for half the price of the new Ipod Touch, you have the Nokia n800 with is open source software (really open to Linux devellopers), got a removable battery (same as in some cell phone) can be opened by end used to add memory (2 SD card slots). I got one and so far it killed all my aspiration to ever buy a laptop. and it fit in a standard pocket.

yes there are alternative to fashionable Apple. and they still look HOT when you display them on the table at Starbuck's .... yuk

Apple, what a perfect example of everything wrong with the Western world.

They design items to be fashionable, not necessarily functional, and CERTAINLY NOT to be long-lived. Jobs himself said that he wants people to upgrade their Ipods EVERY YEAR.

Their entire closed approach to everything they do is directly tied to their planned obsolescence. Since nobody needs more than 80gigs of stupid music storage in their gen 1 Ipod, Apple instead panders to the fashionista, consumerist monkeys that will doom us all. Its all about volume with Apple. That's why their stock is tanking over the past few days. The market is realizing that with an economic slowdown, even the monkeys may not want to spend money on another frivolous, unnecessary yet fashionable gadget.

The Air? So what, its got less toxic crap in it. But you CAN'T UPGRADE ANYTHING ON IT. Don't you get it? You have to buy a new one even if something small, like the battery, goes bad after the warranty. Or you have to buy a new one when the wonderful new Apple OS comes out which needs more RAM to run at any acceptable pace.
And no optical drive, so you have to fill up the internal drive with any movies or media, but when it fills up, you can't put in a bigger one.

Jobs will go down in history as one of the great men responsible for massive and frivolous consumption.

Happy days.

It is, again, on us the customers, to not buy this techno-trash in the first place. Do you really need that new show-off gadget, with a "show-off lifetime" of two weeks?

Of course most gadgets are wasteful (as we don't really need them, and they require quite a bit of energy to produce), but some companies are better than others. Apple is not one of these companies.

I recently bought an iRiver Clix, and stupidly dropped it on concrete within a week of having it. Still being under warranty, I sent it back to the manufacturer. They didn't give me any hassle about how it happened, and didn't charge me anything (and no, I didn't buy any sort of care or protection plan), but that's not the best part. When I got it back, I noticed that it still had all my music and a scrape on the corner from when I dropped it. They didn't just toss it and replace it, they actually repaired it and sent it back.

I hate to have to break it to everyone, but this is just another example of a consumption driven economy. Planned obsolescence and non-serviceable products are just tools companies use to "suggest" consumers purchase and consume again (and again, and again...).

Darn. I rambled. Oh well.

First: Those metal-to-metal joints are part of what makes the device sturdy. The back becomes a structural component instead of just a cover. But onward...

It isn't time for cell phones and music players to last 10 years. Make them efficiently to last for the useful life of their technology, then recycle them and get what makes sense at that time.

Consider home music systems: There was a period in the 1960s through the 1980s when technology and standards in home stereos was changing fast enough that it would be silly to be using a 10 year old system because the new ones were so much better. If your system broke after 10 years, well there wasn't a lot of point in repairing it because you could get a significantly better one for not much more than the cost of a repair.

Consider cell phones: As the cell spectrum gets reallocated analog phones go away, older digital technologies go away or become cost prohibitive because of their inefficient use of the limited spectrum.

Consider computers: At my work, cheap laptops mail at about 18 months, better ones about 36 months. Desktops go 36-60 months. But it doesn't matter. We still have heaps of not-broken-but-got-replaced computers that we pay recyclers to take away. (Though I hope to have them take the next load for free since we are out of glass monitors.)

Consider my iPod: I bought an iPod the day after they were announced. (Always wait one day for the Steve Jobs reality distortion field to wear off and make a sober decision.) It is a 5GB, still runs 6 hours on its original 6 year old battery and no one will use it. My children laugh at the idea of carrying such a HUGE device for music, and I have all the audio I need stored in my phone. I will never use a dedicated music player again.

