Green Business :The new selling point for PC makers

by Fredrick Obura

Not so long ago, computer makers were preoccupied with how to come up with machines that would run the fastest, hold the most and weigh the least.

A visit to a number of shops dealing in products from different makers shows a shift from this, probably occasioned by consumers’ growing quest for eco-friendly machines.

Realising that the fate of future sales may depend on going green, computer makers are becoming more aware of the importance of responsible end-of-life re business rules PC world covery and recycling.

Apple recently stated they sell the "world’s greenest family of notebooks" and Dell hit back in a blog with extreme doubt over the claim.

Reviewers of green business refer to Dell’s openness about goals and their wide range of environmental action. For instance, Dell has spelt out its intention to take back any of its product, free of charge, regardless of whether one buys its new product.

Arsenic-free LED

Toshiba earlier indicated it would recycle its notebooks for free, and without any obligation by the customer to purchase its new computer.

Apple has taken some steps to get greener. For example, the casing on new Mac Books is comprised entirely of recyclable aluminum, and Mac book glass displays are now made from mercury and arsenic-free LED glass, which is also recyclable.

They have also designed their hardware and software to work together for energy efficiency. In addition, many of the Apple-designed Mac Book components like circuit boards and internal cords contain no brominated flame retardants (BFRs) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

In different reviews, Dell has suffers some shortcomings when it comes to BFRs and PVC. However, they have since outlined steps to completely remove those compounds from components.

Also some Dell displays still contain mercury, though Dell has committed to phasing them out in new safer LED displays by 2010.

Apple has instituted recycling programmes in 95 per cent of the countries where their products are sold and they run a free recycling programme for old computers of any type.

It is said that Dell had expressed desire to be "the greenest technology company on the planet" before Apple ever sold their greenest notebooks in the world advertisements.

It is estimated that a laptop consumes fives times less energy than a desktop computer.

And as laptops eclipse desktops in buyer popularity, you can find models with powerful feature sets that easily stand up to those of some of the desktop.

Less energy

However, if you have ruled out laptops because of higher costs, consider a small-form-factor desktop, they tend to use less power. However, the small-form-factor desktop offers limited expandability because many internal expansion and memory slots are omitted to save space.

Apple and Dell seem to be showing progress toward greener computing. They offer laptop options that feature their own unique green advantages.

In the end, consumers have to weigh what is important, and since the environmental snowball is just getting rolling for computer makers, always compare what they have.