City Of San Francisco Says No More Macs For Now

20120710-231637.jpg

The city of San Francisco has said no more Apple computer purchases for now. City employees will no longer be able to use city funds to buy Apple laptops, and desktops. This comes after Apple pulled their computers off of an environmentally friendly list of computer equipment called EPEAT.

EPEAT was created by government agencies, activist groups and manufacturers, including, at the time, Apple. The list is a grouping of computer equipment that is easily recyclable. San Francisco requires that all of their computer equipment purchases by EPEAT compliant. There is a waiver but it’s typically only granted for equipment purchases that are required and can only be outfitted with a piece of equipment off the list. CNET gave an example of a piece of police computer equipment that wasn’t EPEAT listed.

So why would Apple remove themselves from the list they helped create?

The latest Apple MacBook Pro, the one with the amazing Retina display is not EPEAT compliant. The battery on the newest MacBook Pro (that also costs over $2500) is glued into the computer making it harder to recycle the toxic materials in the battery itself.

This may not be a permanent ban though. San Francisco’s Chief Information Officer, John Walton, says there is a dialogue open with Apple and he’s hoping Apple will reconsider and re-list themselves on the EPEAT list.

“I’m hopeful since we haven’t had a dialogue with Apple on this, and we’re not really clear why they chose to do this, that they may have other standards,” Walton told CNET

Source: CNET

Dads & Grads Gift Idea: Satechi Premium Aluminum USB Hubs

Whether you’re getting your high school graduate a MacBook Air for college or your dad has a MacBook pro, one of the things Mac is known for is the lack of usb ports on their laptops. Satechi solves that problem with their new Premium Aluminum USB 2.0 and 3.0 hubs.

Satechi not only allows the user to connect their computer to up to four more USB 2.0 or 3.0 devices, but they keep the stylish look of the Macbook series of laptops in mind with their brushed aluminum appearance. The USB hubs by Satechi don’t look like a mess of tangled up USB cords and just another peripheral, they look like they were meant to go with the MacBook (and yes ultra books and PC laptops as well)

The Satechi Premium Aluminum 2.0 4-Port USB Hub is the perfect companion to any Mac user’s computer.  The shiny and sleek design features an aluminum finish and white cable complimenting the Apple aesthetic.  The Premium Aluminum 2.0 4-Port USB Hub features a compact, strip-shape design taking up little desktop space and allowing for maximum portability.

The slim and convenient Satechi 3.0 4-Port USB Hub supports up to four additional USB devices at up to 10x faster speeds than USB 2.0.  Similar to the Satechi Premium Aluminum 2.0 4-Port USB Hub, the 3.0 4-Port USB Hub boasts a thin and portable design.

You can find the Satechi Premium Aluminum 2.0 hub here

You can find the Satechi 3.0 4 port USB hub here