Apple to recycle Ipods

[Useruser666]

Uh yeah, give me your 4 year-old or newer car and I'll "recycle" it for you too. Pfffttt!

Apple Launches iPod Recycling Program
LAST UPDATE: 6/6/2005 7:10:43 AM
Posted By: CyberBob
This story is available on your cell phone at mobile.woai.com.

By RACHEL KONRAD, AP Technology Writer

Apple Computer Inc. launched a recycling program Friday for its popular iPod, encouraging owners to bring their digital music players to Apple retail stores for free, environmentally friendly disposal.

The company has been under siege from environmentalists, who say the company hasn't done enough to promote recycling of its products, which often end up in landfills in the United States and in developing countries.

People who bring their iPods to one of about 100 stores nationwide will also receive a 10 percent discount toward the purchase of a new iPod. The discount is only good the day people drop off their older iPod, iPod mini or iPod photo.

Apple representatives declined comment Friday afternoon but referred to a news release, which emphasized that any hazardous material would not be shipped overseas for processing.

Apple has become the darling of the technology sector for its iconic digital music player, one of the hottest gadgets of the new millennium. But scorching iPod sales have also made it the target of the Computer TakeBack Campaign, which in January spearheaded a yearlong campaign to protest Apple's recycling efforts.

The aggressive environmental group, which last year badgered Dell Inc. until it significantly bolstered its recycling initiatives, held protests at Apple's Cupertino headquarters and at retail stores nationwide, and it's championed a letter-writing and e-mail campaign against the maker of Macintosh computers.

Apple doesn't charge consumers to recycle outdated electronics in Japan, Europe, Taiwan and South Korea, but environmentalists say the company is a significant contributor to the growing problem of electronic waste in the United States. IPods cost as little as $99 but contain lead and other toxins.

U.S. consumers retire or replace roughly 133,000 personal computers per day, according to research firm Gartner Inc. Roughly 400 million gizmos will be thrown out by 2010.

Apple's newest initiative only affects its smallest devices. The limited scope of the program prompted Gopal Dayaneni, sustainable technology program director at the San Jose-based Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, to call the move "a nice baby step" to solving the problem of electronic waste.

[MannyIsGod]

Pretty awesome if you ask me. They have the built in batteries which I'd imagine aren't the cleanest of things. A 10% discount for brinigng in a dead IPOD is pretty sweet if you ask me.

[SpursWoman]

Not if you hate your iPod and sure as hell don't want to buy another one. Especially when your SO told you not to get it because it sucks and you bought it anyway. :)

[MannyIsGod]

I love IPods. But yeah, I guess if you hate it then it's no big deal either way. Why do y'all hate yours?

[SpursWoman]

I listen to mine primarily when I'm either working out or working in the yard, in either case I'm usually pretty sweaty... and it's a gigantic PITA to work the crappy controls when your hands are wet.

It's just like the touch mouse on my laptop, and I hate that too.



I do like the software, though. :fro

[jalbre6]

My gf has an 30 GB iPod, and I have a 30 GB Nomad. My was about $150 cheaper and I haven't had nearly the issues she has, with a lot of the same uses that Spurs Woman listed above.

Mine isn't as big of a battery hog, easier to navigate songs, came with a better headset, and even came with a sturdy metal clip. Even the FM tuner works better with mine in the car.

[SpursWoman]

I just have the 3GB pink mini ... which is plenty of memory for me, but the controls really are not user friendly at all, and I don't know if it's different with the bigger models or if mine is just defective, but the sound quality sucks, too.

[jalbre6]

The sound quality is always going to comparatively suck because the size of an mp3 file (for the most part) is much smaller than the size of a CD track.

[SpursWoman]

No...it's actually worse than the last mp3 player (Samsung) I had. Over all, not happy with it at all.

:(

[209Goodfella]

I luv my IPOD PHOTO 30 GB. I agree the controls are kinda clumsy but when you master them it gets a lot easier. It beats a cd walkman no skipping or anything when I work out. :music

[tlongII]

The place I work out at has satellite radio so I just bring headphones and "plug in."

[Slomo]

No...it's actually worse than the last mp3 player (Samsung) I had. Over all, not happy with it at all.

:( That's weird, because the best reason for buying an iPod is the sound quality. If you don't use the original headphones (which are crap) and use mp3s that are at least 128kbps the sound quality of the iPod is superior to most mp3 players. So maybe you should have it checked.

As for headphones...

