All Sections

Apple’s September Event was a let-down, but there was still one positive sign

Overall it was deflating to watch Apple’s latest showcase, but at least there’s one indication of progress that sets a good example.

While hundreds of thousands of people around the world tuned in to watch Apple livestream the launch of its latest products, most of them must have left pretty disappointed no matter how devoted they are to the brand.

There was no revolutionary change announced on stage on September 14, with modest changes instead being the order of the day. There was no audience in attendance due to Covid-19 precautions, but in any case it would have been hard to cheer and whoop loudly for a slightly smaller notch in the iPhone 13, or a slightly bigger screen on the Apple Watch.

The tech that was being showcased at the September Event just seemed to be more of the same, with a few minor tweaks here and there. While nothing is wrong with that, it just doesn’t make for an entertaining spectacle. It’s hardly on a par with Steve Jobs theatrically promising us “One more thing…”

Yet one trend throughout Apple’s presentation does deserve headlines, even if it’s not as shiny and special and a new tech device, and that’s the company’s commitment to sustainability.

Taking the iPhone 13 alone, 100% of the tungsten, tin, gold, and rare earth elements contained in the device will be recycled. Plastic wrapping has been eliminated from the packaging, saving an estimated 600 metric tons of plastic. And none of the waste from Apple’s assembly sites will go to landfill.

These changes all play their role in Apple’s commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, and they set a fine example to the rest of the tech community — which all too often can be hideously wasteful for the sake of showing off attractive and expensive new products on a continuous cycle.

Being at the forefront of the tech community, Apple has a unique position of influence. While its latest event may not have been thrilling in terms of the new devices unveiled, it was exciting in another and more profound way; it showed us the first few steps towards a genuinely sustainable future for consumer technology.

 

 

 

 

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *