THE PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE OF CELL PHONES By: Nick Battista Kevin Mayce Gabom Han
Research and Product Development Material Extraction Cell phones are made up of many different materials but contain mostly metal, plastic, and ceramics. Metals must be mined and extracted from the Earth. Plastics must be formed from natural elements, such as petroleum, which comes straight from under the Earths surface. Ceramics must also be formed using materials taking from the Earths surface. Research Ideas and designs for the circuit and look of the phone must be thought of and researched to see what will work Development The extracted materials, such as the metals, are then used to develop the phone. Metals are used throughout all of the circuitry and batteries Plastics are used to create the outer shell and inside some circuitry Ceramics are also found within the antennas and throughout some circuitry
Advertising Cell phone companies advertise the different features and uses for the cell phone to the consumer in order to catch their attention They advertise their product through television commercials, internet, and through daily activities just to catch the consumer s interest Cell phone companies target teens in high school and college since they are the easiest to persuade and catch their attention Their constant advertising with all the different types and versions of cellular devices and the marketing competition between cell phone companies Each company is competing with each other to get the consumer to purchase their product and obtain the consumers money.
Packaging After production the cell phones are packaged for transportation The are wrapped in plastic for protection, put with paper instructions, and put into identifiable boxes. This packaging is for protection but its excessive decorative packaging uses extra natural resources, such as petroleum for plastic and trees for the paper This excess packaging supplies must also be created in factories that causes even more waste and pollution
Sales, Distribution, and Transportation The phones must then be shipped to the suppliers for sales. They are transported using planes, trucks, and possibly trains which all use up natural resources, such as fossil fuels, in the process With the wide use of cellphones, these phones must be shipped all around the country/world, using a large amount of fuel in the process The transportation and sales for the phones also require workers, who are often paid minimally, with little to no benefits
Cell phones are widely used by many and no longer are just a luxury item but almost seem like a necessity to most. The use of cell phones no longer is just to be able to call Consumers now want to be able to text, search the internet, play games, download information, and many other options that cell phones now allow This change in consumers views on phones causes cell phone companies to constantly update and create new technology to help keep the consumer happy Consumers are constantly looking for the new technology which cause many consumers to get sick of and dispose their current phone for the new ones.
Final Disposition Cell Phone companies are constantly coming out with new and improved technology that people often do not keep their phones for much longer than a few years. Phones when broken can be fixed and restored, but if the phone is out of date, as viewed by society, these phones will not be used again. With the constant advancement in technology, consumers will update their phones constantly creating a large waste from older phones Some companies do try to recycle these old phones by reusing the parts from the device Apple for example uses its own recycling program for their cell phone devices to dispose of their products and parts responsibly. All though the recycling does help minimally, it is not enough to overcome the waste that is produced from old cell phones
Sources http://www.ceramics-directory.com/aboutceramics-in-electronics.php http://www.ehow.com/howdoes_5318078_mobile-phone-manufacturingprocess.html http://www.epa.gov/osw/education/pdfs/lifecell.pdf