Tech – Metro | Apple just slashed the value of millions of people’s expensive gadgets

Apple has dramatically reduced the value of some of its most popular gadgets.

Last week, the tech giant quietly slashed the 'trade-in' price of iPhones, iPads and Macs.

This means that millions of people's devices are suddenly worth less than they were last week.

Apple offers customers a recycling option when they buy new devices.

Instead of throwing an old iPhone or Macbook away, it encourages people to trade in their gadget and then offers them a reduction on the cost of a new device.

But the price has suddenly been reduced, meaning your iDevice may just have had a huge chunk sliced from its value.

The Macbook Air Pro suffered the biggest reduction. Previously, you could exchange it for £900 in Apple credit, but that has been reduced to £610. The Macbook Air is down from £400 to £190 and the basic Macbook from £380 to £300.

Apple has also increased the trade price of the iPad Pro from £230 to £270.

However, the iPhone has been hit by big reductions, with older models suffering a revaluing of up to 25%.

The iPhone 7 Plus, for instance, has been slashed from £180 to £135 while the premium £470 has been cut from £470 to £400.

The old trade-in values, which we found by accessing Apple's website using the Wayback Machine (Image: Apple)

Here are the latest iPhone trade-in values (Image: Apple)

This is the iPhone 11 – which still features a Lightning port (Provider: SIPA USA/PA Images)

Apple isn't afraid of making big decisions which sometimes annoy people.

It is famed for ditching old features to make way for new ones – often causing massed wailing and gnashing of teeth among its fans in the process.

First, the tech giant scandalised iPhone users by swapping the old charging plug for a Lightning connector, before unceremoniously ditching the device's headphone jack.

A leading Apple analyst recentky claimed it could be about to get the last remaining port on its upcoming iPhones, meaning you won't be able to plug it in and will have to use a wireless charger instead.

Tech industry expert Ming-Chi Kuo believes there's a model coming in 2019 which will 'provide the completely wireless experience' by removing the Lightning connector, according to Apple Insider. 

This is already the only port available on current models and is used to plug the handset into a charger or attach other devices.

What this means is that all those cables and accessories you've collected will be totally useless.

However, anyone who's used a wireless charger will know there's something almost magical about sitting their gadget atop a plate to power it up, rather than plugging it into a wall.

The ports will be removed from a high-end model first, Kuo said. But this is likely to herald a wider bonfire of ports, meaning LIghtning could soon be nothing but a flash in the memory of Apple users.

The Apple analyst also believes the tech colossus will unleash several new iPhones in 2020, include one with a 5.4-inch screen, two with a 6.1-inch display and a 6.7-inch mega beast.

Of course, we don't know what Apple is going to until it does it, so take these rumours with a pinch of salt.

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