Irish Invent Wooden Computer To Be Launched Next Month In Europe!

MicroPlus announce the launch of the new Iameco Ecolabel certified tablet PC. 

In September, the Iameco tablet PC, pronounced "I am eco", will be launched onto the European market. It is the first touch screen computer to gain the European Union's Ecolabel certificate. 

Created by Irish MicroPro, who will also be unveiling a laptop version of the Green PC, the new Iameco has the following list of impressive energy efficient design specifications:-

• A carbon footprint 70 per cent smaller than a conventional desktop computer and monitor

• 20 per cent of it's materials can easily be re-used in other computers

• 78 per cent of it's components can be recycled

• The PC casing is made from wood!

Ecolabel criteria dictates that a product cannot contain 30 grams of one polymer, so the Micro Plus buys offcuts of timber that are sustainably sourced from European furniture makers, which are then transported back to the factory in Galway, Ireland, to build the computer casing with. How cool is that?

Individual components can also be easily upgraded, giving the tablet an estimated lifespan of 10 years, a considerable increase on the three to five year lifespan of most modern computers. Furthermore, the machine's standard components i.e. memory cards and processors etc., are mostly halogen-free containing no lead, mercury, PVC, plastic or flame retardants.

Already on sale in Ireland, the Iameco will be launched throughout Europe during the ELECTRONICS Goes Green conference in Berlin this September. Priced from €850 plus VAT, with an additional software cost of €100, it may take some time before it becomes affordable to the average consumer but will undoubtedly become less expensive over time, if demand increases significantly enough.

A business that replaced all it's old PC's with these new Green PC's would ultimately improve it's overall energy efficiency and lower it's carbon footprint. I think consumers who can afford the Iameco will want to buy it purely because, with it's buffed and shiny wooden casing, it looks so cool! A hybrid PC that is at once organic and synthetic. If PC's were given EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) ratings then this one would definitely be awarded an 'A' + for it's compact, energy efficient design and overall low carbon impact. Let's face it, only the Irish could invent a wooden computer!

Post By Paul Patane for Just EPC