Three BAD News regarding Apple
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Apple random shut down site opens
Catch it before you shut down
By Steve Nosejob: Wednesday 30 August 2006, 09:48
A GROUP OF Macbook owners who are miffed that their very nice looking Apples are randomly shutting down for no reason have opened a new website. The site, which can be found here looks at all the theories why their Macbooks should be shutting down.
Visitors are expected to post their own horror stories and contribute to the debate.
For example, one bloke posting has noticed that his Macbook likes to shut down when it is playing Quicktime movies. Another reports details of his 20 week ordeal to get his black Macbook fixed.
Of course, such a site is Apple heresy. It is written in the book of Jobs that Macbooks are deemed perfect in SteveÂ’s eyes and anyone who does not think so shall be persecuted by the dark legion of Apple fanboys.
http://www.macbookrandomshutdown.com/
Japan tells Apple to probe burning battery problem
By Tony Smith
30th August 2006 10:27 GMT
Japan's trade ministry has given Apple a week to explain why one of the Mac maker's notebooks allegedly burst into flames in April this year and to detail what's being done to make sure the incident isn't repeated.
The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry yesterday revealed one owner of an iBook G4 received minor injuries after their computer caught fire. According to a Ministry statement cited by Agence France Presse, the machine contained a Sony-made battery.
The Ministry's revelation comes a week after Apple announced it would replace 1.8m batteries shipped with a variety of its iBook and PowerBook laptop computers sold between October 2003 and August 2006.
On 14 August, Dell said it was recalling 4.1m notebook batteries after a spate of reports of laptops catching fire. At that point, only a single instance of an Apple machine going up in smoke had been reported. That incident took place in Norway.
Sony has been named as the battery supplier behind both the Apple and Dell recalls. Both Sony and Dell have also been asked to make a formal report to the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Greenpeace slams Apple
Eco-image shattered
By Steve Nosejob: Wednesday 30 August 2006, 08:51
GREENPEACE has slated the maker of entertainment gear, Apple for poisoning the environment. The outfit, which is already in trouble over allegations that it makes its products with Chinese slave labour, ranked fourth from the bottom in a Greenpeace survey.
Only Lenovo, Motorola and Acer were worse and none of them have marketed themselves to the liberal arts set.
The report scores companies on their use of hazardous chemicals, recycling, and take-back policies and a spokesGreenpeace said that for an outfit that claims to lead on product design, Apple scored badly on almost all criteria.
Apple doesnÂ’t publish a list of regulated substances it uses in its products, Greenpeace said. It does not release timelines for eliminating polyvinyl chlorides (PVCs) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and only flogs a few peripheral items free of PVCs.
In fact the only thing that stopped Apple falling to the bottom of the list is that it does not export e-waste.
Apple said it disagreed with the report as it has eliminated cathode ray tube monitors containing lead from its product lines along with cadmium and hexavalent chromium in manufacturing. While it is true that a small amount of mercury is used in AppleÂ’s flat-panel displays, Apple is looking for an alternative, a spokesApple said.
Lenovo disputed its last place saying it offers recycling to all of its business customers and has continued IBMÂ’s Environmental Management System, a program that covers manufacturing and product design.
The award for the most eco-friendly outfit was Nokia which has eliminated PVCs. More here
http://www.macworld.com/news/2006/08/29/greenpeace/index.php -
Apple scolded by Greenpeace for environmental policies
By Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service
Apple got low marks for eco-friendly policies from Greenpeace in a survey of electronics companies by the environmental group. The Cupertino, Calif.-based computer maker ranks fourth from the bottom in GreenpeaceÂ’s survey, finishing ahead of only Acer, Motorola, and Lenovo.
“For a company that claims to lead on product design, Apple scores badly on almost all criteria,” Greenpeace said in its Green Electronics Guide. The report, published every three months, scores companies on their use of hazardous chemicals, recycling, and take-back policies. It uses information published by the companies.
Apple doesnÂ’t publish a list of regulated substances it uses in its products, Greenpeace said. The environmental group also faulted Apple for not releasing timelines for eliminating polyvinyl chlorides (PVCs) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and only selling a few peripheral items free of PVCs.
While Apple has take-back programs in place in some countries, it reports the weight of recycled products and not the percentage of sales, Greenpeace said. Apple received one positive mark, for not exporting e-waste, an issue for developing countries that may mishandle hardware with toxic substances.
