Apple Drops EPEAT - Apple Products Now Essentially Becoming Disposable?

A few days ago PCMag reported that "that Apple has officially withdrawn its 39 products from EPEAT certification – that's the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, a program that awards products with "gold," "silver," or "bronze" classification based on how well they meet a variety of environmental-themed criteria including recyclability, energy consumption, and environmental impact."In order to make the case of the new 15-inch "retina" MacBook Pro as slim as possible, did Apple pretty make it impossible to replace the battery? At over 100K, well that is a lot for a disposable product.It appears to be because Apple's current designs for the iPad 3 and "retina" MacBook Pro use glue to affix the battery and other components to the case, making it not feasible to recycle the case and the battery.iPad's were always hard to repair. With a glued battery the new iPad "3" is even harder.This decision by Apple must have come after some thought. Without EPEAT certification, it means US Federal agencies won't be able to buy Apple products. This was not a big issue because the US Government and US Army have selected the Android platform for their own use. The ability to be able to modify the Android operating system to fit their own needs was no doubt a big reason for the adoption of Android by the US Government and military agencies.
While States and Cities are not required to only buy EPEAT certified products, the Wall Street Journal reports City of San Francisco has also said it will no longer be buying Apple products because of Apple's withdrawal from EPEAT certification. The City of San Francisco adopted EPEAT certification as mandatory in 2007. The main reason to drop out of EPEAT would be for lower production cost coupled with of consumer demand for thinner and lighter devices. Using glue, rather than mounting parts, makes it easier and cheaper to achieve this. This is bad for the environment, and bad for the consumer.As Phone Arena points out, by "gluing the battery, Apple makes it extremely hard to repair its latest products, which means that it basically treats them as disposable electronics with lifetimes largely limited by the lifetime of their battery." In fairness, I doubt if it is only Apple that is making its some of its devices disposable in the interest of lower manufacturing cost. There is no EPEAT certification for smartphones and tablets. You, the consumer will decide if this becomes the norm.

Want to check which electronic devices are EPEAT certified? Follow this link.

View the original article here

With Smartphone’s becoming Internet TV’s remote control, will there be changes in television ad?

Internet television is the next big evolution in media as more peple leave the primary television off in favor of spending their television watching time on their smartphone or computer. Most internet television companies don't use a standard remote for changing the channel. This is done with apps available for smartphones.

With smartphones being the primary medium for internet television remote controls, it offers a unique vehicle for advertising. When someone gets internet television for their personal computer or laptop, they are getting basically the same channels and options as the people that have cable and satellite but without the cable or satellite box.

Internet television doesn't come with a remote control like a television or cable box does, but you can use a cell phone. There are apps available for download that turn your touchscreen cell phone into a remote control. It can change your channel and works for any smartphone or even tablet.

Advertising on the internet television enabled computer will primarily stay the same. The internet television company will sell advertising for the individual shows, but they will have the option of an internet component. For example, if you see a commercial that you might be interested in, you can use your smartphone to get more information. It can either pull the information on the actual computer or on the smartphone's touchscreen.

Advertising can also take advantage of the smartphone's scanning capability. Point your smartphone at the internet television screen and download or scan coupon codes for exclusive deals. Internet television and Verizon internet can be a powerful force for change in the advertising world. The smartphone/ remote control is also a secondary television screen that can be used and accessed by savvy advertisers.

Aside from active advertising components using reactions to onscreen prompts and commercials, it can be passive as well. The remote control buttons are on the touchscreen of the cell phone. Every inch of the screen is available for use, so why not place ads on the remote control itself?

Companies can even base the ads on the type of show the person is watching. For example, if you are watching a television show on the Verizon internet that's about interior design, the remote can have an advertisement for a local interior design company or craft store. The remote control itself becomes the vehicle for advertising. This is completely unheard of in the world of standard television.

Internet television companies can track metrics for the phone and discover what you watch on the phone. If you are a big searcher of video games, there can be ads for the gaming store on the remote. You can tap the advertisement and learn more about the product and the store.

There is no doubt that internet television is going to catch on and become mainstream, but it will have impacts for more than just the revenues of the cable and satellite companies. Advertising firms will have a completely untouched canvas to take risks and try new advertising techniques developed just for internet television and the smartphone remote control.

While there will still be the standard commercials that you would find on any television show, the internet television's smartphone remote control offers an avenue of interactivity that hasn't been found on any other medium. It incorporates two internet capable devices for the ultimate in advertising reach. It also provides additional revenue for the internet television company. There is more opportunity for ads and the businesses get a broader reach than through traditional advertising.

View the original article here