From the Cradle to the Grave of the Macbook Pro RetinaBy Robert ReadScience 10Wednesday, May 14, 2014The Macbook Pro Retina is one of the most popular technology products in the market today. The Macbook Pro is marketed as Apple's greenest notebook, but there are elements of the product that aren't environmentally friendly. This is demonstrated by studying the cradle-to-grave process of the new MacBook Pro Retina. The environmental impact of the MacBook Pro can be measured by the lack of recyclability in the creation phase, the level of emissions in the transportation phase, the ease of disposal by Apple and local governments, and the economic viability of the MacBook Pro.The MacBook Pro is made using a milling process. The body of the computer is made from a single block of aluminum which is then cut by 13 different machines exactly until the finished unibody product (Jaymi). Using an Apple unibody eliminates the need for smaller parts. By using smaller parts, Apple eliminates the possibility of errors that could arise from having multiple parts. For the last 4 years Apple has been committed to creating the most eco-friendly notebook on the market. This was done by focusing on the composition of the small parts to ensure the glass was arsenic free and the cables were PVC free (Apple). However, the recent generation MacBook Pro is not as eco-friendly as its older counterparts. This is mainly because they are glued together and cannot be properly disassembled for repair or recycling processes. Parts of the MacBook Pro Retina, such as the LED screen, which can usually be recycled, have glass bonded to the screen for a seamless design. This design element made recycling the LED screen more different...half the paper...tape for 9 hours. With over 1000 battery cycles for the MacBook Pro Retina life expectancy, that would be 5 years for the average computer user. This proves that the Macbook Pro Retina is a budget choice not because of the price but because it will be the best option in the long run. (Apple) From an analysis of the “cradle to grave” process, it is evident that although the Macbook Pro is not a recyclable product, the product is valuable to consumers due to various technological advancements. However, due to the growing importance of environmentally friendly product disposal, Apple will have to modify its manufacturing process to create a recyclable product. The MacBook Pro will become a more popular product if Apple maintains high standards of technology development and incorporates low environmental impact into the cradle-to-grave process.