Apple now accepts Mac trade-ins in its US stores

You can now trade-in your old Mac at Apple Stores in the US and Canada. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman notes that Apple’s site has been edited to remove a disclaimer that says Mac trade-ins are online-only, and a representative from the company confirmed the policy change to Gizmodo. The change means the computers are accepted in-store along with other Apple devices like iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches. This follows a Bloomberg report which said the new policy was coming this week.

The change theoretically makes it much easier to get money for your old computer towards a gift card or new device. Rather than having to mail in your old machine, if it’s eligible for a trade-in then you should now be able to take it directly to a store and get instant credit for it. In contrast, Apple’s site notes that the online trade-in process generally takes two to three weeks.

The new policy is complicated by the fact that many of Apple’s stores still aren’t open after having closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple re-opened around 100 of its stores last month, but a tracker produced by 9to5Mac says that many of its locations are still closed.