsolescence as much as Apple's model is, that needs to be hammered on constantly. Until Apple allows us to (and we do) upgrade instead of replace then they shouldn't even be in the sustainable discussion."

I agree 1000% Jason. Thank you for being objective. This is exactly what I said in my response to one of the iPad articles here on HP. And this is why the iPad will not be a success with my friends and family. I've already started to advocate against it in fact.

"You can't plug a mouse into it. You can't plug a keyboard into it. You can't plug any of your other devices into it, like a flight stick for flight simulators or an infrared gaming device such as TrackIR (http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/). There's no ports for external memory, like USB keys or SD cards. You can't upgrade the memory and processor on it. It's for all intensive purporses a dead end device destined to see a landfill as soon as you buy it."

[HonestJohnnis]

06:45 PM on 04/04/2010

The greenest product is the one that isn't made.. especially as unnecessary as this one.

[ResearchtheFacts]

11:36 PM on 04/04/2010

Thank you, boy was this a fluff piece. Just the fact it is not upgradeable, and, in a year more than likely will be considered "old technology". Apple users are always wanting the latest and greatest technology. And, since their devices are not upgradeable you have to chuck the whole device and start over if you want to stay current with the rest of the PC world. When most PC makers make their devices upgradeable. Apple company, in and of itself, is wasteful in their approach to technology.

What would be the incentive of Apple users sending their old devices back to Apple for recycling? They should be getting a price break off their new equipment when they do since because of the Apple prison system--closed architecture, if they want to stay with Apple and stay current they have to continuously keep buying everything flying out the Apple door.

[enoughofrr]

07:18 AM on 04/05/2010

It's no different than Windows with an OS upgrade or change every 3 years. .

[Jacob77030]

02:18 PM on 04/04/2010

Make the ipad out of wood

[turboturd]

01:24 PM on 04/04/2010

I'm sure it comes in the color green. Let us move on please...

[KIVPossum]

03:27 AM on 04/04/2010

OK, I get it. The IPad is going to revolutionize the way we get news, communicate, learn, and share information, while cleaning up the earth. By next week we'll have an app on it to wash our dishes and iron the clothes.

[tinrobot]

03:06 AM on 04/04/2010

Will the thing last a few decades before you'll want to replace it, or will you dispose of it in 12-18 months when the next iPad comes along?

If it's disposable, then it's NOT green.

[Sheila Wasserman]

10:01 PM on 04/03/2010

But is it manufactured using conflict minerals from Congo (which are contained in the vast majority of electronics we use every day), for which hundreds of thousands of people have died horrible deaths at the hands of rebel groups, and for which hundreds of thousands of women and girls have been brutalized? (Think, Blood Diiamond) For the next generations of ipad and the rest of its product line, Apple needs to trace the source of its mineral components, to ensure that they are purchased from conflict free suppliers.

[DRaymond]

05:38 PM on 04/03/2010

Greenwashing.

Apple's iPad has a nonreplacable battery. This means that the whole thing has to be sent to the service center to replace the battery, at which time the typical Apple user, when faced with an expensive battery replacement and having to do without their device, just buys another one. That is intentionally wastefull, even if the most of the device can be recycled.

And an OLED screen would be even more energy efficient.

[xstevejx]

06:53 PM on 04/03/2010

OLED is still too expensive for mainstream use...maybe the iPad 2 or iPad 3 will use it when prices come way down.

And the battery thing is because the batteries are more efficient as they are rather than having regular laptop-like battery packs.

[bobdob]

12:19 PM on 04/03/2010

Apple's devices are among the worst, as far as environmental impact, because Apple's business model is built entirely around a very aggressive upgrade cycle. They want you to buy the latest thing and toss or recycle your old device as often as possible. And most Apple users are only to happy to comply. It's not the recycling that matters--it's the pollution caused during the manufacturing process. And in that regard, Apple's computers are just as dirty as all the rest.

[montex]

01:10 AM on 04/07/2010

That's right. Because Apple is the only company out there trying to get people to buy their products. How dare they upgrade their products so often!

[LynnHasselberger]

09:57 AM on 04/03/2010

I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised at their green efforts, but they just created more stuff that people think the need to have.

[Sequoia Hughes]

02:10 PM on 04/03/2010

I'm a bike commuter. I don't own a car. My laptop is too big and heavy to transport, so a 1.5 pound mini-computer makes a lot of sense for me.

I use Windows XP, but I'm stoked to find a device that auto-syncs.

[Linda Yilmazian]

09:46 AM on 04/03/2010

Apple...did it Again!

"Apple iPad designed the casings using recyclable aluminum. The screens use LED-backlit displays, which are more energy efficient than LCDs and the glass is free of mercury and arsenic. Furthermore, the iPad contains no brominated flame retardants and is completely PVC-free"

[eyecon]

08:51 PM on 04/02/2010

Call this IFAD.