April 22, 2024 – Apple’s Managing Director for Greater China, Ge Yue, announced today that Apple’s recycling robots, Dave and Taz, have arrived in China. In the spirit of Earth Day, the company is collaborating with partners to maximize the potential of recycled materials, minimize environmental impact, and safeguard our planet.
CEO Tim Cook also commented on the occasion, stating that the new robots will aid in recovering precious materials like tungsten and rare earth elements from iPhones. These materials will then contribute to the creation of the next generation of Apple products.
According to previous reports, Dave, one of the robots, excels at dismantling the iPhone’s Taptic Engine, enabling efficient recovery of critical materials such as rare earth magnets and tungsten, as well as steel. Compared to Daisy, another iPhone dismantling robot, Dave demonstrates superior performance in this area.
Meanwhile, Taz utilizes a shredder-like mechanism to separate magnets from audio modules using advanced technology, enabling the recovery of more rare earth elements.
Coinciding with World Earth Day, Apple has also released a new Earth Day-themed transit card design. iPhone and Apple Watch users can obtain and use this design for free within the relevant transit card app, and the design will be available for a limited period of 365 days.
