Apple offers gift cards for old hardware, even PCs

[Shawn Knight]

Apple has updated their Reuse and Recycling Program to accept old iPhones, iPads, Macs and even PCs in exchange for a gift card. Consumers can also discard their old displays or computers for recycling free of charge, even if you don’t plan to replace them with an Apple product.

Under the new program, users can send their unused systems to Apple’s environmental partner PowerOn, who determines if they qualify for reuse. If so, Apple will stamp a market value on the item and issue you a gift card that's redeemable at any Apple retail or online store.

If your device doesn’t qualify, Cupertino will recycle it for you at no charge. Only the items listed above fall under consideration for a gift card.

If you just want to get rid of any unwanted computer or monitor, regardless of brand, Apple can help with this as well. Working with WeRecycle, users can call and get a free shipping label to dispose of qualifying items. Finally, you can bring old Mac batteries to any Apple store for free disposal.

Apple has offered a recycling program since 2003, including an iPod recycling program that launched in 2005 and provides a 10 percent discount toward the purchase of a new iPod.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/45023-apple-offers-gift-cards-for-old-hardware-even-pcs.html

 

[Guest]

Forget about getting cash for old Pentium 1's to Pentium 4's. AMD isn't even listed.

"This product has a zero-dollar value.
PowerON has determined that your product has a zero-dollar fair
market value.

Recycle it for free.
You can still recycle it by calling WeRecycle! at 877-715-2405
for a free shipping label and packaging instructions."

 

[dexterkarthik]

is this service available even in India??
We have HELL Lot of goods!

 

[SNGX1275]

Fair market value according to them is horrible. So you have to approach this as a free recycling program rather than a way to make some money (gift cards). If you want money put your Mac on ebay.

 

[Cota]

Calling captain obvious, this seems like a fake screen to look like a green company despite of the fast outdated hardware and the way users horde "old" devices.

 

[Guest]

They probably get to shipped to India

 

[captaincranky]

I don't know why anybody is surprised at the trade in values. In all camera and electronics, normally fair priced business turn cutthroat in a big hurry. But low, sell high. If anything has a low resale, it should be older Apple products themselves, as they tend to be under specced in relation to PCs of the same vintage, and with many proprietary parts, no less.

With Apple's business model being an exorbitant markup on new products, I don't see then getting all warm and fuzzy with trade in values.

I have a city recycling facility within a half mile of my house. They take electronics. As a result, I don't see myself going through any rigamarole whatsoever with Apple, to get pandered to with a green little pat on the head.

Everybody ravaged Best Buy when they put forward a trade in policy, I suspect that Apple's may even be less advantageous to the consumer.

@SNGX1275... I eagerly anticipate being told I am wrong about this, do your worst.

 

[mailpup]

They probably get to shipped to India

and/or China which is only fair.

 

[captaincranky]

and/or China which is only fair.

China has plenty of land fill space, and I'm not sure whether or not they've signed on to the Kyoto Accords.

I suppose little Chinese children picking through lead laden used electronics, is probably less harmful than Vietnamese children trying to collect landmines for the scrap metal. Although, I'm not sure by how much....

 

[mailpup]

At least the negative effects would be less immediate in the former case.

 

[captaincranky]

At least the negative effects would be less immediate in the former case.

Yeah, but consider this; the whole lead poisoning thing could lead to an entire generation of China men only suitable for work in politics....

 

[gwailo247]

captaincranky said:

At least the negative effects would be less immediate in the former case.

Yeah, but consider this; the whole lead poisoning thing could lead to an entire generation of China men only suitable for work in politics....

Statistics say that there are going to be a few hundred million Chinese men too many in a decade or two, so maybe this would be a good move.

 

[captaincranky]

Statistics say that there are going to be a few hundred million Chinese men too many in a decade or two, so maybe this would be a good move.

For some silly reason, I thought there were already a few hundred million China men(*) too many already. Shouldn't that move the time frame to something more along the lines of next month?

(*) "China men" is sort of a mild pejorative term, so it seems to me that it would be inclusive of "China women" also. This would further reduce the time to that event.

