Apple launches Mac trade-in program in the US and Canada

Technically speaking, Apple has an in-store trade-in program, but it only covers a select number of the company’s devices. And right now, the Mac is not one of them. But that is reportedly changing soon.

Update (18/6/2020): The new Mac trade-in program is now available across Apple retail stores in the United States and Canada.

Update (06/17/2020): Apple has changed the language of its official in-store trade-in program, removing the limitation of “online-only” for Mac trade-ins. That appears to confirm that Apple is now allowing for in-store trade-ins of Macs. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg was first to make a note of the change today. You can see that tweet below.

The original article continues below.

According to a report from Bloomberg on Tuesday, Apple is gearing up to broaden the scope of its trade-in program at its physical retail stores in the United States and Canada. The company will welcome Mac to the offered lineup, which means customers will be able to head into a retail store, trade in their older Mac computer, and get in-store credit they can use for another product.

The new offering will start soon, according to the report:

The Cupertino, California—based technology giant informed retail employees that the new program will begin on June 15 in the U.S. and June 18 in Canada, according to people familiar with the matter. Customers can exchange a Mac for credit toward a new computer or apply the trade-in value to an Apple gift card.

The timing is a little rough, unfortunately, because many of Apple’s physical retail stores in the region are still closed. That is changing over time, but it’s safe to assume that many potential customers for this program won’t be able to take advantage of it right away. Still, we’ve waited this long, what’s a little longer, right?

Up until this new in-store trade-in program starts, Mac owners will still need to trade in their older devices online. As far as the in-store program is concerned, customers can trade in an Apple Watch, an iPhone, or an iPad to get instant in-store credit towards a new product.

This feels like a longtime coming, and it will probably be a welcomed addition for the company moving forward.

In related news, it was reported earlier today that Apple is looking to broadening the installment plan offerings for the Apple Card in the near future. While the option includes the iPhone right now, Apple is looking to let Apple Card customers take advantage of 12-month financing with 0% interest on purchasing other products like AirPods, Macs, iPads, and other products in the near future.

What do you think of these changes? Let us know in the comments below.