Trade in iphone at Apple stores?

Analysts expect 1- stop shop for upgrading

Buyback option set to launch, analysts say.

It appears Apple is taking extra steps to entice more consumers to buy its next iPhone.

Analysts and websites that track its every move say Apple is preparing to launch a buyback option at its 250 retail stores next month to coincide with the release of the newest iPhone models.

Consumers dump old cars for new ones by trading them in at the dealer — so why shouldn’t you be able to do the same thing for a new iPhone at the Apple Store?

“It’s silly from Apple’s perspective to let those customers come in and sell their old phones elsewhere,” says Charles Wolf, an analyst with Needham & Co. “This is a big opportunity for Apple to sell more phones.” Apple declined to comment. Best Buy, Target and RadioShack currently offer buyback programs, and some wireless carriers do as well. Online sites Gazelle and NextWorth pay cash for phones, and even Apple has quietly joined in with its little- advertised Recycle program on Apple. com.

Old iPhones, depending upon the model, can garner from $ 150 to $ 350. You can get even more for them if you sell on Ebay or Craigslist.

Apple’s reported move is “a validation of our business model,” says Jeff Trachsel, chief marketing officer at NextWorth, which buys used phones on its website and serves as the backend for Target’s trade- in program.

“Owners of iPhones don’t put the old ones in drawers anymore,” says Wolf. “They’re selling them.”

The buyback websites sell the used phones in Asia and Latin America, where iPhones aren’t subsidized by the phone carriers as they are here.

However, the terms have changed this year from the major U. S. wireless carriers. AT& T, T- Mobile and Verizon Wireless all offer new limited contract programs that let consumers switch phones more often — within six months for T- Mobile and Verizon, or 12 months for AT& T.

Apple is expected to host an event on Sept. 10 to unveil its next iPhone. Along with an operating system upgrade, rumors suggest the phone will feature a fingerprint sensor and boosts in camera quality and processor speed.