iPhone Upgrade Program Resumes in England

[MacRumors]

As England's second national lockdown comes to an end today, after four weeks of waiting, many customers enrolled in Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program are finally able to go in-store to complete their upgrade.

England entered a second national lockdown on Thursday, November 5, meaning that Apple stores in England were forced to close, with some converting to a click-and-collect service only.

Unlike the United States, iPhone Upgrade Program customers in the United Kingdom have to attend an in-store appointment to complete their upgrade.

Apple staggered the launch of the iPhone 12 lineup, with the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini launching three weeks later than the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini became available for pre-order on November 6, one day into England's lockdown. This meant that iPhone Upgrade Program customers in England were able to upgrade to the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro if they did so before the second lockdown began, but not the iPhone 12 mini or iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Customers in the UK's other three constituent countries, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, were still able to upgrade as Apple Stores in these territories remained open due to different regional restrictions, albeit belatedly due to the way Apple's retail system operates.

Today, all Apple stores in England are re-opening, so the iPhone Upgrade Program is able to continue. However, as noted by iMore, not all retail stores are resuming normal opening hours.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: iPhone Upgrade Program Resumes in England

 

[Drogba11]

Sucks for people from England if the iPhone reverts to it’s regular September release schedule for the iPhone 13

 

[Sammio2]

Sucks for people from England if the iPhone reverts to it’s regular September release schedule for the iPhone 13

Don’t worry, this is one of the least sucky things for people from England right now...

 

[Kylo83]

No point I sold it for more and got it on ee much better deal

 

[one more]

With the rolling lock-downs and Apple Stire closures, Apple could do much better in Europe if they extended their iPhone upgrade program to more countries and/or offered interest-free payments stretched over several months. Instead, they opted for their good old iTunes gift cards for 50-100€. ??‍♂️

 

[crawfish963]

With the rolling lock-downs and Apple Stire closures, Apple could do much better in Europe if they extended their iPhone upgrade program to more countries and/or offered interest-free payments stretched over several months. Instead, they opted for their good old iTunes gift cards for 50-100€. ??‍♂️

This has a lot to do with European taxation and domestic commerce laws. The juice isn't worth the squeeze for Apple in a lot of countries.

 

[one more]

This has a lot to do with European taxation and domestic commerce laws. The juice isn't worth the squeeze for Apple in a lot of countries.

Apple did an interest-free credit that could stretch over up to 24 months in France from March through May, supported by a third party. So if Apple gets the whole amount upfront from this credit company anyway, why not use it again? Then in the US they allow folks to use their Apple Cards to effectively pay by instalments. There are also lots of other retailers allowing people to pay interest-free in 3 or 4 times using their regular card. I do not see why they cannot make it a regular thing, as it seems to be a win-win situation for all.

 

[crawfish963]

Apple did an interest-free credit that could stretch over up to 24 months in France from March through May, supported by a third party. So if Apple gets the whole amount upfront from this credit company anyway, why not use it again? Then in the US they allow folks to use their Apple Cards to effectively pay by instalments. There are also lots of other retailers allowing people to pay interest-free in 3 or 4 times using their regular card. I do not see why they cannot make it a regular thing, as it seems to be a win-win situation for all.

Again, it's dependent on the specific regulations and laws in each country. There may be over-restrictive credit card laws in a country that Apple doesn't feel is worth messing with, as an example.

 

[california_kid]

Well, guess Her Majesty needs to upgrade her iPhone.....

 

[dwright1974]

Did mine yesterday. Was actually easier because the Apple Store was so quiet.

Seriously, I have never seen an Apple Store so quiet!