Now consider my iPhone: Cellular phones, for the US market, are designed to last 18 months then either break so you renew your 2 year contract in exchange for a replacement or be so feature obsolete that your carrier can tempt you with an upgrade for things could have just been added to your software load. The iPhone is designed to be upgraded and improved at no (visible) cost to the owner for a service life of 3-5 years. At that time technology will have made them obsolete anyway. 3G, 4G, or WiMax will be the carrier's standard. The energy required for each compute operation will be halved, doubling the run time or shrinking the battery, the display will be an OLED halving its power consumption, the energy required per bit transmitted will be reduced, maybe the whole device will be sealed making it waterproof. I will probably put my iPhone in the drawer next to my iPod.

Somewhere down the road the cellular transmission standards will stabilize, the display and computer technologies will converge on physical limits of efficiency or be good enough that it doesn't matter. Then it is time to make handsets that last 10 years or more with maintainable cases. We aren't there yet.

Let's leave overt emotion and blind acceptance out of this... for example:

"They design items to be fashionable, not necessarily functional, and CERTAINLY NOT to be long-lived. Jobs himself said that he wants people to upgrade their Ipods EVERY YEAR."

Unless you plan to back this quote up, I call B.S.

I still use my iPod from 2001 daily (i did swap out the battery last year), almost 7 years of use. I've never had a Mac stop working on me, and I've owned only 2 PCs in my life and they both also work fine to this day. That's 5 macs in my life and 2 pcs, and they all still work... what's that about planned obsolescence? (granted, I didn't buy emachines because everyone i knew would have their machine crap out in less than a year)

Anyway, I work at an electronics repair shop, and we repair lots of gadgets, including iPhones and Nanos... The iPhone is simple to open up (I have no idea what this article is talking about) -- the nano is a bit more tough. We still do it, however, it just takes more time. I've also witnessed the same process at an apple store, so I can assure you they can open up both of these products without damaging the back plate.

I agree that the new Zune is much easier to open and repair, but that's largely due to its plastic shell, which isn't readily recyclable like the iPod/iPhone's aluminum anyway, and can occasionally crack... each has it's ups and downs on case manufacturing.

And to everyone's point: we'll replace your iPhone battery for $30. No new case required.

FYI, iPhone disassembly video that describes the process... They don't show how to pop off the black case at the bottom, which is the most time consuming process, but it's good:

http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-disassemble-iPhone-7373

Final word: I have repaired literally hundreds of music players, and I don't believe I've ever damaged a case, iPhone, iPod Nano, or Zune. This story smells fishy.

"Apple, what a perfect example of everything wrong with the Western world."

We''re looking love all the wrong places. We're asking too much of corporate social responsibility. We want our companies to be good guys but that's not what they are there for. They are there to provide good deals for their customers and good returns to their shareholders. It is the job of governments to take care of common good. Companies can be good guys only to the extent that it helps profits by making us like them and buy their stuff instead of somebody else's stuff or forestalls costly regulation by lulling governments into thinking there is no need to act because industry is doing the right thing voluntarily. Being good guys by doing things that reduce costs or increase margins isn't social responsibility. It's just good business -- make more money and get some kudos at the same time. That doesn't count. Being good guys when it might reduce profits just isn't going to happen to any appreciable degree. Those CEO's get fired.

To compound things, those of us who buy green thereby encouraging companies to be green are vanishingly small. Consumers all billions of them have shown they won't pay a green premium. You and I and other Treehuggers might but we are totally atypical.

So where does that leave us? We have to make governments work for us. That's what they're there for.

"Apple, what a perfect example of everything wrong with the Western world."

We''re looking love all the wrong places. We're asking too much of corporate social responsibility. We want our companies to be good guys but that's not what they are there for. They are there to provide good deals for their customers and good returns to their shareholders. It is the job of governments to take care of common good. Companies can be good guys only to the extent that it helps profits by making us like them and buy their stuff instead of somebody else's stuff or forestalls costly regulation by lulling governments into thinking there is no need to act because industry is doing the right thing voluntarily. Being good guys by doing things that reduce costs or increase margins isn't social responsibility. It's just good business -- make more money and get some kudos at the same time. That doesn't count. Being good guys when it might reduce profits just isn't going to happen to any appreciable degree. Those CEO's get fired.

To compound things, those of us who buy green thereby encouraging companies to be green are vanishingly small. Consumers all billions of them have shown they won't pay a green premium. You and I and other Treehuggers might but we are totally atypical.

So where does that leave us? We have to make governments work for us. That's what they're there for.

