Apple Environmental Report

The heads at Apple placed an environmental update and report on their site for the public to view. Apple has been making strides toward being more and more environmentally friendly over the last few years.

They have vowed to remove mercury and arsenic from their displays. They are going to be replacing this with more efficient LED technology. They are also working on eliminating PVC's and BFR's from all of their products (see links below to learn more about these abbreviations).

Here is a quote describing Apple's stance on its products and the environment- "The new MacBook family features only LED displays and continues our progress representing the greenest notebooks we’ve delivered to date."

They have become involved much with recycling of products. They have product take back options almost everywhere. You can give back your old or worn out Apple products to the company and they will recycle of them in a positive way. Dell supposedly was a company that pioneered some of these greener ideas.

Apple and other companies are becoming more aware of the environment, which is great. They are focusing on keeping down greenhouse emissions from their factories and devices. Apple has made all of their info. on this "green work" available to the public via the web.

Links- 1) Apple Environmental Update from Steve Jobs
2) Apple 2008 Environmental Performance















"Going Green"

Toys R Us and Apple.

While searching the net, I came across an interesting site. The site, called iPodNN, is an extensive site relating to this media player. There is a wealth of information on the site. Its main headings include: iPod News, Podcasts, Reviews, Blogs, Forums, Services, and Contact. Check it out....

Anyways, I came across an article about an agreement between Toys R Us and Apple. Who would have thought that the ultimate toy store geared towards younger kids would be a seller and avid supporter of the iPod? The new media is passing down to younger generations pretty quickly.

Toys R Us is a dedicated toy and baby product retailer. They have over 1500 stores throughout the nation. There are also some stores titled Babies R Us that are strictly geared toward the younger ones. The company began in 1978 and is based in the state of New Jersey ("joo-sey" if your from the East Coast).
The company has a huge store in New York's Time Square. It has a giant Ferris wheel (above), and is a favorite tourist attraction for some NY visitors.

To my news (lol), there is one of their stores located here in Fargo:
TOYS"R"US - FARGO [9538]
4603 13TH AVENUE SOUTH
FARGO, ND 58102
Phone: (701)281-8697

Anyways, the products of Apple that Toys R Us will carry are: the iPod Touch, the Nano, and the Shuffle in blue, pink, or silver. There will of course be accessories as well, such as: cases, car adapters, iTunes gift cards, and some iHome goods. The store plans to create "iPod Boutiques" sections. This will be the specific Toys R Us zone for everything iPod.

Check out the iPodNN article mentioned above.

Also, according to this article, it has been rumored that Wal-Mart will soon begin to carry the iPhone. We will see......

iPod Ecosystem

Again, I will talk some about accessories for the iPod. They have acquired quite a market. This makes many companies happy because they get a large profit margin for these add-ons. A study found that the global sales on iPod cases, car chargers, and docking stations last year was up to 850 million!! This in turn makes the player even more popular of course.

All of these extras for iPods has been coined the "iPod ecosystem" by some. The straightforward, "bland" style of the iPod has possibly aided in people acquiring more of these add-ons as well. Some smart people over there at Apple.

There have been some quite luxurious add-ons. Here are some to name a few:
- $200 python iPod case by Coach.
- iJoy massage chair from the Sharper Image catalog.
- and my favorite, the TuneBuckle belt for the iPod nano.

A quote from a NYT's article sums some of this ecosystem up:
Mr. Humphrey of Kensington, which makes about a dozen iPod accessories, called the accessory market "a real phenomenon," adding, "I've never seen anything like it in my career."

A link to this excellent NYT's article by Damon Darlin.- "The iPod Ecosystem"

Check out these wild pictures (iPod add-ons in visual):
















Coach's Python cover.













THEE TuneBuckle for the iPod Nano.