Apple Sees Green In the New 17″ MacBook Pro



While Mac fans were cheering the launch of the new 17” Macbook Pro, recently announced at MacWorld 2009, we at Beyond Petro were paying particular attention to the true beauty beyond the sleek curves of this sexy machine. The announcement of the new 17” MacBook Pro capped a commitment that Steve Jobs made on May 2, 2007 to make Apple “A Greener Apple”. For Apple, the MacBook Pro finalizes a lineup that now consists of the greenest notebooks ever.

Since 2006 Apple had become the target of wide criticism from various environmental organizations, specifically calling for the company to extend its clean minimalistic design to the inside of its machines. Greenpeace in particular was perhaps the harshest critic of Apple after launching its infamous “Green My Apple “ campaign, vividly showing graphic images of what it called “toxic plastic iwaste” that ended in India and China landfills.

What followed Mr. Job’s announcement was a relentless effort by Apple to not only design beautiful objects of desire but design clean chic sustainable products. Since August 2007 when Apple introduced the aluminum and glass enclosures on the iMac, the company has gone on to extend glass and aluminum to Apple keyboards, The MacBook Air and 13” & 15” MacBook Pro’s. The use of aluminum and glass was groundbreaking, considering that no other computer manufacturer currently or effectively uses these materials in their products. Aluminum and glass are by far the most sought after recyclable materials and from a design perspective, tangible in form and function.

The new 17” MacBook Pro shares the same aspects of the cleaner products since introduced including: arsnic-free glass, BFR-free internal components, mercury-free LED backlit display, PVC-free internal cables and 37% smaller packaging. Pushing the envelope further, Apple took particular care to redesign the internal parts of the MacBook Pro to have fewer parts and specifically designed software to make the machine more energy efficient.

The most intriguing design aspect is the battery, which is non-removable. That design element aims to eliminate space wasted by extra components. By redesigning the battery to take maximum space of the eliminated parts and utilizing some amazing software engineering innovations, Apple created a battery that last up to five years and 1000 charges. This is astonishing when compared to the typical removable battery of a computer, which only lasts 2 years. This design marvel has enabled the company to achieve up to 8 hours of energy usage on a single charge.

What Apple has accomplished in a short period is noteworthy in that it proves that innovation is the key to building cleaner products. Very often companies get comfortable with their products, the materials used in those products and the design that goes into those products neglecting their obligation to balance design, functionality and sustainability. Apple is not comfortable with the status quo and the company’s innovative foresight to listen to consumers and environmentalists speaks to a deeper commitment it has made to push the envelope further by build products that are sustainable.