Massive ad for new cellphone sparks outrage: 'They're not even pretending anymore'

Apple is practically advertising its pollution.

A pedestrian came across the tech company's disturbing ad and shared the photo to r/anticonsumption.

"This iPhone ad I saw," the Redditor wrote. "The newer the better."

The enormous iPhone 15 ad simply reads, "Newphoria."

Apple has launched a new iPhone almost every year since 2007, and it sold an estimated 230 million in 2023 alone, per Statista.

Many of those customers will go on to buy the next year's iPhone, even if their old one still works just fine. A majority of cell phone owners upgrade every two or three years, while nearly 12% upgrade each year, and 5% every six months, according to a report from Consumer Affairs.

Overconsumption is to blame — many consumers become obsessed with owning what's "in" right now. Whether it's clothes, cups, or shoes, trends come and go, leaving millions of tons of waste in their wake. 

Technology waste, or e-waste, is growing rapidly. In 2022, over 60 million tons of e-waste was produced, and less than a quarter of it was recycled, per the World Health Organization. 

The rest ends up in landfills, where heavy metals and toxic chemicals leak into the soil, valuable finite resources are trapped, and planet-warming gases like methane are released into the air.

Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely 👍 Only in some areas 🫤 Not really 👎 I'm not sure 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Commenters were disappointed with Apple's blatant glorification of overconsumption. 

"Wow, it's even newer than the last version! Talk about a feat of engineering," one user joked.

"We're buying ourselves into extinction," another Redditor commented. "Can't wait for my kids to wander the wasteland of crumbling buildings and millions of iPhones."

A third user described seeing the ad "a few days ago, elsewhere in London, and it made me sad. They're not even pretending anymore…"

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.