Apple criticised for lack of recyclability of AirPod headphones
Wednesday, January 4, 2017 - 12:18:53
The new iPhone 7 range caused controversy upon its launch last September when it emerged that Apple had indeed done away with the traditional 3.5mm headphone socket in order to lessen the thickness of its latest devices.
While an adapter still allows for the use of wired headphones, the Californian tech giant was also eager to push the availability of the AirPods, a pair of wireless ear buds designed to fill this new niche.
It has taken several months for the AirPods to arrive, but now that they are available to buy, the testers at iFixit have revealed that they are almost impossible to repair and recycle.
This is a problem because all modern tech has a fairly short shelf life, with many mobile devices and accessories being used for just 12 to 24 months before they are replaced. As a result, any item which cannot easily be fixed up for resale or dismantled for recycling is among the worst kind of e-waste.
With the lowest reparability score awarded to the AirPods, largely as a result of the way they are constructed, Apple now faces stiff criticism from campaigners who are attempting to make companies think more about the long term life cycle of their devices, with recycling being a key concern.
As well as being singled out for the clunky way in which the AirPods are put together from a recycling perspective, experts have also argued that the internal components seem to suggest that they were pushed out earlier than was strictly necessary, leading to some issues in terms of quality.
In 2016, Apple made it clear that mobile phone recycling was high on its agenda, but the AirPods suggest that it should also apply the same rigour when developing its accessories.
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