Today, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) launched its month-old Reuse & Recycle program for iPads in no less than four important European countries – Great Britain, France, Spain, and Germany. The iPad 2, 3, and 4, plus the Mini, are the tablets specifically included in this discount promotion. The program is part of the Cupertino firm’s commitment to reducing waste and working in an environmentally responsible manner – and, of course, luring additional paying customers into their stores.
On Earth Day 2014, Apple Inc. (AAPL) officially expanded the scope of its Reuse & Recycling program in the United States. Rather than just accepting older iPhones and applying a credit towards the purchase of a new smartphone, Apple locations in the U.S. started taking iPad trade-ins also. The credit provided is crossover, meaning that credit from a traded-in iPhone can be applied to either a new iPad or iPhone, while the discount from an iPad can similarly be deducted from the price of either kind of electronics.
There is, naturally, a gantlet of qualifications to be run, including the fact that credit can be applied only on a one-for-one basis. In other words, a customer cannot trade in both their old iPad and their old iPhone, and apply both credits to one new device purchase – they must apply only one or the other. iPads with cracked screens are typically rejected, and the tablets are evaluated even more meticulously than iPhone before they are accepted for Reuse & Recycle.
The French site which reported the new program’s rollout also noted that Apple (AAPL) does not provide French consumers with any information on the discount they can expect. This data is offered only once the device is brought into the Apple Store and actually inspected by the personnel there. The German article noted that high prices can be gotten at various online Apple retailers, and the main reason to go to the Apple Store is speed and convenience.
The Spanish description of the new program offers some practical insights and advice, pointing out how Reuse & Recycle benefits both the environment and Apple’s bottom line. Spanish Apple Stores also offer help in transferring SIM cards from old to new devices. It also cautions that making a full backup of information on the device is prudent, since the turn-ins are fully and permanently erased shortly after being handed over, thus protecting valuable user data yet also meaning that inattentive customers cannot return to the store later and expect to retrieve information that they forgot to back up earlier.
