An Irish company, MicroPro, has produced what is now referred to as the world’s “greenest PC”, the Iameco (pronounced “I am eco”) tablet PC. 20 per cent of the PC’s materials can be easily re-used in other computers, and another 78 per cent can be recycled. The tablet was developed with the help of the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration in Germany, which claims it is “the most environmentally friendly computer of its type”.
Notably, the computer’s casing is made from wood; MicroPro buys offcuts of sustainably sourced timber, such as walnut, solid oak or beech, from European furniture makers, and transports it back to a factory in Galway, Ireland, to make the computers.
The machine’s standard components, such as memory cards and processors are largely halogen-free, and it contains no mercury, lead, PVC, plastics or flame retardants. Besides, the PC’s components can be easily upgraded, giving it a lifespan of up to 10 years, a significant increase on the three to five year lifespan of most modern PCs.
Already on sale in Ireland, the Iameco is to be launched across Europe at the ELECTRONICS Goes Green conference in Berlin in September and it is expected that pricing will start from €850 plus VAT, with an additional cost for software of around €100.
MicroPro chief executive Paul Maher, while speaking to Business Green, has also revealed that the company intends to also unveil a prototype laptop to test its acceptance. Accoding to him, “We’re going to have it on display to find out what people think about it, but it won’t be on the market for a year or two.”
Just some weeks ago the news hit the global media about the upcomoing launch of the world’s first wooden car which is referred to as the Splinter. One can only imaging, what next?
Source: BusinessGreen
