Apple has introduced its popular "reuse and recycle" iPhone trade-in program in Italy and plans to expand further with an Australian debut sometime next week.
Apple is continuing its iPhone trade-in program in select countries around the world. The Cupertino-based company kicked off the program in Italy and offers as much as €220 (around $300) off on a new iPhone smartphone. The trade-in offer was first spotted by 9to5Mac, indicated by a new panel in the country's Apple Store listing in the official Apple Store app for iOS devices.
Apple's iPhone "reuse and recycle" program was first launched in the US in August last year, but slowly it expanded to other countries, such as UK in October. Earlier in March, Apple introduced the program in Canada followed by Germany in April, letting iPhone owners trade-in their old devices for new ones.
Apple is further planning to expand the program to Australia, a source confirmed to 9to5Mac. The company has been training employees in Australia on the trade-in program for the past several days with plans to initiate the trade-in process in the country as early as next week, the report adds.
With the iPhone trade-in program in Italy, customers can surrender older iPhone models including 3G, 4, 4S, 5, and even 5S or 5C. The customers will receive a gift card credit that can be applied toward a purchase of a new iPhone 4S, 5C or 5S. The handsets will be verified by Apple technicians and should be in a working condition. Gadgets in pristine condition with all accessories will receive the highest value. Customers can apply the credit of one iPhone for a new one.
Apple currently offers its recycling scheme for MacBooks, iMacs, iPhones, iPads and iPods, but doesn't really give much financial benefit. As App Advice notes in its iPhone Trade-In Guide from last year, third party companies such as Gazelle, Glyde and NextWorth offer better value for older iPhones.
With an expected release of the next iPhone in September, people are going to need the best offers for an upgrade.
