By By James Walker Apr 15, 2016 in Technology Apple recently published a webpage about its commitment to the environment. The page has attracted criticism for revealing the company expects iPhones to last just three years, not a long shelf life for a product costing hundreds of dollars. The statistics are specific to each product. They are measured on a "mixture of actual and modeled customer use data" and used in conjunction with four other aspects of Apple's product life cycle assessment to help determine the company's impact on the environment. Apple Despite the margin of error, Apple's admission that the $600 iPhone is Smartphones are full of heavy metals and rare elements that won't last forever. We won't be able to keep replacing devices continually and at some point longer lifecycles are likely to be considered. The fast pace of the technology market makes manufacturers reluctant to make their products more durable though, instead taking advantage of consumers' willingness to upgrade to make huge profits on devices. In the past, Apple has been accused of purposefully slowing down iPhones with software updates to push people towards buying a new device. The case recently Besides explaining how long its products last, Apple has also Interestingly, Apple fans were quick Despite the concerns regarding product longevity, Apple is known for taking a responsible approach towards their eventual demise. iPhones can be handed into Apple Stores for recycling for free. They'll be stripped down and then scavenged for parts for use in new devices. Apple published the information in a webpage titled "More answers to your questions about Apple and the environment." It assumes the average life of one of its products to be three years for an iPhone or Apple Watch and four years for a Macbook or Apple TV.The statistics are specific to each product. They are measured on a "mixture of actual and modeled customer use data" and used in conjunction with four other aspects of Apple's product life cycle assessment to help determine the company's impact on the environment.Apple bases the data on the time that a device's first owner will use it for. Products may remain operable for longer if they are resold or given to a friend or family member. This is more likely to occur for an iPhone than an Apple TV as few people exchange set-top boxes compared to smartphones.Despite the margin of error, Apple's admission that the $600 iPhone is designed with a three-year life in mind highlights how the technology industry depends on people regularly replacing products. Most people will get a new phone before three years are up, changing device every two years when a typical contract expires.Smartphones are full of heavy metals and rare elements that won't last forever. We won't be able to keep replacing devices continually and at some point longer lifecycles are likely to be considered. The fast pace of the technology market makes manufacturers reluctant to make their products more durable though, instead taking advantage of consumers' willingness to upgrade to make huge profits on devices.In the past, Apple has been accused of purposefully slowing down iPhones with software updates to push people towards buying a new device. The case recently sprung up again in the form of a lawsuit seeking $5 million from Apple for allegedly intentionally slowing down the iPhone 4s with the iOS 9 software update.Besides explaining how long its products last, Apple has also outlined its entire method for working out its impact on the environment. It models manufacturing phases to reduce waste during production, optimizes transport processes to reduce the effect on the environment, analyses the treatment steps required to recycle its products and then combines the results with greenhouse gas emission data to establish the environmental impact of each of its products.Interestingly, Apple fans were quick to note an apparent slip-up in the webpage's contents. The original version referred to Apple's OS X desktop operating system as "MacOS," potentially indicating a rebranding is in the works. Such a change would bring MacOS in line with Apple's other operating systems, iOS, watchOS and tvOS. The reference has since been removed from the page.Despite the concerns regarding product longevity, Apple is known for taking a responsible approach towards their eventual demise. iPhones can be handed into Apple Stores for recycling for free. They'll be stripped down and then scavenged for parts for use in new devices. More about Apple, Ios, Environment, iPhone, apple watch Apple Ios Environment iPhone apple watch