I followed #AppleEvent on Mastodon instead of the bird site this year. I guess being on the “nicer” site doesn’t stop the snark.
On a side note, people don’t even want to spend 30 minutes hearing about a company’s environmental efforts and we expect them to change their behavior? cc: @denny
@pratik I find these comments by people about spending too much time on the environment a lack of sensitivity and carelessness. This years weather and catastrophes should be reminders that something is profoundly wrong with all of us (or most of us).
@pratik Yeah, constant snark. Sad that the tech press and pundits have created this constant expectation of snarky cleverness. It seems to set the tone for almost everything they do. Most notable with event commentary but almost always a part of their performance. Gross.
And as for the commentary on the environment, sadly, I'm not suprised. While many of the tech press seem to lean liberal I don't get the sense that they're all that concerned with climate change. They just want the latest tech toys. Seems pretty shallow.
@numericcitizen @Denny in terms of environmental awareness and actual action, this was really good to see. I also loved Apple’s choice of making a skit instead of just rattling off facts and achievements. Given Apple’s scale, it makes a big difference and hopefully pushes other companies to do the same
@pratik @numericcitizen Absolutely. I've followed their progress on climate since they started reporting it and they've made real effort and progress. Frankly, they seem to be setting a fairly high bar and not many others have come close. I appreciate the detail of the reporting and the depth of their approach. They're not just doing a greenwash-type effort but have, as far as I can tell, really dug into their impact. Of course, it's also true that their profits are off the charts and that the their product is resource intensive in production and during its life-cycle.
So, really, while their efforts seem special in comparison to most others who are failing, the high bar they are setting should be expected and should be the norm. But yes, good on them for doing it and emphasizing it. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
@Denny @numericcitizen And I was looking for mentions of carbon offsets and didn’t find any. I may have to read more if that’s true. Coz most polluters use carbon offsets which is not exactly a solution but a start (if enforced)
@jasonekratz
Nobody is buying Apple products because of their environmental aspect because at the end of the day they're still using resources. If people really cared they wouldn't be buying new phones every year.
Well, I guess the best environmental outcome is if Apple didn’t exist then this conversation wouldn’t happen. Reminds me of this meme.
@pratik Not sure that meme being deployed here is really nailing it when the perhaps most significant consumer electronics company launches an elaborate PR fest to make you feel good about your rampant consumerism (such as replacing perfectly workable phones every two years).
It’s good they do what they do, and by all means they also get to brag about it, that’s the deal with corporate ““responsibility””. But an overproduced segment in an hour-long celebration of conspicuous consumption where “mother nature” (!) approves of Tim Cook is as cringe as it gets.
@jasonekratz The vast majority of my non-techie friends hang onto their phones for three or more years—basically until they stop working (and they may pay for a battery replacement). Apple would love everyone to be on an annual upgrade cycle, but they absolutely know that's the exception.
@jasonekratz @moritz
but don't make any of this out that Apple isn't trying to get each and every one of us to keep buying these devices each and every year.
Well, that's advertising. I think we can let individuals decide what they need and don't need to buy. Not everyone buys a new phone every year. One reason is that the iPhone holds its value for several years; hence, trade-ins get a higher value. These older phones are then sold to people who can't afford new ones. And as you say, older phones are just as good and "perfectly workable," right?
Now, if the new phones are made with recycled materials as much as possible, that's even better than 5-10 years ago, right? Unless we don't make phones at all, there will be some middle ground, right? You may have found the presentation cringe, but at least compared to rattling off stats hurriedly, it was definitely good.
