Apple training retail employees for forthcoming iPhone trade-in program [u]
Rumors of Apple's plans to launch an in-store trade-in program saw new life on Monday, with new reports that the iPhone maker is starting training for its retail employees to familiarize them with the program ahead of its launch.
Update: A follow-up report by TechCrunch notes Apple already has pilot trade-in programs at select Apple Store locations, where customers can swap their phone for a gift card. An employee looks over the unit for liquid and other damage, while the customer fills out an in-store questionnaire before being offered a value. According to the publication, the gift card must be put toward a new iPhone model and can only be used if the customer is eligible for a phone upgrade from their selected carrier. Any leftover value can be used for other retail store purchases.
Details on the supposed training program are scarce, but MacRumors cites multiple sources in saying that Apple is indeed prepping employees for the rollout of a program allowing customers to trade in their older iPhone models for discounts when upgrading to newer models. According to reports, the first store trainers have begun receiving instruction in the program, and those trainers will begin training other employees next week.
Observers note that Apple could announce the new program at the same Sept. 10 media event where it is expected to announce both the high-end and low-end models of the new iPhone.
News broke in June that Apple was likely working on its own trade-in program. Apple head Tim Cook dodged a question on the issue during the company's last quarterly conference call, but he did not dismiss the possibility entirely.
"We haven't announced anything relative to a trade-in program," Cook said, "so what you've been seeing is primarily rumor-oriented"
According to prior reports, Apple's trade-in program would be run by Brightstar Corp., the same company that handles trade-in programs for AT&T and T-Mobile. Brightstar would take the traded models and resell them in emerging markets, ensuring that those devices wouldn't cannibalize Apple's sales in the United States.
Using Apple's hundreds of U.S. retail locations for a trade-in program could also have the effect of boosting Apple retail-based iPhone sales. That would likely bring Apple closer to its lofty goal of selling half of all U.S.-bought iPhones within those retail outlets.
Apple has the ability to launch such a program due in part to the wide reach of its retail outlets in the United States, where it has 253 outlets. The way its iPhones retain value, though, also plays a part, a fact that the firm's CEO is quick to point out.
"The reason that [a trade-in program] is so attractive around an iPhone," Cook said in July, "is that the residual value of an iPhone stays so high. That makes the trade-in programs a win-win from many points of view. But we haven't announced anything."
Update: A follow-up report by TechCrunch notes Apple already has pilot trade-in programs at select Apple Store locations, where customers can swap their phone for a gift card. An employee looks over the unit for liquid and other damage, while the customer fills out an in-store questionnaire before being offered a value. According to the publication, the gift card must be put toward a new iPhone model and can only be used if the customer is eligible for a phone upgrade from their selected carrier. Any leftover value can be used for other retail store purchases.
Details on the supposed training program are scarce, but MacRumors cites multiple sources in saying that Apple is indeed prepping employees for the rollout of a program allowing customers to trade in their older iPhone models for discounts when upgrading to newer models. According to reports, the first store trainers have begun receiving instruction in the program, and those trainers will begin training other employees next week.
Observers note that Apple could announce the new program at the same Sept. 10 media event where it is expected to announce both the high-end and low-end models of the new iPhone.
News broke in June that Apple was likely working on its own trade-in program. Apple head Tim Cook dodged a question on the issue during the company's last quarterly conference call, but he did not dismiss the possibility entirely.
"We haven't announced anything relative to a trade-in program," Cook said, "so what you've been seeing is primarily rumor-oriented"
According to prior reports, Apple's trade-in program would be run by Brightstar Corp., the same company that handles trade-in programs for AT&T and T-Mobile. Brightstar would take the traded models and resell them in emerging markets, ensuring that those devices wouldn't cannibalize Apple's sales in the United States.
Using Apple's hundreds of U.S. retail locations for a trade-in program could also have the effect of boosting Apple retail-based iPhone sales. That would likely bring Apple closer to its lofty goal of selling half of all U.S.-bought iPhones within those retail outlets.
Apple has the ability to launch such a program due in part to the wide reach of its retail outlets in the United States, where it has 253 outlets. The way its iPhones retain value, though, also plays a part, a fact that the firm's CEO is quick to point out.
"The reason that [a trade-in program] is so attractive around an iPhone," Cook said in July, "is that the residual value of an iPhone stays so high. That makes the trade-in programs a win-win from many points of view. But we haven't announced anything."
Comments
This is the first time since 2009 where there will be no previous gen iPhones sold alongside new iPhones. That means a lot of people are going to trade in their "old" iPhones to buy the "latest" iPhone form factors the 5C and 5S.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton
And this is why the 30-pin iPod dock connector will have a long life.
WTF? Sarcasm?
