How green are Apple's laptops? Not as green as you think, said a 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).