The good, the bad and Apple

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Our first TechBuzz article was a tribute of sorts to Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and visionary, who in his short lifetime, managed to start a technology revolution.

Never has there been a brand that has created as much excitement nor commanded such attention as Apple. That iconic piece of fruit now represents innovation, quality and power to all those who see it.

I have always been a big fan of the Apple brand, primarily due to its ongoing quest to push the limits of technology and its ability to take a product like the iPad and almost seamlessly incorporate it into how we work, live and learn.

iPads, which line board room tables, are making their way into classrooms and serve a multitude of functions at home — not bad for a product that is only a few years old.

Being keepers of the environment is a job that belongs to us all and mega organisations such as Apple hold CEO positions. It is because of their position that I was so disappointed to hear of their recent decision to delist all 39 of their products from the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) registry last month.

Recent design changes in the newest Mac Book Pro with retina display sparked the decision, as this product could not comply with the production standards set by EPEAT. I realise that with progress comes change, but certainly there is more to this decision than meets the eye and as a consumer, I’d like to understand the further reaching implications of this move.

The Apple website still contains information highlighting the role they play in reducing the carbon footprint, but there is no mention of the recent decision to delist their products and what impact it will ultimately have on the environment.

Every action taken by humans has an impact on the environment, and these actions will have either positive or negative repercussions on our environment, so as consumers I urge you to take a few minutes to familiarise yourself with not just the products you buy but the companies that produce them.

Greenrock is our local resource for all things green, so take a minute to visit their site and learn how you can make a positive difference. www.greenrock.org

Next week we’ll take a look at some creative ways environmental organisations are using technology to their advantage.

We’d love to know what topics you’d be interested in learning more about, so e-mail us at TechBuzz@btc.bm

July Challenges

As promised, July’s articles will be filled with challenges and the opportunity to win some great prizes.

Challenge Two: E-mail (TechBuzz@btc.bm) us the URL of your favourite website and tell us what you like most about that site by providing four to six descriptive words. Entries due by July 27, 2012. Please put the challenge number in the subject line of the email. Winners will be judged by accuracy of entry — correct web address and descriptive words selected.

All winners will be announced at the end of July and all participants will be entered in a draw for some great prizes as well.

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