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Comment by jMyles | Hacker News Reader

In addition to the point the author makes about the benefits of modularity, this strikes me as environmentally tone-deaf as well. Do we just expect devices to enter the waste stream every 5 years now? Can't we do better?

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That, sadly, is something Apple really doesn't support or encourage, by and large they've kept moving away from reparable and upgradable products[0] even though that's by far the most ecological option (short of not using industrial products in the first place)

[0] to trade them for form (soldered RAM, fused display panels), for assembly convenience (tons of adhesives, thankfully they've at least started moving to adhesive pull tabs for iOS device batteries) or for no fucking reason whatsoever (custom SSD connectors, proprietary/security screws). As far as iFixit is concerned, the only thing less repairable than an rMBP is an orange.

But now they've got Liam the robot http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/apple-unveils-liam-iphone-recycling...

Do they expect us to believe that the parts will be reused, like it is implied in the video? Of course not, there is not chance the parts will match the next model and even if they do they would have to undergo inspection and testing. That is way to expensive and time consuming. Instead they will be melted into raw components, which is not shown in the video.

What will happen in reality is the phone will go into a industrial shredder and then the process of separating/recycling will begin. The robot seems like a marketing gimmick (they even have it a name), and will not be involved in 99% of the recycling process.

I really want to be proven wrong.

They talk about harvesting the raw metals and elements in the video... The hard part in ewaste recycling isn't collecting the devices, it's breaking them down into their isolated components. The robot's aim is to do that instead of a shredder so that they can have a much higher re-use rate.

http://mashable.com/2016/03/21/apple-liam-recycling-robot/

And of course this is also a project to have a robot do the reverse--assemble iPhones.

Interestingly enough, mandarin oranges are used by medical students as practice for laparoscopic surgeries. The task is to remove the pericarp (white stringy stuff) from the orange with minimal damage to the outer peel, then suture the opening.

So oranges might, in fact, be more repairable.

I don't think you're doing it on purpose, but you are comparing Apples to oranges.

At least oranges are delicious.

Exactly. The comment was specially awkward when you consider that they spent a decent part of the event talking about how environmentally friendly they are and how they reuse and recycle.

That "joke" was terrible in many different ways.

Sell them or give them to poor kids.

At least where I live people drop working stuff off at FreeGeek instead of tossing them in a dumpster.

PDX? :-)

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