Unfixable, Unhackable, Untenable

The flip side of the Retina MacBook Pro?

I don’t fret over fixability: I’ve owned countless Apple devices and know the odds are ever in my favor. And I don’t care much about hackability given how superior the machine’s specs are.

It’s tenability that gets me. According to Apple’s environmental report:

Through ultra-efficient design and the use of highly recyclable materials, Apple has minimized material waste at the product’s end of life. In addition, Apple offers and participates in various product take-back and recycling programs in 95 percent of the regions where Apple products are sold.

That sounds excellent. On the other hand, well-sourced Kyle Wiens claims:

The design may well be comprised of “highly recyclable aluminum and glass” — but my friends in the electronics recycling industry tell me they have no way of recycling aluminum that has glass glued to it like Apple did with both this machine and the recent iPad.

It’s unclear where the truth lies. The idea that we’re relentlessly moving towards better but more disposable machines whose long-term impact on the environment is murky — that’s enough to give pause.