For the early adopters, the debut of the iPhone 4 next week will instantly render all other handsets obsolete, particularly earlier iterations of Apple’s iconic device. So what happens to all of those 3G and 3GS iPhones?
As Enterprise Mobile Today reports, the annual iPhone release cycle has given rise to a crop of used phone outlets offering to buy consumers’ old devices and resell them on a secondary market. But can they be trusted?
The iPhone 4 certainly drew its share of oohs and ahhs when Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled it last week, all but guaranteeing a sellout when it hits the stores on June 24. With millions of 3G customers about to finish up their two-year contract, they are ready to upgrade, as are 3GS users, whose phone pales in a feature comparison to the new iPhone 4.
In the past, such phones would wind up as hand-me-downs to a family member or colleague, be recycled, or tossed in a closet. But there has been an explosion in buybacks through sites like Gazelle, FlipSwap, Cell for Cash, NextWorth and YouRenew, which are paying some very good prices for a phone that’s a few years old.