The Apple Store Reuse and Recycle iPhone trade-in program currently allows a customer to bring in an older iPhone model and trade it in for credit toward the purchase of a new iPhone model. The main exception since the launch of the program is that this does not apply toward older iPhones with cracked displays, or broken cameras and buttons. That’s about to change …
Starting this week, the updated program will allow Apple Stores to give credit for iPhone 5s and iPhone 6/6 Plus units with damaged displays, cameras, and buttons within reason. Apple believes that this new program will encourage new iPhone upgrades versus a standard iPhone screen repair.
We’ve all seen people out in the world, using phones smashed to smithereens. Maybe there’s some clear tape involved to hold the glass together.
In fact, here’s an iPhone 6 I broke about a year ago:
(It fell down a flight of stairs in a parking garage. Whoops!)
I’m sure money is the main reason people will live with a shattered phone. Repairing a broken iPhone can be expensive, and I think people with broken older phones will just live with until they can upgrade again.
This new program from Apple takes aim at that with the goal for people to upgrade to a newer phone. Before this, a broken iPhone was basically worthless in terms of trade-in, and this will change that. More people may be able to upgrade via this system than before, which will those sales numbers from sliding. Seems like a win-win at this point.