All Apple MacBooks to use LED backlighting by 2009
Apple plans for all of its MacBooks to use LED-backlit displays by 2009, completing a transition across its notebook lines away from mercury-laden panels that began last year with an update to its MacBook Pro.
According to a report in the Wednesday edition of the Chinese-language Economic Daily News, back light unit (BLU) maker Kenmos Technology will be the primary beneficiary of the move. The Taiwan-based firm is said to have been the Mac maker's primary supplier of LED BLUs in 2007 when it introduced BLU technology on the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
Since then, Apple has gone on to make LED-lit displays standard on its 13-inch MacBook Air. It also offers them as a build-to-order option on the more generously proportioned 17-inch MacBook Pro.
The movement is part of the company's charge towards "a greener Apple," which kicked into overdrive last year amid increased pressure from shareholders and environmental organizations who accused the electronics maker of dragging its feet when it came to removing environmentally harmful toxic chemicals from its products.
As part of an open letter on the matter, chief executive Steve Jobs said plans to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of mercury by transitioning to LED backlighting for all displays when technically and economically feasible.
"Our ability to completely eliminate fluorescent lamps in all of our displays depends on how fast the LCD industry can transition to LED backlighting for larger displays," he explained.
Jobs in the same letter added that Apple also has a plan to completely eliminate the use of arsenic in all of its displays by the end of 2008.
According to a report in the Wednesday edition of the Chinese-language Economic Daily News, back light unit (BLU) maker Kenmos Technology will be the primary beneficiary of the move. The Taiwan-based firm is said to have been the Mac maker's primary supplier of LED BLUs in 2007 when it introduced BLU technology on the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
Since then, Apple has gone on to make LED-lit displays standard on its 13-inch MacBook Air. It also offers them as a build-to-order option on the more generously proportioned 17-inch MacBook Pro.
The movement is part of the company's charge towards "a greener Apple," which kicked into overdrive last year amid increased pressure from shareholders and environmental organizations who accused the electronics maker of dragging its feet when it came to removing environmentally harmful toxic chemicals from its products.
As part of an open letter on the matter, chief executive Steve Jobs said plans to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of mercury by transitioning to LED backlighting for all displays when technically and economically feasible.
"Our ability to completely eliminate fluorescent lamps in all of our displays depends on how fast the LCD industry can transition to LED backlighting for larger displays," he explained.
Jobs in the same letter added that Apple also has a plan to completely eliminate the use of arsenic in all of its displays by the end of 2008.
Comments
Now please, bring that revised, slimmed down 30" Cinema Display with LED, HDMI etc, so that i can finally put my claws in one
Now please, bring that revised, slimmed down 30" Cinema Display with LED, HDMI etc, so that i can finally put my claws in one
Ditto !!
I wonder how long the led screens will last - there was a report a week or so ago that sony's new oled TV was performing at a fraction of what sony was representing the life of the screen would be.
BLU LED is not the same as OLED.
Now Greenpeace will write a scathing letter, whining, saying it's not quick enough...
Probably, and then if Apple did everything they wanted they'd find something else to cry about. Though I do understand the POV of a previous Greenpeace statement that stated they are harder on Apple because they are the industry leaders and the others will follow.
laden |ˈlādn|
adjective
heavily loaded or weighed down : a tree laden with apples | [in combination ] the moisture-laden air.
For them to be mercury laden I think mercury would have to make up around half of the material in the product. "Laden" sounds a little dramatic to me.
Something less "run for the hills" would be:
Apple plans for all MacBooks to use LED-backlit displays by 2009, a process that began last year with an update to its MacBook Pro. This would complete a transition across its notebook lines away from panels containing mercury.
"Mercury laden"?
laden |ˈlādn|
adjective
heavily loaded or weighed down : a tree laden with apples | [in combination ] the moisture-laden air.
For them to be mercury laden I think mercury would have to make up around half of the material in the product. "Laden" sounds a little dramatic to me.
Something less "run for the hills" would be:
Apple plans for all MacBooks to use LED-backlit displays by 2009, a process that began last year with an update to its MacBook Pro. This would complete a transition across its notebook lines away from panels containing mercury.
I agree that it is a strong word, but I'd also contend that it is not incorrectly used. As a ppm the amount of mercury is minimal, but mercury is very toxic and therefore it doesn't take much to be harmful so using it from a POV of its toxicity I would say it's acceptable.
There is a lot more mercury in all those CFL light bulbs that the amount in the CCFLs use for backlights.
But then who ever said that greenpeace knew what the hell they were talking about in the first place.
Now Greenpeace will write a scathing letter, whining, saying it's not quick enough...
Wow, what a surprise! Not...And i'm not sure if it's right to say that it's (only) because Apple wants to become greener, i think it's because they are just better than the conventional ones, pure and simple, and that they are sexier!!! If it makes Apple any greener then that's just a bonus.
Now please, bring that revised, slimmed down 30" Cinema Display with LED, HDMI etc, so that i can finally put my claws in one
I think a big factor especially regarding mobile computers is the power savings which leads to increased battery life.
I think a big factor especially regarding mobile computers is the power savings which leads to increased battery life.
And that is green in and of itself.
I agree that it is a strong word, but I'd also contend that it is not incorrectly used. As a ppm the amount of mercury is minimal, but mercury is very toxic and therefore it doesn't take much to be harmful so using it from a POV of its toxicity I would say it's acceptable.
Strength of toxicity has nothing to do with the amount of toxic material in this case. Computer displays contain it, but they are not "swimming" in it.
It's funny how on one hand Greenpeace is yelling about displays containing mercury but on the other they want everyone to move to CFLs for lighting your home.
There is a lot more mercury in all those CFL light bulbs that the amount in the CCFLs use for backlights.
But then who ever said that greenpeace knew what the hell they were talking about in the first place.
Reminds me of the time Jobs chewed out protesters at one of the Apple stockholders meetings. He said they should hire engineers so they could understand what the hell they were complaining about.
Strength of toxicity has nothing to do with the amount of toxic material in this case. Computer displays contain it, but they are not "swimming" in it.
Hence, my statemnt of POV. Laden can also mean burdened or encumbered which doesn't imply a quantity, just an undesired attribute. Personally, I wouldn't have used laden as the colloquial definition tends to imply a vast amount of something, but that doesn't mean it's incorrect.
But then who ever said that greenpeace knew what the hell they were talking about in the first place.
Since when did greenpeace move from saving whales and preventing animal cruelty to becoming a shill for The Global Warming.
They never engaged in this Enviro-Nazi bull--it when I was growing up.