It seems that Apple is really pushing for big changes this year as implied by its proposed industrial direction. The Cupertino, California-based tech group has been drawing the attention of the tech industry and market after confirming several long-running rumours from 2019. These include the iPhone SE, iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and iOS 14 among others. Now, it is hoping to become the first company that will be completely environmentally-friendly.

According to a press release posted online earlier this week, the brand plans to become 100 percent emission-free in everything it does. "Apple today unveiled its plan to become carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 2030. The company is already carbon neutral today for its global corporate operations, and this new commitment means that by 2030, every Apple device sold will have net zero climate impact," reads the statement.

The first product to benefit from its zero-emission production method will be the 16-inch MacBook Pro. The high-end notebook is expected to ship with a metal body crafted from the brand's "first-ever direct carbon-free aluminium smelting process." This marks the first step which other products in its catalogue will soon follow down the line. As such, it does not offer the option for the buyer to request for a bespoke unit for now.

Supply chain insiders speculate that Apple will likely hold off until production begins of its ARM-based MacBook lineup later this year. Existing users who are still on their Intel platforms, on the other hand, will still receive software support until the generation reaches its end of life. The current version of the 16-inch MacBook Pro still runs on Intel chipsets and will be the last ones to do so.

The 2020 MacBook Air is now available
Just like the 16-inch MacBook Pro model, the 2020 MacBook Air switches back to a scissor mechanism which it calls the Magic Keyboard. Photo: Apple

Other notable changes that are speculated to happen in 2020 is the debut of 5G connectivity on the iPhone 12 series. However, sources are claiming that Apple might be cutting costs by shipping this year's handsets without the charger and EarPods. Although this has not been confirmed, there is already an outcry from consumers who plan to upgrade their smartphones a few months from now. Nevertheless, going carbon neutral is definitely a step in the direction for any manufacturer.

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