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In terms of the antenna, it is attached to a silicon circuit board through a copper wire and picks up amplitude modulation signals (Woodford, 2021). This ultimately uses up fuel and releases waste into the atmosphere. The lithium ion battery goes through a long production process as time is needed to extract the ore, and the assembling of the battery requires transportation since the manufacturing is in South Korea. In addition to the lithium ore, the battery is made up of polymer binders, conductive additives, and solvents (N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP)) which are coated with collector foil to create electrode coating (Daniel, 2015). When researching the lithium ion battery, the lithium ore is mined in China or Argentina and is eventually produced into a battery in South Korea (Athwal, 2020).
APPLE PENCIL 1 BLUETOOTH
These include a 3.82 V, 0.329 Wh lithium ion battery, 32-bit RISC ARM-based Cortex-M3 MCU, aluminum, gold, bluetooth chip, five anonymous chips, circuit board, wireless antenna, touch sensors, and lightning connector (inside the magnetic cap) (Detwiler, 2015). Since thermoplastic is similar to plastic, it is essentially difficult to dispose of and can take years to decompose.Īdditionally, many primary and secondary materials are assembled to form the advanced stylus technology. Yet, these materials are difficult to decompose and are essentially harmful to the environment. Thermoplastic goes through a similar production process as regular plastic, where a group of polymers are melted through heat to be processed in a heat-softened state or liquid state (i.e. On the other hand, the writing tip is composed of capacitive polypropylene, a type of thermoplastic that is recyclable and easily remolded and reheated for other purposes (“Apple Pencil (Tips),” 2021). The ethane and propane are then converted into ethylene and propylene through a high heating process called “cracking” and are combined to create polymers which eventually form into plastic (“How are Plastics Made?” n.d). To produce the plastic, raw materials such as coal, crude oil, and natural gas are refined in a production process to obtain ethane and propane which are the main plastic building blocks (“How is Plastic Made?” 2020). For instance, in terms of the materials on the exterior of the Apple Pencil, it is made of plastic which is generally recyclable but not biodegradable (Detwiler, 2015). When analyzing each material individually, it appears that Apple’s goal of sustainability has been difficult to meet due to the majority of the Apple Pencil’s materials being non-environmentally friendly. There are many materials used to create the first generation Apple Pencil which was released in 2015. The first generation Apple Pencil is made of common tech materials - plastic, metals, batteries, bluetooth chips, silicon - and Apple hopes to reduce environmental damage (as the majority of the non-recyclable secondary materials in the Apple Pencil tend to be environmentally harmful during manufacturing and after disposal) by producing high quality, recyclable products in renewable energy facilities that meet consumer demand and sustainability in the future (Athwal, 2020). They end up as waste products that are difficult to dispose of. More specifically, the Apple Pencil utilizes materials that are mostly non-recyclable and/or not biodegradable. Unfortunately, consumers are unaware of what goes into the production of the popular writing tool and how it could potentially be damaging to the environment. The popularity of this product has grown due to its bluetooth and pressure sensors, along with its overall ability to facilitate handwriting on electronic devices. The Apple Pencil is an advanced stylus that can be used on certain Apple products. So far, the Apple Pencil has two versions, a first and second generation. One popular Apple product, the first generation Apple Pencil, has been utilized by many consumers, especially students. Apple, one of the most recognized companies in the world, has contributed immensely in the information technology industry and has been innovating their products for better efficiency. Over time, society has become more dependent on technology, and consumers have become largely attracted to new electronic products such as electric cars, smartphones, tablets, and virtual reality.
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