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackbook
This is the first time since 2009 where there will be no previous gen iPhones sold alongside new iPhones.
I'm not at all convinced of this yet. Only one rumor (source: one analyst) suggested that only the 5S and 5C would be sold.
I still hold that it's equally likely that the 5S will be the new high-end, the current iPhone 5 will be the new 'mid-range' phone (replacing the 4S), and the 5C will fill the low-end (replacing today's iPhone 4).
I expect that the 5C will ALSO be positioned as the main 'entry-level' device in China and India. It is rumored to have the same internals as today's iPhone 5, but will probably come minus some storage options (I still think they're only going to launch with a single 16GB model. Possibly a 32GB as well, but… we'll see).
I think all this because, that's what I would do!
Highly speculative, but, not any more or less than that analyst-fueled rumor saying that only the 5S and 5C would remain in the mix.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
Rumors of Apple's plans to launch an in-store trade-in program saw new life on Monday, with new reports that the iPhone maker is starting training for its retail employees to familiarize them with the program ahead of its launch.
First things first, learning NOT to take Samsung's early iPhone copies in on trade...
Okay ladies, WHICH of the above phones were NOT designed and manufactured in Korea??
Question: How can you know for sure it's a Samsung phone?
Answer: When you type on it the keys make a cricking sound.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tribalogical
I'm not at all convinced of this yet. Only one rumor (source: one analyst) suggested that only the 5S and 5C would be sold.
I still hold that it's equally likely that the 5S will be the new high-end, the current iPhone 5 will be the new 'mid-range' phone (replacing the 4S), and the 5C will fill the low-end (replacing today's iPhone 4).
...
It all depends on the pricing of the 5c, but for the 5 to remain as a mid-range device, the 5c would have to be cheaper than most people are guessing it will be at this stage. And if you have a dirt cheap phone and a high end phone, there's a good argument to forget about the middle altogether really.
Most analysts are thinking the 5c will be more mid-range and that Apple is specifically going for the mid range with this change in strategy. I'm thinking that it will be cheaper than expected and that Apple will just go with the quality product, and the generic product and forget about "mid-range SKUs altogether. They need to re-establish and keep their dominance of the luxury market (thus four new variants of iPhone 5s), while providing a "good enough" durable, long-lasting basic phone that the masses will eat like candy.
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
And if you have a dirt cheap phone and a high end phone, there's a good argument to forget about the middle altogether really.
And yet some people still wonder why there's no xMac.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dysamoria
I would be happy to see a trade-up program offered. I'll never sell on ebay again after how they encouraged one of my buyers to abuse me. I would like to upgrade, since I'm starting to feel the iOS bloat on my iPhone 4. It's been a great phone, but successive iOS releases are always slower and I can almost be certain they do zero optimization. They want to sell phones and the bloat helps them do just that. It's one of the most basic features of the computer industry that capitalists love: planned obsolescence.
You have a three-year-old iPhone that you call "a great phone," and you have the balls to accuse Apple of planned obsolescence while even knowing your old phone will run the next future iOS!!!
Do you know that's not possible with any other brand of smart phone??? Yet Apple makes it possible and you whine about the upgrades slowing the phone down! What an ass!
The Apple iOS is the most optimized mobile OS on the planet. The do that because Apple wants their mobile products to run longer on each battery charge and to do that they utilize every trick in the book from the latest in battery technology, to how they control the CPU clock speed instant by instant, to having the most compact OS code on the planet.
Yet you piss and moan and accuse Apple of not doing the best they could...jeez!!
Microsoft obsoleted it Win7 phone while they were still selling it at full price. No Android phone is upgradeable at all, while reports of wonkie memory, GPS shut downs, and hard resets needed on a regular basis swirl around the internet. Has anyone ever seen a brand X smart phone with a battery that lasts for three - four years like an iPhone will?? Does any brand X smart phone have the same brightness of blue on their displays that they had when new??
Sell your iPhone and go buy a different brand... you need to wander in the wilderness for a while.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
And yet some people still wonder why there's no xMac.
I'm sorry, I wonder what you might be trying to say?????
Quote:
Originally Posted by Macky the Macky
First things first, learning NOT to take Samsung's early iPhone copies in on trade...
Okay ladies, WHICH of the above phones were NOT designed and manufactured in Korea??
Question: How can you know for sure it's a Samsung phone?
Answer: When you type on it the keys make a cricking sound.
Originally Posted by Macky the Macky
I'm sorry, I wonder what you might be trying to say?????
Covering the low end (Mac Mini) and high end (Mac Pro) makes people forget about the middle (xMac). The number of people who think an xMac would serve their needs (larger than the number whose needs it would actually serve) is insanely small. Part of that is due to the existence of the iMac, but again, most of it's due to the rest of the "headless" lineup being covered.