Help the environment by NOT buying a new iPhone

Sorry for sharing a Medium.com link, but this is an article I really want to highlight.

Yesterday, Apple held it’s keynote presenting new iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch hardware as well as Arcade and TV+. I didn’t watch the event that was praised by Apple with “By Innovation Only”, but I read it was super boring. Old hardware with a new package.

But that’s probably a good thing. Because the new iPhones / iPads / Apple Watches are so boring, a lot of people probably won’t upgrade their Apple hardware like they did the last years. Because why should one buy a new phone for more than a thousand bucks, if it just has a slightly bigger battery, a slightly better processor and slightly better camera? Nothing groundbreaking.

The most environmentally friendly phone is the one that’s already in your pocket.

This article on OneZero (soft paywall, open it in a private browser tab) talks about Apple trying to tell people they are doing good, because they are using “recycled aluminum”. Although “most of the aluminum in circulation is already recycled”. It also criticizes Apple’s “iPhone Upgrade Program, which encourages consumers to switch to a new model every year.”

The best way to help the environment is to continue using your existing phone (the phone already in your pocket) as long as possible and after that buy a phone that’s better repairable like the Fairphone. It would be also great if manufacturers, especially of Android devices, provide software updates for a longer time, but unfortunately that’s just an impossible dream.

https://onezero.medium.com/nothing-about-the-new-iphone-is-good-for-the-planet-4b349aaf1009

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