I think "Chinamen" is one word, I let Firefox win on that.

 

[gwailo247]

For some silly reason, I thought there were already a few hundred million China men(*) too many already. Shouldn't that move the time frame to something more along the lines of next month?

(*) "China men" is sort of a mild pejorative term, so it seems to me that it would be inclusive of "China women" also. This would further reduce the time to that event.

I think "Chinamen" is one word, I let Firefox win on that.

I believe there was a discussion about the proper nomenclature in the Big Lebowski.=)

I was referring to the slowly increasing gender gap owing to the preference for the one allocated child to be male. So soon enough there is going to be a competition among Chinese men for any woman, let alone the woman of their dreams.

What is kinda disturbing is a lot of sociologists point to times in the past when you had such a disparity, coupled with lack of job prospects, that leads to violence and revolutions. That would probably not be a good thing in China.

 

[mailpup]

@captaincranky. The "C" word is indeed an offensive term. Let's not use it again.

 

[SNGX1275]

@SNGX1275... I eagerly anticipate being told I am wrong about this, do your worst.

Not sure what I'm supposed to be outraged at.. Apple products have an unusually high resale value, maybe this is a result of fewer people being able to afford their 'high end' products? In any case, I don't think that has much to do with this news story.

The way I see it is:
1. You aren't going to get anything near a 'fair market value' from this program.
2. If for whatever reason you do choose this way on something that would fetch 2x as much on ebay, you get a gift card.
3. Its free recycling of electronics.

Thats nice that you have something nearby that accepts "e-waste". My town has 1 day a year where you can go drop off certain items for free, other than that you are SOL. So, whether or not this makes one feel 'green' or not, it is a free service to areas of the country that don't have free ways to dispose of electronics.

 

[Guest]

So their "fair" (and I emphasize 'fair' since it's a fracking JOKE) market value for an upgraded 1.8GHz G4 Digital Audio with 1.5GB ram, two Sata 1.5TB Seagate Barracuda hard drives (and PCI SATA card), an ATI 9800 Pro, USB 2.0 card and 16x/40x DVD-RW drive is *ZERO* (as in not even $1) dollars according to Apple. What a FRACKING JOKE. The fracking hard drives alone are worth at least $30 each and they won't even offer a "joke" of a $10 gift card for the thing after buying a brand new computer from them (I.e. they asked me to trade it in an e-mail that only came from buying a new machine). They don't even ask for details. They're 100% WORTHLESS, yet on e-Bay it'd go for at least $200 with those upgrades. It comes with OS9, Tiger and Leopard for goodness sake. It can run everything made in the past decade (no new Apple product can say that). FRAK APPLE. May they burn in HELL for all eternity for being CHEAP *** GREEDMONGERS, all $100 BILLION in petty cash of them that can't afford a lousy worthless $10 gift certificate. FRACK'EM. As Douglas Adams would have said, they'll be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes.

 

[captaincranky]

So their "fair" (and I emphasize 'fair' since it's a fracking JOKE) market value for an upgraded 1.8GHz G4 Digital Audio with 1.5GB ram, two Sata 1.5TB Seagate Barracuda hard drives (and PCI SATA card), an ATI 9800 Pro, USB 2.0 card and 16x/40x DVD-RW drive is *ZERO* (as in not even $1) dollars according to Apple. What a FRACKING JOKE. The fracking hard drives alone are worth at least $30 each and they won't even offer a "joke" of a $10 gift card for the thing after buying a brand new computer from them (I.e. they asked me to trade it in an e-mail that only came from buying a new machine). They don't even ask for details. They're 100% WORTHLESS, yet on e-Bay it'd go for at least $200 with those upgrades. It comes with OS9, Tiger and Leopard for goodness sake. It can run everything made in the past decade (no new Apple product can say that). FRAK APPLE. May they burn in HELL for all eternity for being CHEAP *** GREEDMONGERS, all $100 BILLION in petty cash of them that can't afford a lousy worthless $10 gift certificate. FRACK'EM. As Douglas Adams would have said, they'll be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes.

As the last post on this thread, (before yours), was in August of 2011, I take it that's been building up for a while. Feel better now?