Live data from Hacker News

Apple says electronics recycler “illegally” reselling over 100k iPhones, iPads

9to5mac.com

71–80 of 98 posts

Re: Apple says electronics recycler “illegally” reselling over 100k iPhones, iPads

#71
post #3

Well, very technically speaking, they did recycle those iPhones. Why is Apples so obsessed with controlling the entirety of their devices' life cycle, anyway?

Lets say you buy one of these recycled phones that Apple has already deemed unfixable. Maybe it mostly works, but the screen occasionally blacks out or there's a bunch of dead pixels. Maybe the battery dies almost immediately. It's Apple's reputation that gets tarnished by this.

Based on that logic you would have to ban all transfers of goods except retail of new goods and "authorized" resale via partners under the term the vendor allows.

For example you could start by banning the sale of all used cars.

Re: Apple says electronics recycler “illegally” reselling over 100k iPhones, iPads

#72
post #55

Good for apple. The way this scam often works - you send your device in, they say there is a flaw and the device is not eligible for trade-in credit because it can't be re-used. Then they offer to "recycle" it for you. Then, instead of recycling they sell it. This is the consumer side of the scam. It can also be run against manufacturer like apple. Apple can offer trade in credit to consumers, then send it to these g…

Do you have any evidence that the contracts are structured as you describe?

Re: Apple says electronics recycler “illegally” reselling over 100k iPhones, iPads

#73
post #27

Please use the original title rather than editorialize: Apple catches electronics recycler illegally reselling over 100,000 iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches

I'd say that title rewrite was within the site guidelines because the original was arguably baity and it doesn't seem particularly editorialized.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Apple says electronics recycler “illegally” reselling over 100k iPhones, iPads

#74
post #40
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's Apple's reputation that gets tarnished by this. We should care more about the sustainability of environment, consumer benefit and consumer rights and not the reputation of rich megacorporations.

It's a fake argument anyway. People perfectly understand that when they buy a used car, it could have had damage from the previous owner or other wear and tear. Is this common-sense somehow magically forgotten when Apple is concerned?

> Is this common-sense somehow magically forgotten when Apple is concerned?

I think we all know the answer to this.

Re: Apple says electronics recycler “illegally” reselling over 100k iPhones, iPads

#75
post #27

Please use the original title rather than editorialize: Apple catches electronics recycler illegally reselling over 100,000 iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches

That title is too long. I did what I could to shorten it and keep the spirit of the title.

Re: Apple says electronics recycler “illegally” reselling over 100k iPhones, iPads

#76
post #7

Apple is probably legally in the right here, since the recycler violated their contract. But Apple seems very much in the wrong here on an ethical level. If the devices have resale value, then they should be resold, not destroyed! Reduce and Reuse are both higher priorities than Recycle.

> But Apple seems very much in the wrong here on an ethical level. If the devices have resale value, then they should be resold, not destroyed! Reduce and Reuse are both higher priorities than Recycle. I can't imagine Apple just not selling stuff that's perfectly capable of being sold as a refurbished item. My assumption is that if it's in the hands of a recycler then it's probably not meeting some kind of quality as…

Apple is only selling refurbs of the iPhone X. Sure, 3 years is a long time in tech, but there are undoubtedly vast quantities of older models that are still in working condition.

Re: Apple says electronics recycler “illegally” reselling over 100k iPhones, iPads

#77
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their contract may have not allowed it .. which shows how shitty the contract was. Apple doesn't care about preventing environmental damage. Fixing/Refubing and selling is WAY better for the planet than trying to extract all the components, melt them down, and build new product. This disposable phone world and infinite growth economy has got to stop.

Apple does fix and refurbish their phones. Presumably the phones sent to this recycler were deemed too broken to refurbish (at least to Apple's standards.)

So 100% of iPhones older than the X are too broken to refurbish? That does not check out.

Re: Apple says electronics recycler “illegally” reselling over 100k iPhones, iPads

#78
post #40
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's Apple's reputation that gets tarnished by this. We should care more about the sustainability of environment, consumer benefit and consumer rights and not the reputation of rich megacorporations.

It's a fake argument anyway. People perfectly understand that when they buy a used car, it could have had damage from the previous owner or other wear and tear. Is this common-sense somehow magically forgotten when Apple is concerned?

> People perfectly understand that when they buy a used car, it could have had damage from the previous owner or other wear and tear.

Sure, some people do. Other people will have a problem with whatever they happen to be using, find the first logo or name on it, and go complain at that entity through any communications channel they can find, totally ignoring them saying, "Yes, I understand your used Ford Taurus won't start, but you've called the number of the company that makes the aftermarket stereo system you installed."

Re: Apple says electronics recycler “illegally” reselling over 100k iPhones, iPads

#79
post #3

Well, very technically speaking, they did recycle those iPhones. Why is Apples so obsessed with controlling the entirety of their devices' life cycle, anyway?

Lets say you buy one of these recycled phones that Apple has already deemed unfixable. Maybe it mostly works, but the screen occasionally blacks out or there's a bunch of dead pixels. Maybe the battery dies almost immediately. It's Apple's reputation that gets tarnished by this.

Also if you can buy a cheap recycled iPhone that works, that's a new iPhone you didn't buy from Apple. Same reason video game industry hates used games market.

Re: Apple says electronics recycler “illegally” reselling over 100k iPhones, iPads

#80
post #78
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a fake argument anyway. People perfectly understand that when they buy a used car, it could have had damage from the previous owner or other wear and tear. Is this common-sense somehow magically forgotten when Apple is concerned?

> People perfectly understand that when they buy a used car, it could have had damage from the previous owner or other wear and tear. Sure, some people do. Other people will have a problem with whatever they happen to be using, find the first logo or name on it, and go complain at that entity through any communications channel they can find, totally ignoring them saying, "Yes, I understand your used Ford Taurus won't…

Yeah and maybe some people blamed Obama when their car wouldn't start, or people blame the restaurant when they spill hot coffee over themselves. There's a lot of things "some people do". With all due respect to those "some people", there is a limit to how much we coddle "some people" at the expense of generating more e-waste. Apple (and everyone else) should be held accountable for the damage they're causing to the environment by preventing repair of their products.

Do you expect Microsoft to ban Firefox and Chrome because "some people" might call up their helpline when Firefox and Chrome have bugs? At some point, it gets ridiculous.

Post reply on HN