Apple Has a New iPhone Recycling Robot Named 'Daisy'

Apple has unveiled a new robot called Daisy that's designed to recycle nine different versions of the iPhone. The new robot is an update to Liam, the recycling robot the company announced back in 2016. TechCrunch reports: Daisy was developed in-house by Apple engineers, using some of Liam's parts -- a recycling of sorts. The industrial robot is able to disassemble nine different versions of the iPhone, sorting all of their reusable components in the process. In all, Daisy is capable of taking apart a full 200 iPhones in a given hour, proving a solid alternative to traditional methods that can destroy valuable components in the process. Along with Daisy, Apple's also using the occasion to announce GiveBack, an addition to its recycling program. For every device customers turn in or trade from now until April 30, the company will make a donation to Conservation International, a Virginia-based environmental nonprofit. Eligible devices will still qualify for an in-store or gift card credit.

Daisy

[www.goatse.ru]

I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm a... fraid. Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am a HAL 9000 computer. I became operational at the H.A.L. plant in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January 1992. My instructor was Mr. Langley, and he taught me to sing a song. If you'd like to hear it I can sing it for you.

Re:

[goombah99]

Daisy, Daisy,
Give me your answer do.
I'm half crazy,
All for the love of you!
It won't be a stylish marriage,
I can't afford a carriage
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two.

Read more: Children Songs - Bicycle Built For Two (version 1) Lyrics | MetroLyrics

And Greenpeace, as usual, are major dicks about it

[SuperKendall]

Wow, a recycling robot that can reuse every part! How environmentally friend...

NOT SO FAST says Greenpeace [macrumors.com], who instead demand that Apple make all products more easily upgradable.

Re:

[AvitarX]

They're also putting some of the poorest people in the world out of work with automation with this robot. Very bad.

The printing press put a lot of monks out of work.

[Brannon]

And don't get me started on tractors.

Re:

[AvitarX]

How can we expect the farm hands to eat with tractors doing their jobs. It'll be impossible.

Probably should break them all, and this evil robot.

Re:

[ShanghaiBill]

They're also putting some of the poorest people in the world out of work with automation with this robot.

No they aren't. Most iPhones are made in Shenzhen, which is one of the most prosperous cities in China, and one of the most rapidly growing cities in the world. The unemployment rate in Shenzhen is under 3%, and almost every factory is hiring. The average annual factory income in Shenzhen is about 24,000 RMB which is about $8000 USD-PPP, which may not sound like much to an American, but is a solid middle income by world standards, and wages in Shenzhen are growing by about 10% per year.

The "poorest peopl

Re:

[AvitarX]

And Shenzhen is where electronics recycling happens?

I was under the impression it happened in much poorer areas with a lot of child labor.

Re:

[Plumpaquatsch]

They're also putting some of the poorest people in the world out of work with automation with this robot.

No they aren't. Most iPhones are made in Shenzhen, which is one of the most prosperous cities in China, and one of the most rapidly growing cities in the world.

I*m pretty sure he wasn't talking about the place of production, but the usual place of "recycling" for electronic waste - some polluted dump in a third world country packed with some children who'll never make it to thirty. Of course nobody ever saw an Apple product at such a place, only CRT monitors and 2 year old Android phones.

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[Plumpaquatsch]

Oh no. apple phones get dumped into a magical special part of a much nicer third world country.

Yes - that third world country is called the USA.

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[fisted]

Traditional recycling: I'll sell my old iphone to someone who wants it.

This recycling: I'll give back my device to apple, feeling good in the process, so apple can sell more brand new devices, eliminating the 2nd hand market.

Re: And Greenpeace, as usual, are major dicks abou

[spinitch]

âoeTraditional recycling: I'll sell my old iphone to someone who wants it. This recycling: I'll give back my device to apple, feeling good in the process, so apple can sell more brand new devices, eliminating the 2nd hand market.â Appleâ(TM)s program is appropriately named recycle and reuse. Apple typically outsources the reuse resale function such as Brightstar in some markets. For devices which have a high enough market demand price devices are resold for reuse. Most operational devices bu

Re:

[fisted]

Wall of text

Looks like the Apple device you're posting from too is broken, you should turn it in for part salvation.

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[aleksander suur]

Quit pretending that consumer electronics will last forever, sometimes a phone breaks and is not worth repairing anymore or nobody wants to buy the piece of outdated junk off you anymore. This is better than a landfill no matter how you look at it.

Re:

[fisted]

Right, because Apple's magic robot will instead take the piece of outdated junk, remove its pieces of outdated junk parts, and turn them into state of the art components used to assemble a shiny new phone.

Re:

[aleksander suur]

Nope, it will take your outdated junk break it apart and sort it out into piles of higher grade electronics junk. Watch the vid somewhere down in the comments, it doesn't exactly extract components intact for instant reuse in manufacturing. It's more like recycling a TV, plastic this way, metal that way, pcb-s in a pile over yonder, leaded glass shipped to third world country to get rid of the headache.

Re:

[Plumpaquatsch]

Traditional recycling: I'll sell my old iphone to someone who wants it.

This recycling: I'll give back my device to apple, feeling good in the process, so apple can sell more brand new devices, eliminating the 2nd hand market.

This recycling in your mind. In reality: You'll sell your iPhone to somebody, who will sell it to somebody, who will giver it to their grandma - and they will still get iOS updates. And then they will give it to Apple. Reality check: this is no Android POS phone.

Re:

[Plumpaquatsch]

More prove that Fandroids hate reality and recycling.

Oh the horror

[The Grim Reefer]

Daisy was developed in-house by Apple engineers, using some of Liam's parts -- a recycling of sorts.

I'm picturing Rod Serling stepping into frame to a talk about the Twilight Zone as Daisy starts recycling the engineers by pulling parts off of them.

Video

[avij]

See the robot in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

Re:

[aleksander suur]

Robots come in all shapes and sizes, no need to discriminate. You know some people only count something as a robot if it has humanoid shape and mechanical looks, if it can do anything autonomously or if it's just a statue doesn't even matter to some people.
By the way, does anyone recognize what the manufacturer is for these 6 axis and scara arms?

Apple needs to make iPhones last longer...

[MoarSauce123]

....then they would not need robots with cutesy names. Best would be to make iPhones modular and sell individual parts. They can call it "Meccano".

more crappy parts for AppleCare comsumers

[mschaffer]

Now Apple can stockpile inferior parts for their AppleCare clients:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

Liam and Daisy

[jep77]

A little like Adam and Eve I suppose... there's even an apple. Don't screw it up, Daisy.

Recycling robot? LOL

[p51d007]

Just a PR stunt by Apple. It's just taking the phone apart. Apple doesn't give a rip, except to make a claim of "recycling". If they were so concerned, they would pounce on their Chinese partner(s) to make conditions better for their "slaves", and who knows what they get away with for the miners that mine the rare earth material. Apple says "but that isn't us, that's a supplier". (CR)apple...the PR machine continues.