Apple to allow old iPhone trade-in upgrades to iPhone 5S?
Apple look as though they’ll be taking a leaf out of Noel Edmonds’ Swap Shop book by offering a trade-in upgrade option for the iPhone 5S.
So say “sources with knowledge of the initiative” speaking to 9to5Mac. The program will see retail Apple stores accepting older iPhone models, including the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, in exchange for a new, significantly discounted iPhone 5S.
What’s in it for Apple? If priced aggressively, it’ll help hold onto iPhone owners whose loyalty may be wavering in the face of increasingly impressive Android competition, and in lieu (according to the rumoured specs at least) of any must-have iPhone 5S features.
It’d also give customers a reason to come into an Apple store and buy a handset direct from the Cupertino firm, rather than through a profit-pinching third-party network or high street retailer. Many networks and exchange stores already offer similar schemes, and Apple are missing a trick by not offering one of their own.
The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C are tipped to launch on September 10. If the trade in program is in the works, expect the full details to be revealed around that time too.
