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Apple Announces New Trade Up With Installments Program (betanews.com) 107

Posted by yaelk from the iphone-versus-android dept.
Mark Wilson writes: Today, Apple launched a new program called Trade Up With Installments, which makes it possible to upgrade to the latest iPhone in a more affordable way. As the name suggests, this is more than a straight trade-in program - upgraders can use the trade-in value of their old handset to reduce on-going monthly costs. This is something that will appeal not only to people with older iPhones who are looking to get their hands on a newer model, but also ex-Android fans. Apple is opening up the program, so Android handsets can be traded in and their value offset against the cost of a new iPhone. Windows Phone handsets are also eligible. Trade Up With Installments is slightly different to the existing iPhone Upgrade Program and trade-in option. After handing over your old handset (be it iOS, Windows Phone or Android powered) for part exchange for a new iPhone, you'll then (assuming you qualify) be extended credit and allowed to pay off the remaining balance over 24 months.
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Apple Announces New Trade Up With Installments Program More

Apple Announces New Trade Up With Installments Program

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  • Can I Just Hand Over An Organ? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    I want one BAD!

    I know, it's been done before!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by OzPeter ( 195038 )

      I want one BAD!

      I know, it's been done before!

      I'd think that for the price of an Organ [bhphotovideo.com] you could get a lot more than one iPhone

  • Drop it first day (Score:3)

    by oic0 ( 1864384 ) on Thursday February 18, 2016 @01:34PM (#51536083)
    Then pay monthly for 2 years for your paper weight...

  • Sprint's iPhone Forever (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    I got suckered into a Sprint iPhone Forever plan. "You can always upgrade to the latest iPhone for no charge."

    1. You don't own the phone. You're only leasing it.
    2. You're paying way more for the phone over its life, even if the monthly payments are relatively small.
    3. You don't qualify for the advertised $5/month, you have to pay $10.
    4. The buyout, after paying $400 in leasing fees for the phone is huge!
    5. You bill doesn't go down at all, it goes up by a few dollars a month.
    6. Rampant "surcharges" still exi

  • windows phone maybe (Score:3, Insightful)

    by roc97007 ( 608802 ) on Thursday February 18, 2016 @01:39PM (#51536105) Journal

    I could see people trading in Windows Phone for an iPhone. Not because the iPhone is more usable (many Windows Phone users would argue this isn't the case) but because of the iPhone's richer ecosystem and brighter future. But trade in an Android for an iPhone? Maybe carrying a high end Android phone colors my judgement, but I don't see why anyone would want to do that. Heck, just being able to open the phone's internal storage and SD card in a browser without having to funnel everything through iTunes is worth sticking with what I have. Not to mention, the fact that it takes an SD card, supports widgets, supports sideloading, has a user replaceable battery, and all the other usual stuff.

    I think a legitimate question would be, what happens with all those traded-in phones every time Apple comes out with some incremental improvement? I would hate to think it just ends up as electronic waste. (I'm not trying to make a point here; I'd really like to know.)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tnk1 ( 899206 )

      There is probably some resale and refurb for downstream markets, but honestly, it is mostly e-waste. Apple gains no advantage in causing the market to be filled with old versions of their hardware.

      • > [...] but honestly, it is mostly e-waste. Apple gains no advantage in causing the market to be filled with old versions of their hardware.

        Was my thought also. From an e-waste standpoint, it might even be better to sell your old iphone on ebay, or donate it to some charity, rather than trade it in. But the people who line up in the rain waiting for the store to open when a new iphone comes out are probably not thinking in those terms.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Nidi62 ( 1525137 )

        There is probably some resale and refurb for downstream markets, but honestly, it is mostly e-waste. Apple gains no advantage in causing the market to be filled with old versions of their hardware.

        Developing markets. Think SE Asia and Africa. People in these places might not be able to afford brand new electronic devices, but a lot of used devices get shipped over there for resale. Why sell it once and then destroy it when you can sell it (at a huge profit), "buy" it back (maybe $200 credit towards a new device), then sell it again for a fraction of the original price but which is virtually all additional profit?

      • Right. Apple isn't buying back these products because they have some use for them. They are buying them back to take them out of the market and to reel in a new customer.

    • I think it's definitely a case that your judgement is clouded by the phone you use (or indeed vice versa!) I am an iPhone user and feel negatively towards Android and neutral towards Windows Phone. We each have our opinions on this and the world would be a boring place without diversity. :-)

      But I think this programme will attract the users who don't care about the platform they use. For a lot of people, all they know is that their new phone menu is a bit different or the SMS icon is a different colour. Appl

      • The question becomes, if the differences aren't important, are the boutique prices justified?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by DogDude ( 805747 )
      FWIW, I use a Windows Phone now, and they couldn't pay me to use an iPhone. Those things are horrid.

      • FWIW, I use a Windows Phone now, and they couldn't pay me to use an iPhone. Those things are horrid.

        It does seem like the iPhone UI has fallen behind the times. Maybe the company misses Jobs more than even they realize.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by vux984 ( 928602 )

      I could see people trading in Windows Phone for an iPhone

      Carriers have run these plans themselves for years already. The trade in credit for your existing phone is universally laughably bad, and its always better to just keep your old phone in case you lose or break your new one -- so you have a working device you can fall back to.

      Or you can flip your old phone on craigslist for double to quintuple what its trade in value is.

      I think a legitimate question would be, what happens with all those traded-in phones every time Apple comes out with some incremental improvement?

      trade in iphones 5s and newer will be refurbished if in good condition, and used as warranty replacements etc.

      Androids and windows phones an

      • The trade in credit for your existing phone is universally laughably bad

        Unless you subscribe to T-Mobile's JUMP! plan, wherein they pay the remainder of what you owe on the device as a trade-in. The only downside I've seen is that it basically punishes you for not upgrading as soon as you're eligible, but even at that the trade-in value is more than other programs are offering. By the time the phone is paid in full, its trade-in value would be near zero anyway, but then you own it and can sell it if you so choose.

        In fact, Apple's new program is almost identical to JUMP! excep

    • I think that Apple is just doing all they can to make buying a $700 phone enticing. In a world where a $100 phone is easily obtained, a $200 phone will fulfill most people's needs, and a $300 phone will get you something that would be good enough for 99.9% of people's needs, asking people to pay $700 for a phone either up front or with installments isn't going to last much longer.

      I paid $200 for my current phone, and I have zero problems with the performance or quality of this phone. It's a Windows Phone,

      • I think that Apple is just doing all they can to make buying a $700 phone enticing. In a world where a $100 phone is easily obtained, a $200 phone will fulfill most people's needs, and a $300 phone will get you something that would be good enough for 99.9% of people's needs, asking people to pay $700 for a phone either up front or with installments isn't going to last much longer.

        I paid $200 for my current phone, and I have zero problems with the performance or quality of this phone. It's a Windows Phone, so there's the lack of apps, but there's no way I'm going to ever spend $700 on a phone. In 2-3 years I'm sure the $100 phones will be all I need. Eventually a $200 phone will fulfill 99.9% of people's requirements. At that point Apple has to come up with a really compelling story about why people should still be paying $700 for a phone.

        That's a really good point. I happen to be carrying a "refurbished" (probably a trade-in) Samsung Note 3, which isn't by any means the latest but is almost embarrassingly more capable than I need. I got it because the price was decent ($250 cash, no monthly payments) despite the stylus which I have yet to use, past just testing whether it works.

        On lack of apps, the important thing is not how many thousands of apps are available, but that the apps you need are available. If that's the case, there's no rea

      • I tend to agree with you...

        I paid the premium for the iPhone 6 Plus, even getting 128GB versions of them (bought 2, one for me, one for my wife).

        But we plan to live with them for a long time, well beyond the normal two year upgrade. What happens when they no longer perform remains up for debate.

        But just like PCs that used to cost thousands and now cost hundreds, the idea of phones still costing $700+ in a few years is likely to be a problem for Apple.

        Mac are expensive, but they have their fans, but it is a

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dgatwood ( 11270 )

        I think that Apple is just doing all they can to make buying a $700 phone enticing.

        Except they aren't doing nearly all that they can. One big change they could make that would both improve sales and reduce prices is to add a micro-SD card slot to the iPhone, and then stop selling phones with larger capacity built-in.

        Apple tacks on an extra $100 to move from 16 GB to 64 GB, and another $100 to move to 128 GB. I can buy a 64 GB micro-SD card for $30 from Amazon, or a 128 GB card for $45. So Apple is chargi

    • This. Though I do have to say iOS seems to beat Android in the tablet realm; possibly just down to how I use a tablet vs how I use my phone. That said, I just got a Yoga Tablet 2 running Win 8.1 (immediately upgraded to Win 10) and the ability to switch between tablet mode and desktop mode while running full desktop applications is a godsend; the 15hr battery life ain't half bad either. Beats the pants off of anything I've seen from iOS or Android.

  • So instead of a $600 iPhone (that cost a fraction of that to make), I get to pay $1200 over the course of 2 years... what a deal.

    This is the kind of predatory crap I expect from a loan shark not from... oh wait, nm.

    • T-Mobile let's you pay off your iPhone - or Android phone, for that matter - over 24 months at 0% interest. I can't imagine Apple is going to match those terms (the article basically has no details other than the program exists).

      IF Apple did offer 0% financing, that'd be compelling simply because you'd get an unlocked phone.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      The deal is at cost, and includes a replacement warranty for 2 years. Back under the bridge troll!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by luiss ( 217284 )
      I don't know why the articles are making this out to be so complicated.
      1. Take the price of the phone you want. e.g. iPhone 6s 64GB: $749.00
      2. Subtract the value of your trade in to get the amount you are going to pay. e.g. iPhone 5c: $749.00 - $200.00 = 549.00
      3. Divide in 24 equal, interest free payments. e.g. $549.00 / 24 = $22.87 a month

      You might be forced to pay the entire sales tax upon purchase.

    • Apple is giving you 24 equal, INTEREST-free payments. They aren't charging you 100% interest as you claim, they are charging you 0% interest.

      That makes you 100% a liar.

    • Re:installment plan... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Kjella ( 173770 ) on Thursday February 18, 2016 @02:17PM (#51536397) Homepage

      So instead of a $600 iPhone (that cost a fraction of that to make), I get to pay $1200 over the course of 2 years... what a deal. This is the kind of predatory crap I expect from a loan shark not from... oh wait, nm.

      I'm not surprised that Apple is trying to get in on this action as "buy now, pay later" deals are a huge business just like credit cards and once you're hooked... I got a friend of mine who lacks impulse control, maxed loans and maxed credit card debt. But he's a "functional shopoholic" meaning he manages to pay interest every month. And of course complains that he's short on cash, well I'd be too if that much of my paycheck just disappeared on top of my fixed costs. And what it means is that every time he gets a little breathing room he feels he's been frugal for so long the temptation to splurge is so great he ends up right back where he started. It's a negative spiral.

      Personally I'm the other way around, if I have some leftover disposable cash I'll make a down payment on my mortgage - no credit card debt - so that next month, I'll have even more disposable cash. That's the positive spiral, once you have a growing surplus it becomes easier and easier not to spend all of it. I realize that most people can't make the huge investments like house and car without loans. But a phone? If I couldn't buy an iPhone outright, I'd just get some cheap-ass Android phone until I could. Because what happens when you bat outside your economic league is it catches up to you, my friend's economy is just getting worse and worse relative to mine. Which of course doesn't help...

  • If a 7" butt plug rattles around, trade it in for a 12.

  • I remember buying a Macintosh Plus in the 80's on some kind of Apple furnished credit. I forget the credit plan it was called though.

  • This comes two months after I just paid a small fortune for a iPhone 6s. It's a good enough phone, but man was it expensive!

  • What happened to the paid advertisement? (Score:5, Informative)

    by wjcofkc ( 964165 ) on Thursday February 18, 2016 @02:04PM (#51536293)
    A very short while ago this was not on the top spot as a new story and was in fact a paid advertisement. It even said "paid post" and was in that brownish orange color. Now it's this. WTF?

  • I wonder part of the motivation for this plan is to get all of the older "hackable" iPhone models off the market before Apple is asked to break into another one.

    • I wonder part of the motivation for this plan is to get all of the older "hackable" iPhone models off the market before Apple is asked to break into another one.

      That's an interesting thought. To be honest, while I prefer to hold onto hardware for as long as it does the job - I've been considering whether I should try getting my wife to upgrade her iPhone 5 for this very reason (since the 5 doesn't have the secure enclave and TouchID). Given the US government's demonstrated inability to keep important information secure [washingtonpost.com], I am assuming criminals will have the master iPhone unlock tool in short order - should Apple lose their court fight.

  • Ooooooh (Score:4, Interesting)

    by JustAnotherOldGuy ( 4145623 ) on Thursday February 18, 2016 @02:13PM (#51536349) Journal

    Must....have....new....shiny...

    Clearly I'm out of touch with reality or fashion or consumer desires.

    I'm fascinated by how deeply people covet a new gadget like a phone. Is it a status thing, or do they feel some sort of ego-deflation if they aren't carrying the latest phone/tablet/whatever? Is it a fashion thing, or do people feel like a lower caste when they aren't carrying the newest shiny rectangle?

    I mean, if you want to, that's great, more power to ya, but it seems a little neurotic to me. It always astounds me that people will wait in line to buy the newest phone.

    Couldn't they just wait a day or two? Do they have to buy one on the first day? Do they feel some kind of shame if the store sells out before they can buy one? I mean, yeah, the iPhone is a cool gadget and a great phone, but the attention paid to it (and other gadgets) seems to border on religious fervor.

    Okay, okay, I realize I'm an outlier when it comes to this stuff. For me, when I go to buy a gadget like a phone and I find that I really like it, I'm always tempted to go buy another identical one and put it away on a shelf somewhere because I know that when the current one breaks I'll be unable to buy another one just like it. I just want to find something that works and that I like, and use it for as long as possible.

    What's with the "upgradeitis" that so many people appear to be infected with?? Is the new phone or whatever really going to be that much better?

    • that you derive some holier than thou pleasure by pointing and laughing at other people's consumerism.

      Presumably you don't indulge in any non-essential spending in any phase of your life, right? You live in a grass hut, drink spring water and you're nourished only by your own sense of self-satisfaction.

      Different people choose to spend their money on different things. Just because someone gets a rush of anticipation at some new technical gadget doesn't mean it's ego-driven or caste-based. Just like when you

      • that you derive some holier than thou pleasure by pointing and laughing at other people's consumerism.

        Not at all, I merely said that I was kind of baffled by it. Perhaps you should try reading what I wrote without the bias.

        What does make you an elitist is looking down your nose at everyone else. It also makes you a dick.

        I wasn't looking down my nose at anyone, like I said, I was more baffled by the preoccupation of having the latest and greatest gadget than anything else.

        But it sure sounds like you're one of those guys who camps out at the Apple store day in advance in anticipation of the next iphone, so I'm not surprised you took offense. :)

    • Like what happened on PCs, it used to be that the next model was a significant upgrade over the last but that's getting less and less true. We're still at a point where the newer models usually bring something which is nice but it's usually not essential.
      What I mean to say is: Yes, for some people having the newest phone is a status thing. I've even seen people admit they have the iPhone because is what cool people have.
      Of course I'm not critisizing them, everyone spends their money on whatever they find

      • Like what happened on PCs, it used to be that the next model was a significant upgrade over the last but that's getting less and less true.

        Yep, we're hitting the long plateau in computing. There's little to be gained in upgrading every year like it has been for the past decade or so.

        If I upgraded my PC now I'd get a little more memory, a slightly bigger hard drive (mostly useless space) and a marginally faster processor. The difference would be minimal in terms of the actual perceived experience. Not like going from an XT to an AT to a Pentium.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by antdude ( 79039 )

      Ditto. Older stuff work better and is cheaper like analog hearing aids, Y2K KVMs, VGA, VCRs, etc.

      • Ditto. Older stuff work better and is cheaper like analog hearing aids, Y2K KVMs, VGA, VCRs, etc.

        I like the new stuff, and often it's better than something a few revs/generations back...it's just that when I find something I like I tend to stick with it for a long time.

        On the other hand, a lot of the newer stuff is often made so cheaply that it either barely works or it doesn't work for very long.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by antdude ( 79039 )

          Which newer stuff do you like? I agree on the cheap quality stuff. :( DVRs are awesome, but they're so buggy!

          • Which newer stuff do you like?

            Well, I like the advent of things like $50 dashcams, decent phones for $100 or less*, inexpensive GPS devices, stuff like that. I like the fact that capable laptops are available for $300 or so. LED bulbs are down to $4 ~ $6 or so, and good photo scanners are under $50. There's a lot of good, low-cost stuff available. Whether it lasts or not remains to be seen, but a lot of it seems to be of reasonable quality for the money.

            I'm not a Luddite, I just find something I like and use it until it breaks or until

    • Here, here!

      My wife and I have purchased no less than six Nexus 5 phones, mostly due to her dropping them (immediately after taking off her case twice).

      I have another one coming via Swappa right now as my camera and light have stopped working (due to dropping).

      We also keep two functional ones with cracked screens around in case our phones fail, we can just swap the SIM can keep going until the replacement phone is purchased.

      Not having a home phone makes having a replacement laying around a bit of a necessity

      • Oh, and iTunes is terrible.

        "Terrible" is really too kind.

        iTunes is probably the single worst software abortion I've personally ever dealt with. It's the mother lode of shitty, craptastic UI-design concepts, wrapped in a stinking shell of "how-the-fuck-do-I-do-this?" Doing the simplest goddamn things are an exercise in frustration.

        It's hard to believe that a company that makes such impressive hardware churns out such execrable software.

    • I buy a new phone every year but I don't wait in line or care if I have to wait a couple weeks to get mine.

      The reason I do it is because tech gadgets are my hobby and I enjoy using them a lot and like to use the new features. The cost is really not an issue for me at all. I'm not accumulating debt or denying myself something else I need just to get a new phone. Plenty of other people have much more expensive hobbies than mine.

      Do I really have a problem? Is it really hard to understand that I just like p

      • The reason I do it is because tech gadgets are my hobby and I enjoy using them a lot and like to use the new features.

        That sounds entirely reasonable to me. I think that's great and I'm glad you enjoy that as a hobby.

        -

        Do I really have a problem? Is it really hard to understand that I just like playing with and utilizing new toys?

        No, I don't think you have a problem, but you're also not the kind of person that I was speaking of in general. I was speaking more of the fashionistas who claim they need that new phone or car or shoe or whatever, but can't really explain why.

  • If you need installments to pay for your phone... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by kervin ( 64171 ) on Thursday February 18, 2016 @02:21PM (#51536425)

    ...then strongly consider purchasing a cheaper phone. Maybe go refurb or buy last years model for instance. But don't get sucked into the constant upgrade cycle that marketing leads us to believe is inevitable.

  • Never worth it (Score:2, Insightful)

    by kuzb ( 724081 )

    Trade-in programs are never worth it. They're always designed in favor of the house - you are much better off just selling your device on ebay, craigslist, or swappa.

    Frankly I don't understand why people keep buying iphones. They're not the best devices on the block anymore.

    • If you think about it, that might explain why everyone on Earth doesn't buy exactly the same things you buy and live exactly the same as how you live.

    • At the time, Verizon's trade-in program was pretty good. I got a new iPhone 6 trading-in a 4s and my new phone only cost me about $100. I think they gave me what I would have gotten for the 4s on eBay (at best) and without having to take the time to meet the prospective buyer, demo the phone (to prove that it works), etc. My time is also valuable.

  • Apple has some used phones to sell you (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Only been used in mass murder once, never unlocked.

  • now maybe if they could make a phone I could use with more than 2 of the 4 major carriers here in the US I'd be interested. If you're gonna gobble $700+ from me I at least want to be able to change carriers at the drop of a hat, but every time I tried with my kid's iPhone there was always some little feature of this or frequency of that that prevented me from doing so.
  • What an easy way for Apple to jack up device prices. Plus they can enter the "credit" market.
  • Someone realised that their product will not sell like hot pancakes any more and offers discounts in a way you can't really say it's a discount!

  • Subscriptions were a way for people to pay for phones monthly but such subscriptions are dead for most people (at least here in France where I pay 10 euros a month for 20G of 4G and unlimited calls/sms/mms) which means that Apple needs to find a new way to get people to be able to afford their phones.

    In this way apple can continue to charge ridiculous prices by allowing people who can't afford the phone outright (or who go into brain freeze when presented with the full price) to spend more than they should

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