Apple
Apple Continues Prep for Huge iPhone 6 Release
Apple wants the iPhone 6 release date to be a major deal for Apple Stores, and a new report outlines one way Apple may convince you to go to an Apple Store on the iPhone 6 release date to buy your new iPhone for as little as $0 down.
Over the past year Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint rolled out new plans that lets consumers buy a new iPhone or Android device for $0 down. These plans charge customers the tax on the full retail price of the phone and then monthly payments of $25 to $32.50 depending on how long consumers want to pay for the phone.
Right now there is no way to buy a new iPhone at an Apple Store on one of these plans, which means Apple is losing out on sales to consumers that want to use one of these new plans.
There may be a new reason to buy an iPhone 6 at the Apple Store.
By the time the iPhone 6 release date arrives Apple may be ready to sell the new iPhone on Verizon Edge, AT&T Next, T-Mobile Jump or Sprint One Up plans.
This is the latest step in Tim Cook’s plan to bring more customers in to an Apple Store to buy their new iPhone. Cook’s hope is that an Apple Store offers the best buying experience and exposes customers to the other products Apple sells in a setting the user wants to return to.
In 2013 Apple kicked off an iPhone trade-in program that offers an Apple gift card for your old iPhone, that helps consumers simplify the upgrade process and drop the price they need to pay for a new iPhone.
Read: 10 Ways Apple Could Make the Perfect iPhone 6
9to5Mac reports that Apple is preparing to start selling new iPhones on these special plans in Apple Stores later this year. Mark Gurman explains that Apple will test this in select markets, and his source says it will roll out to all Apple Stores later in 2014.
Apple is taking steps to convince you to come to the Apple Store on the iPhone 6 release date.
The Apple Stores that are in the pilot program will train from August 10th through August 28th, ahead of the expected iPhone 6 release date in late September.
This schedule doesn’t guarantee access to this $0 down, early upgrade option at every Apple Store on the iPhone 6 release date, but it is possible. Given Tim Cook’s desire to sell more iPhones at Apple Stores. In July 2013 a report indicated Apple Stores only account for 20% of all iPhone sales, and moves like this could help boost that number more for the iPhone 6 release date.
Expect a larger iPhone 6 this fall.
With these plans a customer could walk into an Apple Store on the iPhone 6 release date and buy the new iPhone for the price of tax on the full iPhone 6 price, and then pay for the rest of the full price over the next 12 to 18 months. This type of plan also allows customers to upgrade faster, which could mean another trip back to an Apple Store for an iPhone 6s or whatever Apple names the new iPhone for 2015.
Apple still needs to compete with retailers like Walmart that cut the price of the iPhone 5s by $100 and carriers that are now selling the iPhone 5s at cheaper prices.
If a customer is on the Edge, Next, Jump or One Up they may also be eligible for a lower price on their monthly service plan. This can help offset the cost of the paying for the phone out-of-pocket. One analyst report from May outlined the possibility that more consumers will buy an iPhone 6 on this new type of plan and end up paying more for the device.
iPhone 6 release date rumors point to September 2014, with September 19th as the most likely date for a new iPhone to arrive in stores.
We expect to see a larger 4.7-inch display on this iPhone and we may also see a larger 5.5-inch display on a second iPhone 6 model later in the year (More on iPhone 6 screen sizes). Both of these iPhone 6 models will reportedly offer a new design with curved edges and an aluminum back that spans the entire device. The video above compares the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s.
Inside users can expect a faster processor, improved camera and possibly new features like NFC for mobile payments.
