Best Buy kicks off tablet trade-in program toward Surface Pro 3

Though Microsoft rolled out the Surface 3 recently, the consensus is that the company isn't through with its tablet updates, as rumors of a Surface Pro 4 continue to course through the Internet. One sign of an impending update people point to has been Microsoft's aggressive price cuts on the current Pro 3, which started as very temporary reductions in February and only recently were halted.

Gone, too, is the trade-in program that the company started a couple of months ago, which promised up to $650 toward a Surface Pro 3. This week Best Buy rushed in to fill that trade-in void with a program of its own. Now through Saturday, April 18, the retailer will offer credit toward the purchase of a Surface Pro 3 from its stores if you exchange any working tablet. (It did a similar program a couple of years back before the launch of the Surface 2.)

Whereas you could earn as little as $84 from Microsoft by trading in an original 32GB Surface RT, Best Buy guarantees a minimum of $200 in credit for your tablet exchange. That amount is broken down into a $50 Best Buy gift card and a $150 coupon off a Surface Pro 3. That means you can purchase the base Surface Pro 3 for as little as $599.99, or $100 cheaper than Microsoft's previous price cut.

Fine print to be aware of includes e-readers not counting for the program and tablets with cracked screens or water damage not being eligible. You'll need to power your tablet on during the trade-in process in order to prove it's in working condition. Best Buy limits individuals to trading in a maximum of two tablets at a time, though you'll only receive a single coupon in exchange along with presumably two gift cards.

Is this a deal you will take advantage of to grab a Surface Pro 3? Or are you waiting for the Surface Pro 4 to be announced? Please let us know your thoughts in the discussion section below.

Bloomberg: Apple will let Foxconn buy and resell used iPhones in China

Thanks to the consistently high local demand, the iPhone resell business is rather lucrative in China, to the point where even the company who actually manufactures the devices wants in as well. According to Bloomberg, Apple is about to launch an iPhone trade-in program in China (we're surprised that it's taken this long, to be honest), but it'll be Foxconn on the receiving end. Basically, the OEM giant will buy the used iPhones directly, before refurbishing and then reselling them on its own online stores plus Taobao, China's popular eBay-like platform. Bloomberg's source added that the chain may extend to physical stores as well.

While this is potentially good money for Foxconn, the program's popularity will largely depend on how much store credit Apple can offer per used iPhone;Bloomberg says it's up to $300 in the US, which is a little less than what the Hong Kong second-hand market offers for, say, a 16GB iPhone 5s when we checked recently. But if this program works, it'll be interesting to see how it'll impact the entire trade-in ecosystem.

APPLE TO IMPLEMENT TRADE-IN OFFER FOR ANDROID DEVICES

Apple will be launching a new program which allows users to trade-in their non-Apple devices to receive discounts when purchasing a new Apple device. The company will be using a similar program it has for its iPhone Reuse and Recycle trade-in program, but this time to cater to non-Apple devices.

In the company’s latest effort to tempt potential Android switchers, the Cupertino giant is starting a trade-in program for users to obtain discounts by trading in their devices – mostly Android and Blackberry smartphones. The discount will come in the form of gift cards and it can be used to receive a price reduction when purchasing a new iDevice.

To prepare for the new program which will purportedly begin in the coming weeks, extensive training programs for retail store employees will soon commence. Apple employees will be trained to evaluate the trade-in value based on the devices’ aesthetics and functionality. Besides that, they will be able to migrate some of the user’s data like contacts from their devices to iPhones, whereas other data will have to be moved by customers themselves.

The iPhone Reuse and Recycle trade-in program was launched back in 2013 and it was originally exclusively for the iPhone. The company later added the iPad to the program on Earth Day, 22nd April 2014. The program was to encourage users of older iPhone models to upgrade to the iPhone 5 series – iPhone 5, iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. It now covers countries like the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia.

[Sources: 9to5mac via GSMarena]

Surrender your old iphone and get a new Xiaomi Note

With the goal of selling 100 millions phone in 2015, Xiaomi has become more aggressive and hostile especially to Apple.

It is rumours that Xiaomi is going to launch a trade in program soon where you will be able to trade in you Iphone 5s or older Iphone for a free Xiaomi Mi Note, whether it is in good or bad condition!

If you have Iphone 6 or 6 plus, they are willing to trade you for a Xiaomi Mi Note Pro!!

This trade in program would start on several countries which definitely include China which is their main market.

Here is the comparison of flagship phone from several big players.

What do you think of Xiaomi’s trade in program? Would you switch your old iphone for a Xiaomi Note or even Xiaomi Note Pro?