Should you repair or replace your broken iPhone or Mac?
Apart from the obvious cost benefit of repairing a phone over replacing it, there are also environmental factors to consider. Electronic equipment is made from various precious metals. To build an electronic device and then ship it around the world also takes a lot of power from fossil fuels. Extending the life of a smart phone or computer reduces its cost to the environment.
It is possible to greatly reduce the environmental impact of our modern connected lifestyles by maintaining the devices we depend on and keeping them out of the landfill.
How long should I expect my phone or Mac to last?
iPhones
If you want to stay up to date with the latest operating system and apps you can expect to keep your phone for 4 years. Apple updates the operating system every year. We find that once an iPhone is 4 generations old it typically cannot receive the latest system. For instance, at the time of writing the current model is a 6S. The 4S is now 4 generations old. It currently supports the same operating system as the 6S, IOS 9. The iPhone 4 however has been phased out and therefore only supports IOS 8. It will still work well as a phone but some apps will lose support in the next year or two.
Macs
Currently all aluminium iMacs(2007 and newer), Macbooks and Macbook Pros (2008 and newer) support the latest operating system El Capitan. Upgrades on these models are cost effective and can bring the performance up to match the current models. Older models are typically easier to repair.
List of Macs supported by OSX El Capitan
Apple products are well known to be reliable and long lasting. This means that they also hold their resale value well. With this in mind, It is definitely wirth considering repairing your mac before deciding to recycle.
Repairing is the ultimate way to recycle.
To see what upgrades and repairs are available for your device, please click the link below.
I want to upgrade but I want to pass on my old or damaged device.
At Mac Ops we refurbish used phones and resell them to new owners. We can offer you money for your old broken phone or trade it towards a newer refurbished model.
If your phone or computer is working properly you can also consider donating through an organisation such as http://computersinhomes.nz
Recycling – A last resort for obsolete or dead technology
Throwing your phone in the bin should be a last resort. A lot of energy goes into building a smart phone. There are also other environmental costs such as fuel for shipping and materials for packaging. Therefore the longer a phone lives, the smaller the environmental impact.
You can read Apple’s recycling guidelines and arrange recycling here:
http://www.apple.com/nz/recycling/computer/
Visit us at 27 Rees St, Queenstown, 9300,
or head to the Wakatipu Recycling centre. (Click for directions)
We dispose of all the faulty components we replace in an environmentally responsible way. We are currently creating relationships to further reduce waste where possible by refurbishing parts.