Apple is no longer allowed to replace broken iPhones and iPads in the Netherlands with refurbished or remanufactured units, a judge in the Subdistrict Court of Amsterdam has ruled.
Samsung today confirmed plans to salvage components from its discontinued Galaxy Note 7 smartphone and reuse some of the parts in the refurbished Note 7 devices “where applicable.”
Prior reports claimed modified versions of the troublesome Galaxy Note 7 would be sold in emerging markets, including India and Vietnam.
Apple is planning to kick off local iPhone production in India by the summer. While a final decision has yet to be made regarding a number of concessions Apple is seeking from the government before setting up a production plant in the country, the company is now said to be reviving efforts to sell used iPhones in the massive 1.25 billion people country.
As per Bloomberg, Apple’s previous proposal regarding selling refurbished iPhones was met with heavy resistance so the firm’s put back its request on the table, ensuring government officials that used devices would be compliant with quality standards.
Apple on Tuesday updated its online store with the addition of refurbished Apple Watch models. This is the first time, at least that we can recall, that the company has offered remanufactured versions of its wearable at a discount.
At the time of writing, the new section included a mix of Series 1 and Series 2 Apple Watches in a variety of size and color combinations. The savings range from $40 off, for the cheaper models, to $80 for the higher-end models.
Following a five-year fight over marketing manager David Lysgaard’s faulty iPhone 4 he bought in 2011 from Apple.com, the Glostrup District Court has ruled that Apple did violate the Danish Sale of Goods Act by giving the man a “remanufactured” device instead of the brand new phone he was entitled to in accordance with local law, Domstol.dk reported Friday. Apple’s warranty terms state that refurbs use either brand new parts or those that are equivalent to new in performance and reliability.
Two days after it started selling refurbished iPhones through its online store, Apple has now added the 9.7-inch iPad Pro to the Special Deals section at Apple.com. Refurbished 12.9-inch iPad Pros are available as well. Prices of refurbished 9.7-inch iPad Pros range from $509 for a 32GB Wi-Fi model, a saving of $90, to $789 for a 256GB Wi-Fi + Cellular version, a $140 savings.
Apple on Tuesday updated its online store to include refurbished iPhones. It’s currently offering a handful of iPhone 6s and 6s Plus models in a variety of color and storage combinations for 15% off.
The company has long sold refurbished Mac hardware and other products online, but this is the first time in recent memory it has offered handsets. I believe it did this briefly in the early iPhone days.
In June quarter, Samsung had nearly ten percent more U.S. market share than Apple, as per Gartner. To keep the momentum going, Samsung could start selling used versions of its premium smartphones in U.S. as early as next year, “a person with direct knowledge of the matter” told Reuters.
Speaking of lawsuits, a Dutch court has reportedly ruled in favor of a woman who took it upon herself to drag Apple to court over offering to replace her damaged iPhone 6 Plus with a refurbished rather than a brand new handset. This is Apple’s standard policy in many markets, including where I live.
Recently, I took my iPhone 6s to a store over a faulty Home button and instead of servicing it they decided to give me a refurbished handset.
A judge in Amsterdam, however, was unimpressed and has ordered that Apple refund the plaintiff the full price she paid for her device.
The government of India has said ‘no’ to Apple’s request to import used iPhones into the country, LiveMint reported today. The move comes hot on the heels of the finance ministry’s decision to rejecte a recommendation from the commerce ministry to waive the 30 percent local sourcing norm for Apple to sell refurbished iPhones in its own branded stores in India.
“We are not in favour of any company selling used phones in the company, however certified they may be,” said commerce and industry minister, Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Indian government has turned down Apple’s request to sell refurbished iPhones in the country after Samsung and local phone vendors voiced their opposition to the move on environmental grounds, Bloomberg reported today.
This is a setback for the Cupertino firm: its iPhone has a minuscule two percent markets share in India, where half of the population is about 25 years old.
With this morning’s refresh of the twelve-inch MacBook lineup around Intel’s latest processors, Apple’s now discounted refurbished twelve-inch MacBooks, bringing their already reduced price down by up to an additional fifteen percent for most models.
If you’ve been eyeing Apple’s ultra-thin notebook but have refrained from taking the plunge due to their a bit steep price point—and you don’t mind buying a slightly used, good-as-new products—you can now get an entry-level model of the original twelve-inch MacBook for as low as $929, netting a savings of a cool $370 versus its standard $1,2999 asking price.
