Mar 2 - iWaste: Giles Slade Takes on the built-in Obsolescence of the iPod

In the current issue of Mother Jones, Giles Slade, author of "Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America," writes about the increase in electronic waste due to the availability of new technology, notably with Apple's iPod. Slade describes the all too frequent experience of battery decline for the devices in just 13 months, as well as the constant introduction of new models, making the older model one just purchased look out of date. Not only does all this generate more electronic waste, but iPods contain hazardous materials, such as lead, cadmium and mercury that can eventually end up in our environment if not handled correctly. In CA, all universal wastes are banned from landfills.

Slade's article also discusses the new Microsoft operating system, Vista, and how only "a third of laptops currently sold will be able to meet even its minimum requirements," thus creating more unwanted computers.

Read the complete article here (courtesy of the author).

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Lanh Nguyen