There's no conspiracy here, pal. Sorry to burst your paranoid bubble. A brief Google search told me (via Motley Fool), that iPhone customers have a 91% retention rate. So...... these users were already planning on buying a new iPhone, now it is just cheaper & simpler.. without having to mail a phone in to a random internet company or meet up with strangers via Craigslist to save a few bucks on their new iPhone. There is ZERO "coercion" going on. Take off the tinfoil cap & join reality.
But the issue I am actually seeing is that

is only giving you the option of buying there expensive "no-contract" devices.
Unless Im wrong, you cant actually go and get a contract? so think about this.
What is better, for you to trade it for $250 in-store credit for your iPhone 4S off contract and buy a 5 for $699, off contract (becuase thats the only way im aware that you can buy another iphone in-store) and that means you would be paying an OUTRIGHT $449 for the iPhone 5.
THen you take it down to your U.S. AT&T store and you actually HAVE to start a new contract most times (if your activating a new device or a new line) with these carriers.
So basically if you have to sign a 2yr contract, then might as well just sign it for $200 and its $250 cheaper.
hope im not confusing you but this makes sense to me. If you cant wait to upgrade and want to change your phone over to your other contract I guess that would work, but in some instances this really doesn't seem like the most "AWESOME" thing..
Maybe im wrong though... what ever...
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$296 for a T-Mobile 16 gig iPhone 5 that is 4 months old.
No thanks, Apple. eBay here I come.
no thats eBay... they are the worst in this world... big fat manopoly ant I can prove it here -
http://vaultfeed.com/the-ebay-monopoly-issue-the-small-fish-dies-and-the-big-one-lives/ eBay only cares about buyers.
BEWARE if you are a seller, I sold a iPhone a once and got completely SCAMMED because the guy was using someone else's credit card, and I sold something else and eBay said I was protected, and then when I asked for some help, THEY WOULDN'T HELP!!!
eBay can get your iPhone sold for WAYYYYYYYYY more but you will HATEEEE life at one point - GUARANTEED!
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I hope Apple is checking those serial numbers to determine whether or not the phone being traded in is stolen. My phone was grabbed right from me when I was in Memphis earlier this year. You can't take nice things to Memphis.
Yea I wonder how they will do that?
Sites like
http://DeviceFlip.com simply make you agree to a bunch of garbage fine print that says "you didn't steal the phone" which makes sense, however how can you prove that?
That new thing in malls called the "ECO-ATM" they take a picture of you and scan your drivers licensee. Maybe apple will do that?
does anyone know yet what they are doing? anyone done it yet?
Apple stores may become a pawn shop for their on in-store credit. haha.. great thought...