You’ll by no means imagine this, however TikTok has gotten ahold of an concept that’s not fairly proper and brought off working with it.
I do know. I used to be shocked too. However the TikTok algorithm giveth, and over the previous week it hath given us an entire bunch of movies selling the concept Apple is providing screaming trade-in provides for the iPhone 13 Professional Max — that mannequin particularly — main folks to imagine that it was the best iPhone of all time and Apple desperately desires all of them again. The video beneath has been considered virtually 7 million instances. And truthfully? The 13 Pro was a banger. However like so many breathless theories traded on TikTok, this one simply doesn’t maintain as much as scrutiny.
The inciting occasion appears to have come from the iPhone 17 launch as Apple advertising and marketing chief Greg “Joz” Joswiak lists pricing for the brand new fashions. “We even have superb provides from Apple and our companions,” he says. “You may rise up to $1,100 off once you commerce in an iPhone 13 Professional or newer.” A few of the videos I saw on TikTok clipped this very second from the keynote as proof. The factor is, Joz mentioned almost the exact same thing last year of the iPhone 12 Professional. And the year before that of the 11 Professional.
On high of that, Apple isn’t out right here handing out $1,100 reductions to anybody with the 13 Professional. For those who commerce in a 13 Professional Max and buy an iPhone 17 instantly from Apple, you’ll solely rise up to $320 again to your previous cellphone. Commerce in a 16 Professional Max and also you’ll get a $700 low cost. That huge $1,100 deal comes from the carriers, because it virtually all the time does. You will get $1,100 “off” the worth of a brand new iPhone by buying and selling in a 13 Professional or newer, supplied you’re on one in all that service’s latest, priciest plans. Buying and selling in a 12 Professional will nonetheless get you a reduction, however not the complete value of a brand new 17 Professional.
Realistically, 13 is the magic quantity this 12 months not as a result of it was an particularly good iPhone. Extra seemingly it’s the product of a bizarre equation that determines how a lot worth the carriers can extract from the previous cellphone. However TikTok loves a conspiracy concept, and all it takes is one particular person making a video about Apple providing bananas trade-in offers on the iPhone 13 Professional Max to kick off an entire viral cycle.
Weirdly, I type of agree with the TikTokers urging folks not to surrender their 13 Professional Maxes regardless of how good the trade-in provide is. For those who’re a 13 Professional Max proprietor who’s completely joyful together with your system, then that’s all the explanation you should maintain onto your cellphone one other 12 months. No conspiracy concept obligatory.