Small, cheap, repairable: Pick two. Miniaturization means that you're going to make it nearly impossible to repair by your average person. It's just like cars: They cram engines into tiny compartments and attach computers to them and now they're so expensive to repair that it's not worth keeping them for more than a few years.

Case in point: My 1999 Mazda Protege needs a $300 intake manifold gasket, but it would only fetch about $3000 if I sold it even after this repair. Should I really spend 10% of the car's value to repair it when more and more stuff is going to go wrong as it ages?

A solution to this issue would be if Apple offered an iPod trade-in program. Trade in your old iPod so it can be recycled responsibly, and get a $10 or $15 discount on a new iPod. That way, both Apple and the environmentalists would be happy.

Well, most environmentalists. Some of them will never be happy.

Re: Ben's iRiver iClix

I recently bought an iPhone and stupidly dropped it out of my car window onto the pavement at 30 mph within a month of having it. Best part: IT STILL WORKED.

I owned a Sony walkman in the 90s and stupidly dropped it onto the pavement. Best part: IT STILL WORKED.

I had an iPod from 2001 which i stupidly dropped into the sink after 7 months. Best part: IT STILL WORKED...for a while. Then a month later the hard drive died. Brought it in to the apple store, they popped it open, swapped in a new drive, and I was on my way. Same case, same iPod, no special warranty, no hassle either, fixed in 30 minutes.

I had an iRiver and ... it worked well (as advertised), it was just a hassle to sync and use (I hear this has improved) so I gave it to an IT friend of mine who enjoys messing with technology more than I do. :)

No offense to iRiver, I liked my old one reasonably well, I'm just saying... your anecdotal story doesn't exactly prove any point in your first paragraph. Neither do mine: i'm clearly lucky.

Jon K : the voice of reason.

I feel the exact same way. And this applies to health care, vacation and sick leave, outsourcing jobs, 3rd world manufacturing as well... We can argue and fight each company 1 by 1, but as soon as we turn our backs, they'll slip something back in.

In a capitalistic society, the general motive is to avoid bad PR, not to perform actions that cost a company money. That's why we have governments: to regulate for a common good.

Sooo, what a lot of these people are saying is that we should stop buying even less stuff than we are now? I thought that was the reason our economy was heading downhill?

@ Willy Bio
You make some good points but then spoil them with FUD and hyperbole.

Apple are hardly unique in the areas you criticise. the main problem seems to be public attitude and the lack of local repair shops (a by-product of outsourced manufacturing?).

Most products are no longer made to be repaired any more and fewer still are made to be upgraded. Fridges are cheaper to replace than repair, toasters too.
Just about the only things that most people repair for certain, are cars and houses. Most people don't even darn socks any more!

Blame the camera makers for pushing megapixels despite the myth
Blame car manufacturers for pushing MPH over MPG until only recently (if we can't legally drive over 70MPH, why make road cars that can do 150?).
Hell, blame Edward Bernaise for starting this whole consumerist culture.

this problem is much bigger than Apple, but it's been cool to bash Apple for a year or so now because what goes up, must come down, right?

The same old anti-Apple arguments:
"consumerist monkeys" ... check (well, at least it makes a change from 'sheep' or 'iTards')
"unnecessary yet fashionable" ... check
why don't you just add the "All Mac users are gay" line that usually gets thrown in with this nonsense.

So, on to specifics:

If your MacBook Air battery dies out of warranty, you can buy a new battery, just like in any other computer. The current official line is that you need to take it to an Apple Store and they will fit it for free. the battery costs $129, just like the regular MacBook battery.

But ... it's a five minute screwdriver job and by the time MacBook Air batteries will need replacing, third parties will almost certainly offer the batteries for less, and the DIY instructions will be on YouTube.
The hard drive will probably be a pain to upgrade, but this is the case on most notebooks. One exception is the MacBook, with a simple method that doesn't void the warranty and can be performed by anyone who can twist a screwdriver, no IT training required ...

I agree, these things SHOULD be more upgradable, but the vast majority of computers reach the end of their useful lives with no upgrades at all – many, if not most, Windows users don't even upgrade their OS let alone their RAM or hard drive.