I recommend the Sony MDR-EX71SLB Fontopia Headphones (they also come in white).
http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00008XYJL.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Or if you want to go all out the Bose QuietComfort 2 which kick ass even when you're not on an airplane (and will cancel out the noise of the lawn mower :lol )
http://www.bose.com/images/home_entertainment/products/p_qc2_l_na.jpg

[SpursWoman]

I've got some pretty pricy Sony ones (I don't like the ear buds) ... and no real difference, and I ususally go 192 or higher. :nerd

The controls frustrate me more than anything....

[Slomo]

I've got some pretty pricy Sony ones (I don't like the ear buds) ... and no real difference, and I ususally go 192 or higher. :nerd

The controls frustrate me more than anything.... Well the controls are what they are. I have no problem with mine but I can see how they could be annoying (you have of course checked that yours behave like other iPods).

192kbps made from a CD is virtually impossible to tell the difference from the original - so the quality issue you are having is not normal.

I don't like the earbuds too. The model from my previous post come with 3 different size soft silicon buds. They are extremely comfortable and since they fit perfectly they are able to reproduce an amazing level of bass (something that small earbud headphones have problem with).

[MiNuS]

I own a Rio Carbon better looking and smaller than the Mini-ipod.
5 gigs is all I need.I have about 2 gigs loaded.Only con is I can't find a
nice inexpensive arm holster. Nice ones are in Europe for about $55 USD

[MannyIsGod]

I could fill 30 gigs EASY.

[Useruser666]

I could fill 30 gigs EASY.

But with music? :lol

[MannyIsGod]

Yeah.

[SpursWoman]

That's one thing I like about the iPod software, though....you can weed out the duplicates.


:lol

I don't have the kind of time to download/upload all of that music, much less listen to it.

:wow

[MannyIsGod]

Seriously, I know I could fill 30 gigs. I have a hard drive with about 15 gigs, and that doesn't even include my cds. My CDs would probably be another 15 gigs, and Jess has like 3 times as many CDs as me. Yeah, 30 gigs wouldn't be enough.

[Useruser666]

Seriously, I know I could fill 30 gigs. I have a hard drive with about 15 gigs, and that doesn't even include my cds. My CDs would probably be another 15 gigs, and Jess has like 3 times as many CDs as me. Yeah, 30 gigs wouldn't be enough.

I was joking with you Manny. I have over 40 gigs of music in mp3 form. I didn't really like the controls on the Ipod either. I like their small size and sleek design. I wish they would run on regular batteries instead of the internal one that's quite expensive. Rechargable NMH batteries are way cheaper and are easily replaced.

Having 30 gigs of songs is great, but it would take you like 40 days of straight listening to play each one. You can however use the extra space for file storage. I would like a smaller, sleek player, that has longer battery life.

Oh, and the point of me posting this was kinda missed, so I'll clarify. I think it's funny that Apple is pretending to be all enviromentally friendly by "recycling" Ipods. I mean hell, who hear wouldn't be glad to take an Ipod off someone's hands for free? They'll probably clean them and resell them.

[MannyIsGod]

Yeah, the internal battery is fucking stupid. It's been the biggest drawback of the Ipod from day one. When they learn to make it run on a few rechargables, they are going to get even more buyers.

[Spurminator]

Apple is not exactly user-friendly. I have a G4 and an iPod, but they were mind numbingly frustrating to figure out since I'm not really a computer person.

It's as though their products are purposefully made to be difficult so that those who know how to use them feel some reason to pat themselves on the back.

[SpursWoman]

Yeah, the internal battery is fucking stupid. It's been the biggest drawback of the Ipod from day one. When they learn to make it run on a few rechargables, they are going to get even more buyers.


The guy at Best Buy highly recommended the service plan on the iPod mini...which was cheaper (for 3 years) than having to buy one of those internal batteries for it (it covers the battery), which he also mentioned seemed to be an issue after about a year.

And yet, dumbass still bought it. http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif

[SpursWoman]

It's as though their products are purposefully made to be difficult so that those who know how to use them feel some reason to pat themselves on the back.


I've reached that same conclusion. :lol

[Procrastinator]

I've been meaning to get an Ipod for months.

[Duff McCartney]

I'm hoping I get an ipod for my birthday today. Well not today but today is my birthday. But I'm gonna be getting one sometime soon. I think the 60 GB one is the more bang for the buck....especially considering the 6 GB minis are 250 and the 60 GB one is 400.

It's like 150 dollars for 10 times the space of a mini.

[B.AlMighty]

I'm hoping I get an ipod for my birthday today. Well not today but today is my birthday. But I'm gonna be getting one sometime soon. I think the 60 GB one is the more bang for the buck....especially considering the 6 GB minis are 250 and the 60 GB one is 400.

It's like 150 dollars for 10 times the space of a mini.


Happy birthday guy.