iPhone X finally hits Apple's refurbished section. Photo: Apple
T-Mobile customers can now sign up to the iPhone Upgrade Program online — just in time for Apple’s big 2018 upgrades.
Online enrollment was previously available to those on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon, while T-Mobile subscribers were forced to visit their local Apple Store. The process will be a little easier for those looking to buy a new iPhone this fall.
Don't lock yourself to a carrier -- buy your iPhone X from Apple instead. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
It might not seem like it at the time, but buying an iPhone for full price upfront is probably the cheapest option. Swallowing the $1,000 purchase price of an unlocked iPhone X isn’t easy. However, you won’t wind up tied to carrier contracts that trap you for a year or two. Plus, you can pick a cheap, $10-per-month prepaid data plan instead.
In the European Union, Apple sells unlocked phones from the get-go. If you buy a new iPhone from Apple on launch day, it will not come tied to a carrier. In the United States, SIM-free iPhones usually go on sale a few weeks after launch.
Today we’ll look at how and where you can buy a SIM-free, unlocked iPhone.
iPhone X finally hits Apple's refurbished section. Photo: Apple
Apple is giving iPhone Upgrade Program subscribers a “head start” on their iPhone X pre-order. Starting today, eligible customers can begin the upgrade process so that there is no delay in placing their order come Friday morning.
iPhone X finally hits Apple's refurbished section. Photo: Apple
iPhone X is Apple’s most expensive smartphone to date, with the cheapest 64GB model priced at $999, and the 256GB model priced at $1,149.
That’s $50 more than a 21-inch iMac. However, you don’t have to go hungry for the next few months to afford one. Here’s how to save money and get your hands on iPhone X without breaking the bank.
Would an Amazon Prime-style service work for Apple? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple should take a note out of Jeff Bezos’ playbook and launch an Amazon Prime-style subscription service, claims an analyst for Goldman Sachs.
“We think Apple should launch a subscription bundle as a way to reinforce iPhone loyalty and leverage it into content,” Simona Jankowski writes in a new note to clients. In the brief, Jankowski and colleagues ponder the potential of a $50 monthly subscription that would get customers the latest iPhone plus other services like Apple TV, Apple Music and freemium access to the iTunes library.
Apple doesn’t charge you interest, but Samsung does. Photo: SamsungApple doesn’t charge you interest, but Samsung does. Photo: Samsung
Samsung has launched its own Upgrade Program alongside the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge to make it easier for fans to get their hands on its latest devices.
Apple's new trade-in program won't discriminate against cracked iPhones. Photo: Faris Algosaibi/Flickr CC
Apple is rolling out several new programs in its retail store locations that will give credit for iPhones with pretty severe damage, according to a report. The program will allow customers with a cracked screen, damaged buttons or damaged cameras to trade in their faulty device without issue. Apple previously wouldn’t accept this kind of damage in its Reuse and Recycle trade-in program.
Samsung doesn’t want you to commit to Apple. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Samsung is reportedly planning to launch its own upgrade program to give Galaxy smartphone fans an easy and more affordable route to its latest devices.
The move would be a direct response to Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, and could prevent long-time users from making the switch to iOS.
The iPhone Upgrade Program could be a monster hit for Apple. Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac
Hit-and-miss Apple analyst Gene Munster has admitted he couldn’t have been more wrong about the likely customer uptake of Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, the $32+ per month scheme designed to get new iPhones into the hands of people happy to pay a monthly fee to Apple.
Haters gonna hate, but we’re giving Apple’s latest product revelations a big thumbs up. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Wow. That was a big deal. For a mere “s” upgrade, Apple went way above and beyond with today’s big product showcase. Three major product lines have been not just upgraded, but reinvented, and finally there’s a reason to buy the one that has been languishing — the Apple TV, which is now a gaming console as well as an entertainment center.
Maybe I’ve drunk too much Kool-Aid, but I thought this morning’s presentation was one for the history books.