It would be nice if a computer purchased today could be upgraded endlessly and still be cutting edge in 20 years but that doesn't seem to be what most people want.

You can always choose to NOT buy the latest and greatest. I still use a seven year old G3 iMac daily. Up until the end of last October with the release of Leopard, it was running the latest version of the Mac OS and still runs 'pro' apps like Photoshop. it's a little slow but it does its job.

There are many things about Apple products that infuriate me, but stick to facts, not FUD.

It's interesting that when Wal-Mart starts to improve their environmental impact, we stand back and say, "OK, let's see..."

But when Apple starts, they get bashed for their efforts.

It seems that more is expected from Apple. I think I feel that way, but didn't realize it until now. Maybe because spending a couple grand, I expect a near-perfect product. Spending $8 at Wal-mart, I'd expect cheap disposable crap.

Or maybe with the brains and $$ it takes to develop a new semi-domestic high-tech product, we expect them to be smart enough to make it green also. We don't expect that from giant inflatable snow globes.

In regards to the comment:

"A solution to this issue would be if Apple offered an iPod trade-in program. Trade in your old iPod so it can be recycled responsibly, and get a $10 or $15 discount on a new iPod. That way, both Apple and the environmentalists would be happy."

Apple has such a program. Bring your old iPod into an Apple store, and they'll recycle it. You get 10% off a new iPod. You can see all the details here: http://www.apple.com/environment/recycling/ .

Also, as some here (and on the EcoGeek thread) have said, you can repair them. My girlfriend's iPod was having startup issues and battery issues. I searched the startup issue problem and found a solution to it. The battery had gone bad, so I replaced it.

In regards to the comment:

"A solution to this issue would be if Apple offered an iPod trade-in program. Trade in your old iPod so it can be recycled responsibly, and get a $10 or $15 discount on a new iPod. That way, both Apple and the environmentalists would be happy."

Apple has such a program. Bring your old iPod into an Apple store, and they'll recycle it. You get 10% off a new iPod. You can see all the details here: http://www.apple.com/environment/recycling/ .

Also, as some here (and on the EcoGeek thread) have said, you can repair them. My girlfriend's iPod was having startup issues and battery issues. I searched the startup issue problem and found a solution to it. The battery had gone bad, so I replaced it.

World's thinnest paper weight.

Are they "unfixable" or is it that ByMyTronics doesn't know how to fix them? Two different things here.

Apple has a refurbished section in their store, with both iPhones and current generation iPods. (They're out of iPhones at the moment but they do get them in from time to time, at a discounted price with a full warranty.) Presumably Apple isn't refurbishing brand new iPods, so they must be fixing the broken ones somehow.

This is one reason to not buy Apple stuff - everyone knows that the battery is gone after 12-18 months...So, just due to that then you need to throw out the entire unit...
This is what is called "life time optimizing" of devices...

so apple or sony or philips or whoever isn't making the most green products. before you start complaining take a minute and thank consumerism for sprouting an entire industry dedicated to recycling and reusing your old electronics. case in point, this website:

http://www.greensight.com/CostcoTrades/Common/equiptypes.aspx?SiteXfrMsg=1

there are others out there if you take a second to look. sure we should all advocate for more socially responsible thinking, but let's not forget about all the good out there that already exists. if we all refocused our energy on doing something positive rather than complaining, we might actually get somewhere faster.

As for me, I have a handy-dandy Zune 80 that's lasted since I bought it. :)

I've bought several iPods in the past, and they're all crummy by now. I'm not making the same mistake again.

This is one reason to not buy Apple stuff - everyone knows that the battery is gone after 12-18 months...So, just due to that then you need to throw out the entire unit...
This is what is called "life time optimizing" of devices...

If you treated your batteries right, they will last much longer than 12-18 months. I see no reason to replace my 5G video, my one and only Ipod and it works just fine. As with any rechargeable device, the battery has to be maintained properly.

This is one reason to not buy Apple stuff - everyone knows that the battery is gone after 12-18 months...So, just due to that then you need to throw out the entire unit...
This is what is called "life time optimizing" of devices...

If you treated your batteries right, they will last much longer than 12-18 months. I see no reason to replace my 5G video, my one and only Ipod and it works just fine. As with any rechargeable device, the battery has to be maintained properly.