Apple retail stores to begin taking iPhone trade-ins - report
Apple is reportedly planning to allow iPhone owners to trade in their devices at the company's retail stores, in an effort to further boost domestic sales of its newest smartphone models.
The retail trade-in program will be run by Brightstar Corp, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The same company already handles trade-ins for U.S. carriers AT&T and T-Mobile. Sources familiar with Apple's plans say the program is aimed at getting users to upgrade to the iPhone 5 by offering them cash for their older models.
Under AT&T's current trade-in program, customers can exchange an iPhone 4S or iPhone 4 and receive $200 ? the same price as a new iPhone 5 with a two-year service agreement.
Brightstar has reportedly agreed to only sell traded-in iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S handsets in emerging markets, ensuring that those devices won't be resold and cannibalize potential iPhone 5 sales in the U.S. The move will likely help boost Apple's market share in those emerging markets, where the company currently trails other handset makers due to the premium price of its iPhone.
Apple has offered an online-only buyback program since 2011, which is run by PowerON. But the latest move would mark the first time Apple would begin accepting iPhone trade-ins at its heavily trafficked retail stores, hundreds of which are located across the U.S.
Bringing a trade-in system to its retail locations would allow Apple to quickly reimburse customers for their devices, sparing them the hassle of shipping devices to a third-party.
The retail trade-in program will be run by Brightstar Corp, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. The same company already handles trade-ins for U.S. carriers AT&T and T-Mobile. Sources familiar with Apple's plans say the program is aimed at getting users to upgrade to the iPhone 5 by offering them cash for their older models.
Under AT&T's current trade-in program, customers can exchange an iPhone 4S or iPhone 4 and receive $200 ? the same price as a new iPhone 5 with a two-year service agreement.
Brightstar has reportedly agreed to only sell traded-in iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S handsets in emerging markets, ensuring that those devices won't be resold and cannibalize potential iPhone 5 sales in the U.S. The move will likely help boost Apple's market share in those emerging markets, where the company currently trails other handset makers due to the premium price of its iPhone.
Apple has offered an online-only buyback program since 2011, which is run by PowerON. But the latest move would mark the first time Apple would begin accepting iPhone trade-ins at its heavily trafficked retail stores, hundreds of which are located across the U.S.
Bringing a trade-in system to its retail locations would allow Apple to quickly reimburse customers for their devices, sparing them the hassle of shipping devices to a third-party.
Comments
Same as iPods since… what, forever? Most of the line's existence, at least.
Recycle your iPod, get 10% off the next one. If it worked or iPods, it'll work for iPhones.
Good on Apple.
Where is the big Screen option? Just squeezing out of 1 phone strategy will not last forever. I know there is 4s and 4 but that's the game Apple seems to be failing at.
Give options on newer models!
Maybe you Americans should do what we do here:-
http://shop.vodafone.com.au/mobile-details/buy-apple-iphone-4-8gb-black
Free on a $30 plan and selling like hotcakes.
Originally Posted by helicopterben
…then Apple is getting desperate.
Just like they were "getting desperate" when they did it with iPods¡
Where is the big Screen option?
Your fantasyland.
Just squeezing out of 1 phone strategy will not last forever.
That's why they have three phones at a time now.
I know there is 4s and 4 but that's the game Apple seems to be failing at.
So you recognize their success but refuse to acknowledge it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Just like they were "getting desperate" when they did it with iPods¡
Your fantasyland.
That's why they have three phones at a time now.
So you recognize their success but refuse to acknowledge it?
Various options on newer phones is always positive more than negative. It also impacts the competitor sales and boost Apple sales in a big way. Its not always about selling in numbers but also about killing the competition before it grows big!
So now how about your BS without Steve Jobs?
Did I refuse to acknowledge Apple's (S.J) Success? Looks like you are losing money in aapl.
Quote:
Originally Posted by helicopterben
So now how about your BS without Steve Jobs?
Looking forward to iOS 7 on my iPhone 5.
I wonder if it will be available for my old 4, which my wife still uses.
It's not either/or.
