Blizzard

Dooofus said:

Of course, what's not mentioned is if it costs more. "Clean" energy certainly costs more to produce, so if the power company is charging you more, this feature is costing you money. I'll be turning this off. Until China, India and other developing countries are compelled to share the burden of "saving the planet" with those of us in the west, I'm (literally) not buying it.

The reason why it isn't mentioned is because it would cost you an extra one penny at most per month.  I subscribe to the xcel energy windsource program for 100% of my energy usage, I use around 400kWh a month, that generally costs me an extra $0.75 per month compared to paying fossil fuels rates.  Smart phone charging a month is around 0.15 kWh a month.  You do the math.

flydog said:

You are wrong. Apple began paying dividends in 1988, and has repurchased stock on and off over the years, though both accelerated under Tim Cook. 

Steve Jobs was no longer at Apple in 1988.  He left in 1985.

williamlondon said:

Oh the bitter taste of irony.

You gotta admit that Fred1 points still stand.

Xed said:

And Apple sells older gen iPhones as new devices at discounted prices.

Not as cheap as the used iPhones that are refurbished.

Xed said:

And on top of that, Apple is the only company that still supports their devices in HW and SW many years after they've been on the market when other vendors just push you to trash it and buy a new one.

Gee.....it's almost like you are proving my point here and not realizing it.

lkrupp said:
And the post before mine is hilarious in thinking Apple will start selling parts for 5 and 6 year old devices.

Why is that hilarious to you? There are lot of poorer nations where a five and six-year-old device is what they can afford, especially in Africa and South Asia. You take the used iPhones in North America, Europe, South Korea, and Japan and you refurbish them and then sell them in Africa and South Asia.