Sam Oliver
Consumers looking to make the switch from an Android, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone device to an iPhone can now bring their old handset directly to Apple, where they could trade it in to receive credit toward the purchase of a new iPhone.
Under Apple's expanded reuse and recycling program, owners of recent handsets from Sony, Samsung, Nokia, BlackBerry, HTC, or LG are eligible to swap their device for Apple Store credit. Consumers can begin the process online or in one of Apple's first-party retail stores.
Eligible non-Apple smartphones include 8 Sony models, including the Xperia Z3; 22 Samsung models, including the Note 4 and Galaxy S5; 5 Nokia models, including the Lumia 1520; 4 BlackBerry models, including the Bold 9900; 7 HTC models, including the One M8; and 9 LG models, including the Nexus 5.
At press time, the program was live in the U.S., UK, Italy, and France. French blog Macplus was first to notice the launch.
Word of the trade-in expansion first surfaced earlier this month. It is the latest in a series of steps Apple has taken to lure Android switchers in recent months — including the launch of a detailed Android to iOS migration guide — that saw the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus drive the highest Android switch rate of any iPhone launch in the last three years.
AppleInsider Staff
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
14 Comments
Why do Apple want to buy non-Apple products? Are they selling better than Apple ones, and this is a bit of moonlighting by Apple?
I wonder iff they plan to crush them or resell them, perhaps in an impoverished country. No benefit in adding to cheapo smart phone inventory in the 'developed' (i.e. Apple) countries.
Why do Apple want to buy non-Apple products? Are they selling better than Apple ones, and this is a bit of moonlighting by Apple?
Apple is desperate. Apple is doomed. -)
I wonder iff they plan to crush them or resell them, perhaps in an impoverished country. No benefit in adding to cheapo smart phone inventory in the 'developed' (i.e. Apple) countries.
They still have some furnaces from the GTAT plant, IIRC. Good way to repurpose them.
Boom.
This must have the guys in Seoul scrambling....