If the phone is still being sold its generally supported.
Same as iPods since… what, forever? Most of the line's existence, at least.
Recycle your iPod, get 10% off the next one. If it worked or iPods, it'll work for iPhones.
Good on Apple.
What...wait 10% off. So if I trade in my IP4s for a IP5s...it will get 10% off the $199? Or were you hoping for the off contract price of i don't know $600? Either way that is not much of a savings.....Might have worked for lower priced iPods but not so for higher priced contract phones.
This offer essentially gives you squat for your old phone. They simply move your upgrade date up. Now if you are a year away from your upgrade and maybe your current iPhone is a hand me down that you didn't buy, then maybe that might have some appeal. But otherwise you would lose several hundred dollars by going this route. I can see it being more popular on Verizon since they now have to wait 24 months instead of 20.
Quote:
Originally Posted by helicopterben
Various options on newer phones is always positive more than negative. It also impacts the competitor sales and boost Apple sales in a big way. Its not always about selling in numbers but also about killing the competition before it grows big!
So now how about your BS without Steve Jobs?
Did I refuse to acknowledge Apple's (S.J) Success? Looks like you are losing money in aapl.
It's never made sense to compete against yourself, especially for a fraction of the market. If the phone market was leaning 40% 5" and 40% 4" and 20% everything else, 5" would make sense. But it isn't so Apple doesn't. There is no 'job' a 5" phone can do that a 4" phone can't do, unlike an ipod shuffle vs an iPod Classic.
For 4 quarters after Apple sold the iPhone, BlackBerrys sold more quarter over quarter. By your argument, Apple should have build a keyboard based phone. Granted, there is a fine line between head in the sand, and stay the course discipline, but I'll venture that the phone market will be 2 vendors making the majority of profits for quite a while. If the market grows (which it will for another 3 years), everything is fine with Apple splitting profits 49-49, and let microsoft/nokia/RIM/AndroidCabal split the remaining 2%.
a 5" phone only cannibalizes the 4" and the iPad Mini LTE versions. If you buy an Apple phone for ONLY THE SCREEN SIZE, you're not buying apple, you're buying a big phone, and not the apps, not the customer service, not the ecosystem, not the halo, etc, etc, etc. In short, you're a spot buyer, and in a niche that few people are at. Apple doesn't market to the few.
This is never about killing the competition... it's letting the competition kill themselves trying to differentiate. Mr Cook's model is to make things at an amazing cost to produce, with amazing quality, with an amazingly low product to market budget. Apple's Model (on top of that) is to be 'late' to market with what the Middle 50% want, and let quality, app choice, ease of use (not of the hw, but of the ecosystem) drive consumer choice.
Never saying never, Apple will likely have a 5" phone... in 2-3 years, once the 3.5" form factor is retired. That to me is the only reason why I consider a 'cheap iPhone' as a remote possibility... to accelerate the 4s retirement party by a year.
As for those losing money in apple, they are the late money. those of us in at 40 are still at a 11bagger, plus effectively a 30% dividend on the cost basis. We're doing okay;-)
Quote:
Originally Posted by hill60
I wonder if it will be available for my old 4, which my wife still uses.
I hope not because if iOS 7 supports a phone as old as the 4 then that means there won't be very much new stuff added. I am hoping this is the year that iOS gets a major and much needed overhaul. I suspect they will do what they did with Siri and continue to allow older iPhones to run iOS 7 but just leave off certain new features.
Ok, I'll bite, because I will enjoy using you as an example of those who can't see how Apple works, even when Tim Cook spells it out for you.
He says, Apple won't release a larger-screened phone because it would mean too many trade-offs, and thus it could not be up to Apple's standards. In other words, the technology isn't there yet. Batteries are not up to it, GF2 film is in short supply, IGZO screens aren't available yet . . . do you need more?
You should realize these things, but all you know is that Samsung can crank out big-screen dodgy junk with AMOLED screens, and HTC can make a few million Ones, where Apple would have to be prepared to make ten or twenty million.
