Hacker News Reader

Comment by lgleason | Hacker News Reader

It is stuff like this, where they take perfectly usable hardware and turn it into a paperweight that exposes the hypocrisy of any of their pro environment/green talk. The right thing to do would be to give us the option of uploading firmware that allows us to update settings etc. after that date like is done with older routers.

View on HN

On their search page they mention that they have been carbon neutral since 2007.

I had like to ask them what about the millions of perfectly usable phones that had to be ditched because of Android and the vendor lock ins.

Carbon neutral is not the same as filling the landfill with plastic and electronic waste. Just because they use solar power for energy has little to do with other environmental impacts.

The answer is carbon offsets

Whether carbon offsets actually work is another issue though

Most of them don't. Loopholes allow dxisting forests to be used to create huge amount of carbon credits without doing anything. Everyone knows but hardly anyone cares.

https://www.npr.org/2021/05/07/994774148/emission-impossible

Even if forests are planted, climate change will burn them to the ground regardless. It already is: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/27/wildfires-rage-carb...

Here's the secret: Androids, Chromebooks, OnHubs, etc, are all manufactured by third parties. I suspect they do not calculate the vast majority of landfilled "Google products" as part of their carbon footprint, despite being entirely responsible for when they end up getting thrown out. Just like outsourcing mistreated contractors, Google uses third party companies to shift and hide blame.

Chromebooks too. 6.5 years after the first unit is sold. So if you buy a model that's a few years old you'll only get a few years out of it.

On the bright side, Chromebooks often make great Linux devices if they have a good coreboot build available.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com