Apple Inc will start a program this month to allow users to trade their older iPhones for the newest model, Bloomberg cited people familiar with the plan as saying, a first for the company as it prepares to introduce a new version of the smartphone.
It has teamed up with Brightstar Corp, a mobile phone distributor that runs similar trade-in programs for carriers like AT&T Inc and T-Mobile, to handle exchanges, Bloomberg cited the unidentified sources as saying on Thursday. Apple and Brightstar did not immediately return calls for comment.
To allow users to trade-in their older iPhones for its newest model
New iPhones with no wireless contract are priced starting at $649, depending on storage size. Demand is typically strong but investors worry that, as the U.S. market becomes increasingly saturated, smartphone purchases will slow sharply.
A trade-in program can help bolster demand for expensive new models, especially as arch-rival Samsung Electronics Co Ltd steps up an aggressive push to sell its own devices in the U.S. market.
Reuters