Inside the "Green" new iPhone

6/23/2009 11:43 AM EDT

I managed to get my hands on the new iPhone 3G S last week. Not for too long though, as I had to quickly tear it down for EETimes seen here. I had heard claims that the new iPhone would be 'greener' and I was hoping that peering inside would give validity to those claims.

From a component level, the ICs were all lead-free, so that's a definite plus but other than that, I couldn't see anything 'green' from visual inspection other than the color of the circuit board.

Ah, but just because you can't see it, doesn't mean you it isn't ecologically-friendly. Apple went to longer lengths to make this product environmentally sound as they had come under heat for supposed un-green practices (as seen here). With the new iPhone, Apple has incorporated the following measures; the phone is apparently free of many toxic chemicals that were removed from the production process, the iPhone itself is manufactured to feature a mercury-free LCD and be PVC-free. The head phones and the handset are also PVC free. It also packs bromine-free printed circuit boards too. Shipped in smaller packing, most of the packaging is shaped out of post-consumer recycled fiberboard and bio-based materials.

Not bad Apple, not bad at all. And for those who are curious, here's a look inside the iPhone 3G S: