14 DAY TRIAL // Bloomberg has learned from people close to Apple that the Cupertino giant is about to kick off a program with Brightstar Corp. to exchange your old iPhone for a newer one, slashing some dollars off the standard purchase price of the newer model.
According to the report, Apple has been keeping a close watch on the trade-in business run by companies like Brightstar. Seeing how the business has blossomed in recent years, Apple wanted in, sources say.
Notably, Brightstar also does business with AT&T and T-Mobile, as well as other carriers and device vendors. More recently, it has teamed up with Apple to take old iPhones and give people some money back which they can invest in a newer model.
Roger Entner, an analyst at Recon Analytics LLC in Dedham, Massachusetts, believes “This will help them sell more phones, because it will lower the consumer’s out-of-pocket expense.”
You don’t have to be an analyst to reach the same conclusion, but the fact that Apple will be handling the trade-ins personally throughout its retail outlets is really great news.
It also blends well with another recent initiative on behalf of the company to replace shattered screens (using some crazy machinery) right at the Genius bar.