Microsoft made waves when it started offering iPad users gift cards in exchange for their tablets. Now, it looks like Microsoft is looking to expand that program to include iPhones. That's right, just two weeks after Apple announced the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, Microsoft will apparently launch its own iPhone trade-in program.
Word comes via Forbes, which cites an inside source at Microsoft who says Microsoft will offer a minimum of $200 in-store credit in exchange for iPhone 4s and iPhone 5s. The offer is part of its #timetoswitch program, though customers are, of course, free to spend their gift card on anything at the Microsoft store, which means you could see people upgrade to the new iPhone and trade their old model in for a Microsoft gift card that they'll then spend on something else.
Microsoft hasn't yet confirmed plans for an iPhone trade-in program. If it does, it'll be going up against Apple itself, which launched an iPhone trade-in program in recent weeks, as well as the likes of Best Buy, Gazelle, GameStop, and Walmart, which also offer iPhone trade-in programs.
Apple on Monday announced that it had sold nine million iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C units over the first weekend of availability. Apple first announced the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C on September 10 and released the phones a week and a half later. The company also revealed that iOS 7 is now running on 200 million iOS devices.
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