Which... maybe it is; who am I to suggest different priorities for other people. But it would be nice for engineers and businesses to at least think about this and make such a decision consciously.
For a business that sold a thousand units with a handful remaining, the calculation is going to be a lot less dominated by impact than for a giant who sold millions and has thousands still in use.
And if there's a giant in this industry, that's Apple.
The couldn't give less shits about the environment.
I'm pretty sure they have switched to paper straws on their cafeteria too!
Don't fall for the marketing.
Companies don't care for the "environmental impact". When they pretend to, it's a token gesture to make certain customer demographics feel good. At best they will sacrifice a slither of their margins, but if there's a conflict between environmental impact and any bigger slice of their profit, they'll go for profit anytime.
>Which... maybe it is; who am I to suggest different priorities for other people
Environmental impact is about the commons, so it shouldn't be just about whatever personal priorities each has.
I mean, I get the sentiment. But I live in this world too, and the E-Waste and forced obsolescence(or whatever you'd call it in this particular instance) does have an effect on me, personally. So yes, we should absolutely have a say, despite the fact that at this time we actively do not. In the US, our environmental policy is laughably inadequate, and with what happened in the election, we're about to be on a path of complete self-annihilation, environmentally speaking.
It's a bit of a long-winded way of explaining myself here, but we definitely shouldn't refrain from serious issues because you feel you may be stepping on others' toes.
I'm sure a small minority might also have an environmental beef, but arguing green isn't going to grab peoples' hearts.
That's kind of what it so disheartening about this whole issue. It's seriously urgent, and yet I routinely meet people who actively deny what is actual undeniable fact, claiming various sources of deception (deepstate, lizards, Nancy Pelosi, etc). A good amount of the rest don't care.
This implies what people want to stick to is some inefficient BS workflow.
As opposed to what's usually the case: more stable, tested, and loved features, changed due to tech fads, to make the product appear new for marketing, to squeeze extra profit despite inconveniencing users, or just for change's sake.
I don't necessarily agree with it, but that's certainly the wider consensus.