Apple said it disagreed with GreenpeaceÂ’s ratings and criteria. The computer company said it has eliminated cathode ray tube monitors containing lead from its product lines along with cadmium and hexavalent chromium in manufacturing.
A small amount of mercury is used in AppleÂ’s flat-panel displays, as the element is used throughout the industry for backlight lamps, the company said. Apple is looking for an alternative.
Apple defended its environmental record at this yearÂ’s annual shareholder meeting in April, noting that a lot of the eco-friendly efforts made by the company get overlooked because they happen behind the scenes.
Mobile phone giant Nokia received the highest rating in GreenpeaceÂ’s survey. It scored highly for eliminating its use of PVCs, which are widely used but difficult-to-recycle plastics that cause the release of dioxin, another toxin, when manufactured. The Finnish company plans to stop using BFRs by the start of 2007, Greenpeace said.
Lenovo, which took over IBM’s PC business in May 2005, came last on Greenpeace’s list. The company has not committed to eliminating PVCs or BFRs or defined a “precautionary principle,” a set of guidelines governing actions that could cause environmental damage, according to Greenpeace. The vendor also has a limited take-back policy in some countries which Greenpeace called “partially bad.”
Lenovo disputed the findings, saying it offers recycling to all of its business customers—a service not detailed on its Web site. Lenovo has continued IBM’s Environmental Management System, a program that covers manufacturing and product design, and is meshing that system with its own, pre-existing environmental policy, it said.
“Lenovo meets or exceeds applicable environmental regulations globally, and we don't believe Greenpeace’s ranking accurately reflects Lenovo’s environmental record,” the company said in a statement.
None of the companies scored perfectly. Even first-place Nokia, for example, doesnÂ’t release figures on the number of units it recycles, according to Greenpeace. The vendor should also more clearly define its precautionary principle, the environmental group said.
Other companies that scored well for their environmental policies were Dell and Hewlett-Packard. -
apples doesn't give you the blue screen of death .....
they just HANG ! ....
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They do give you a kernal panic screen or the death ballOriginally posted by Fatum:apples doesn't give you the blue screen of death .....
they just HANG ! .... 
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They give you a nice panic screen, which makes you wonder if they are serious at it.Originally posted by Fatum:apples doesn't give you the blue screen of death .....
they just HANG ! .... 
Personally, I have not encountered it. But I have encountered hangs. Only choice is to pull the plug, like Dell PCs. -
Something to add on the 3rd "Bad News". Perhaps avid Apple fans can provide any latest news about the company's product and manufacturing information since many countries (including U.S and China) have already loonked into involvement of restricted of hazardous substances used in their electronic hardware manufacturing and assembly. As for packaging materials used for such products, they are classified under WEEE and material that can be recycled for use.
It was started in Europe but since then other countries are very keen in adopting very similar standards in their products. If you have read reviews on some electroni products, newer ones may have compliant in RoHs and their packaging material WEEE...especially manufacturers certified under ISO9001:2000 and ISO14001.
Unless of course the imminent impact in the coming years is you do not intend to sell your products to the European countries if not satisfying the minimum in RoHs compliant is definitely a must for electronics and computer hardware. -
Apple is usually very secretive about any information (too many photocopiers around) so not very surprising that they are not willing to release much info. But I do know they've already stopped manufacturing CRT monitors and also started trade-in/recycling programmes...
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Well we can recycle by using the used products again...we can all take part by selling them to another buyer/ user, trade in for cash rebate and purchase of a newer products etc. However, manufacturer's and retailers/ distributors can contribute by taking in/ buying in used hardware, refurnish them and reuse them...this can be incorporated in the companies' policies.
WEEE covers waste management and if your hardware/ pakaging material are compliant to that, it indirectly cuts down on waste material added to the Earth and thus preservation/ conservation of the environment.
RoHs covers the control of hazardous elements forcefully added to the Earth when electronic hardware are discarded and scrapped/ destroyed. Hazardous substances can be retained in the scrapped material and infiltrate to the environment. They can also be released to the atmosphere when wastes are being destroyed. By controlling the amount of hazardous substances present in the product, we are hoping to reduce the effects to a minimum and let the Earth take her time to heal.
Companies are also practising health control and are taking measures to protect/ isolate employees working in hazardous environment from harmful effects due to exposure to harmful material or chemicals during their employment. Environmental controls over the manufacturing conditions ensures products made are compliant to regulatory rules and customers' requirements at the same time.
So all the above goes hand in hand.