Dell to Apple: Our Laptops Are Greener Than Yours

By Ucilia Wang

How green are Apple's (AAPL) laptops? Not as green as you think, said a Dell (DELL) executive in a blog post Friday.

"We wish Apple would be more bold in making a difference rather than making ads. If they do both, then fantastic, run all the ads you want," wrote Bob Pearson, vice president of communities and conversations at Dell.

Pearson said he felt compelled to write about the "real meaning of being green" after some Dell employees were "surprised and perplexed" by Apple's new ad touting its MacBooks as the greenest in the world.

He took issue with how Apple touts its new MacBooks as the greenest laptops in the world. He said Apple doesn't do what others do by promoting its "green" initiatives at conferences, in blogs or media events.

Besides, Dell's laptops feature many environmentally friendly designs, maybe even more so than Apple's, Pearson wrote. He also contended that Apple doesn't offer free worldwide recycling to consumers like Dell does. Then he listed some other efforts recently trumpeted by Dell (see Green Light post).

In short, Pearson said Apple "hasn't stated any goals, just made claims, which as far as we can tell, are not accurate."

Apple would dispute that it hasn't set goals or outlined its approaches to designing greener gadgets. In fact, Apple is using the same tool Pearson is using to reach the masses.

You can read all about Apple's environmental initiatives and philosophy on its Website. For example, it does offer free recycling not just in the United States, though in some instances only if you buy new products from Apple.

Want to know how much power MacBook Air consumes or how Apple has reduced the use of packaging materials? Consumers can learn about about them by clicking here and here.

Trash talking is a time-honored tradition in the tech world. Last week, Nanosolar's CEO Martin Roscheisen picked on Solyndra over Solyndra's unusual tubular thin-film solar design (see Nanosolar: Tubular Thin Films Are Overrated).

Comments

[Infinite loop:]

Dell is absolutely pathetic.

And what the hell is a VP of Communities and Conversations?

No wonder Dell's stock is in the toilet. They waste money on meaningless VP's that have nothing better to do than cry about other companies beating them to the punch. Boo-hoo Bob. Maybe if you were a visionary instead of a reactionary you wouldn't need to make moronic comments simply to validate your job. It's a desperate attempted for attention Bob.

Keep up the good work Dell. I appreciate everything you've done for me since I shorted your stock at 30. Thanks.

2008 Dec 22 10:45 AM

[mathue:]

I find the whole 'Apple isn't green' thing puzzling. I could have sworn that Jobs himself made statements as to where Apple was going and how it was going to do it. Greenpea seems to rather arbitrarily give bad points for not making really specific statements about what is being done. And why on earth would a Dell VP rip on Apple for? If Dell really wanted it could lead everyone since its product line turns over (i.e. newer designs) so rapidly compared to Apple. Near as I can see by reading 'between' the statements is that Dell is hurting, and the best way to relieve that pain is by lashing out at another company. Dell has made some poor plans over the past 8 years and is feeling the hurt, Apple has made far fewer poor plans and is feeling pretty spry.

2008 Dec 22 03:39 PM

[veggiedude:]

Considering how Dell tried to patent the word "Cloud Computing" they probably have already done so for "Green Computing" and technically they are right. Apple will now have to come up with another word, such as iGreen.

2008 Dec 22 07:09 PM

[Neil Anderson:]

Apple has become very environmentally conscious. Even cutting down on packaging saves material and fuel. Kudos to them.

2008 Dec 22 10:11 PM

[Jon T:]

Let's face it, Dell, the ultimate 'cheapener' of everything, is facing certain death by 2010. This is just another good example of why.

2008 Dec 23 08:21 AM

[User 318347:]

cannot agree more with you... But I am not as lucky as you. I also kiss Dell goodbye but leaving a lot of $30+ stock option and ESPP behind.


On Dec 22 10:45 AM Infinite loop wrote:

> Dell is absolutely pathetic.
>
> And what the hell is a VP of Communities and Conversations?
>
> No wonder Dell's stock is in the toilet. They waste money on meaningless
> VP's that have nothing better to do than cry about other companies
> beating them to the punch. Boo-hoo Bob. Maybe if you were a visionary
> instead of a reactionary you wouldn't need to make moronic comments
> simply to validate your job. It's a desperate attempted for attention
> Bob.
>
> Keep up the good work Dell. I appreciate everything you've done for
> me since I shorted your stock at 30. Thanks.

2008 Dec 23 09:52 AM

[mollytjm:]

i wonder how many Dell's last as long as Macs and are used as much. I have and still use the original clamshell ibook (tangerine!), pus the next ibook and now the macbook...they all work and they're used for different tasks. I have the original imac (bondi blue) and that works too and is used. My guess is that the % of pc's in landfills is greater than Macs...if only because Macs get passed down and used and used.

2008 Dec 23 10:27 AM

[mollytjm:]

ps. and... how many cd's did the itunes store replace?

since this is a stock site..i think Apple will survive and do well...it'll be lonely, but happy.

2008 Dec 23 10:32 AM