AppAdvice International: Germany, China, Turkey And The Nest Thermostat

by Joe White

April 8, 2014

Germany

This week, Apple's iPhone trade-in program launched in Germany, allowing iOS device users in the country to hand an old iPhone over to Apple in order to secure as much as €230 (around $315) off the price of a new iPhone handset.

The same program launched in the United States back in August last year, and it appeared in Britain soon after. Last month, my colleague Bryan Wolfe also explained how the iPhone trade-in program had launched in Canada, too.

[caption id="attachment_533408" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

Apple's Berlin retail store. [/caption]

It's clearly convenient to trade an iPhone into Apple directly, but Cupertino doesn't always offer the best prices. If you're looking to trade-in an old iPhone later this year in anticipation of Apple's next-generation handsets, look out for our annual AppAdvice iPhone Trade-In Guide. These examine trade-in prices for iPhones from a number of different companies, including Gazelle, Glyde, and Apple, and advise users on the best deals going.

Regardless, it's great to see Apple launch its iPhone trade-in program in another international territory. Even if the prices offered might not be the best, the accessibility of Apple's program could encourage more people to get cash for their old handsets rather than leaving them to gather dust in a kitchen drawer.

China

Also this week, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White noted that demand for Apple's iPhone 5s in China has proven “disappointing.” Even though the handset is available with TD-LTE carrier China Mobile – the largest carrier in China – White predicts comparably unimpressive sales for the iPhone 5s in the nation.

He outlined his opinion in a recent research note, and said:

In the near term, we sensed disappointment around demand for the iPhone 5S. That said, we heard great enthusiasm around the potential for Apple to introduce a larger iPhone form factor in China this year with the iPhone 6. In our view, the iPhone 6 with a larger screen (e.g., 4.7-inch, 5.5-inch) has the potential to meaningfully accelerate Apple’s growth trajectory in China during 2H:14. We have not heard this type of excitement in China around the iPhone in at least two years and thus we believe this could be a very special iPhone launch for Apple.

Apple launched TD-LTE iPads in China this week, and before this, China Mobile noted that it had added around 1 million new iPhone customers to its network during the month of February alone. Despite this, however, we're still hearing that the most popular iOS devices in China are older models. Could this add weight to White's opinion?

We'll keep you updated with further news on China as we receive it.

Nest

The Google-owned Nest thermostat has launched across the pond in Britain, where it can be purchased from £179. Though the smart product originally launched in the United States and Canada, Nest seems intent on bringing its thermostat to a number of new European territories in the coming months, too.

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Nest thermostat. [/caption]

In Britain, Nest can indeed be purchased from £179, however Nest recommends users have the thermostat installed by a professional and this beefs the cost up to £249. Amazon, Apple, and B&Q are also selling Nest in Britain.

Matt Rogers, one of Nest’s founders, noted at the time that his company “will continue to aggressively expand throughout Europe,” and the financial backing of Google should help the company achieve this. For now, Brits can pick up a Nest thermostat of their own from £179 from one of the aforementioned retailers, or from Nest's online store.

Istanbul

Finally this week, Apple launched its first retail store in Turkey. Images of the Istanbul retail location surfaced online before the store opened to the general public, and the building was shown to be a mirage-like glass cube structure that looked particularly impressive.

Here are a couple of images:

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Apple's Istanbul retail store. [/caption] [caption id="attachment_533411" align="aligncenter" width="642"]

Inside Apple's Istanbul store. [/caption]

Apple has recently launched or is working on new retail stores in Hanover, Edinburgh, San Francisco, Brazil, and Brisbane. The changes come as former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts is set to join Cupertino as senior vice president of Retail later this year.

AppAdvice International is a weekly recap of the international news published here at AppAdvice. The column goes live every Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. GMT.