If these technical problems were solved in a cost-effective way, we would have already had a retina iPad mini, right? Right?
I don't want to see you post this dumb stuff again. Ever. Technology and ruthless attention to detail is what determines what Apple releases, not the wishes of the glitz-driven geek minority.
Edit: Plus what TheOtherGeoff says above, but I think they'll solve the bigger-screen problems sooner than he says. I think they're waiting for IGZO or something similar.
This is another (spectacularly) poorly worded article.
The way it's written, a customer could get a $200 iPhone on contract from the Apple store, then trade it in a year later for the same $200 they paid previously, and get a new one. The following year, they could then trade in the "free" phone from the previous year for another $200. From then on, Apple would have to pay each customer $200 a year to take an iPhone home.
I don't for a second think this is true, but that's the implication from the way it's worded.
You beat me to it. Except I was going to add "/s" to the end of my post.
let us not forget that you are on appleinsider, where you're neither supposed to care what the words actually say and mean, nor draw any attention to piss-poor writing lest you be chastised with "you know what the author meant". rather, please read between the lines and use assumption and speculation to conclude what the author actually meant to say about the rumour.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheOtherGeoff
As for those losing money in apple, they are the late money. those of us in at 40 are still at a 11bagger, plus effectively a 30% dividend on the cost basis. We're doing okay;-)
Do not have time to read your long post
Who told you anything? We? are doing ok. Good for you but I did not tell or ask you. Now as you have told me you are doing ok. Would you post the screenshot of amount of shares you own along with average price. This would put more clarity on your claim lol
Well, that's the end of gazelle.com and the like. iPhones are where they make their profit.
But the phone is subsidised and Apple gets money for the phone which they sell to this resale company. It's a win win for Apple and American Apple customers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flaneur
Ok, I'll bite, because I will enjoy using you as an example of those who can't see how Apple works, even when Tim Cook spells it out for you.
He says, Apple won't release a larger-screened phone because it would mean too many trade-offs, and thus it could not be up to Apple's standards. In other words, the technology isn't there yet. Batteries are not up to it, GF2 film is in short supply, IGZO screens aren't available yet . . . do you need more?
You should realize these things, but all you know is that Samsung can crank out big-screen dodgy junk with AMOLED screens, and HTC can make a few million Ones, where Apple would have to be prepared to make ten or twenty million.
If these technical problems were solved in a cost-effective way, we would have already had a retina iPad mini, right? Right?
Edit: Plus what TheOtherGeoff says above, but I think they'll solve the bigger-screen problems sooner than he says. I think they're waiting for IGZO or something similar.
I seriously doubt not releasing a retina iPad mini was due to technological barriers. I think it had far more to do with financial and marketing reasons. They make a larger profit from selling the larger iPad so why would they give customers even one less reason to buy the more expensive model. Also Apple traditionally leaves one or more features off a product on purpose even if they are very capable of adding it to entice people to get the newer model and this is especially true of 1st gen product like the mini.
This is the way Apple has always operated so it is nothing new. It has worked very well for them over the years and I don't blame them for following this strategy since it leads to more often upgrades by customers. It is also true that Apple has extremely high quality standards and that sometimes leads to delays like adding 3G, LTE, copy/paste, and many other features where they were a year or more behind Android phones. Samsung and other Android makers follow the opposite model and throw everything but the kitchen sink at their new phones whether it is ready or not and hope something sticks. This is sometimes successful and sometime fails miserably. Their new gestures feature is a good example of something that probably needed more testing but their IR TV remote is an example of something that seems to work very well.
The technological barriers to a larger iPhone have already been solved. It is fair to say that costs, supply restraints, or some other issues are in play but I don't buy Tim's lines about not making compromises on quality. Until they make a larger version of the iPhone I would expect nothing less than to talk down and offer excuses. My take is they were really caught off guard at just how popular these phones became and just need more time since that would be such an immense change to the platform. They also probably thought that increasing it to 4" would quell requests for an even larger version but it is pretty clear that Apple has little choice now but to add a larger phone. It is no longer a question of if but when.