An IPhone Trade-In Program Could Benefit People

I wanted to entitle this post “Don't Drop Your iPhone In The Toilet-Just In Case.” I think this actually could be a good idea. If Apple publicly announces this as an official plan, I'm on board. People could receive money for their working phones and still afford to upgrade.

Current Developments

AT&T already currently pays people up to $200 for any iPhone 4s they own. (The report also mentioned 4ss, which I searched for on the Apple site and found nothing.) According to Ganot, the smartphone purchase percentage could increase by 11 percent from 2011. It's all because of the ability to trade current phones to the store and buy then with no money down.

Apple has been paying more attention to the refurbished phone market, too. According to a current report, this is because the company's growth has slowed down in recent quarters. They only sold about 2.3 million more iPhones in the most current quarter than they did last year. Their shares are also down 38% from a year ago.

This well-known brand seems to fear that its rapid growth stage may be over. Could they come up with anything better than the iPhone? Does everyone who wants one have one yet?

It may be too early to tell the answers to those questions. However, it may change the way Apple does business forever.

The Used Phone Market

Trade-in phones help support the sales of new phones in more-developed places such as the U.S. or Japan. However, the used iPhones expect to sell better in places of the world where they would seek cheaper devices.

Pushing used iPhones in emerging markets (i.e. South Korea, India, or Brazil) could stop them from wanting to purchase Android devices. However, it seems as if Apple has to act fast if they want to take advantage of this market.

Concerning this, Gazelle chief executive officer Israel Ganot says, ““The overall size of this market is increasing rapidly.” Gazelle advocates trade-ins, because that's what they do.

Apple's Other Efforts

This company has its own recycling program. They not only will take your old iPhones, but also they offer gift certificates for your old Macs, iPads, monitors and PCs. They offer money for items they can refurbish, and if the find that it's beyond repair, they will recycle it.

Apple partnered up with PowerOn Services, Inc. in California to advance this effort. This new trade-in program will be offered at Apple retail stores. Customers can then expect instant payment rather than going through the hassle of shipping their used phones and waiting for the cash.

Over 80 percent of devices in the U.S. are collected already. They are resold and redistributed throughout 50 states in the world. The Brightstar trade-in division has helped execute this effort.

ERecycling Corp SEO David Edmonson says that the iPhone is an iconic device people around the world want to own. He also likens buying a used smartphone. “If they can't afford a new Mercedes, they'll get a used one,” says Edmonson.

By Erin Walsh

Erin Walsh is a technology junky and the Director of Public Relations of Boost Software. She enjoys blogging about topics in technology and occasionally guest posts on popular blogs about some of the most recent tech gadgets, windows installer errors, and other slow computer issues. Go to PC Health Boost, to read some of her own blogposts geared towards helping the everyday computer user troubleshoot some of their common issues.

Image: iPhone