Apple increased trade-in values for iPads and several Macs, hinting at higher prices across the board
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Scott Younker is the West Coast Reporter at Tom’s Guide. He covers all the latest tech news, including phones, computing and more. He’s been involved in tech since 2011 covering everything from cameras and swimming pool equipment to the latest gaming consoles and smart TVs. He is on a seemingly never ending hunt to build the easiest to use home media system. Before Tom’s Guide, Scott worked for publications like Digital Trends, Outdoor Photographer, Dead Beats Panel , and in a brief detour, America’s Funniest Home Videos . Yes, he has seen more pratfalls, silly pets and ridiculous home movie fails than is reasonably healthy. When not writing about the latest devices or advances in chipsets, be sure to ask about Scott about disc golf and sustainability, or just if you’re being cheeky, ask about his noodle arm. If you truly want to get nerdy, bring up board games and his ongoing losing streak. Scott joined Tom's Guide in 2024 as the West Coast Reporter. He graduated from the School of Journalism at the University of Oregon with a degree in magazine journalism and a minor in communications. While there he blogged or wrote for several magazines including the Fluxx, Ethos and the Oregon Commentator. He briefly wrote and managed a moderately successful blog focused on web comics. Send secure tips on Signal: scyo1.55.
Apple just announced the upgraded iPad mini 8 , the first small Apple tablet with an OLED display, as part of the company's " Pro and Tell " event. New MacBooks should be announced later this week.
The update is huge but also comes with a $100 price increase, meaning the new iPad mini starts at $699, or $58.25 per month for 12 months. Fortunately, Apple also increased the trade-in value for older iPads.
It's not a massive increase — $20 more than previous rates at most — but it might help take some of the sting away from the new price tag.
Model
Estimated value
iPad Pro
up to $915
iPad Air
up to $525
iPad
up to $300
iPad mini
up to $340
As a reminder, this depends on the model. A newer iPad mini 7 will get you more money, and the tablet's condition matters, too. The numbers we're showing here are potentially what you can get if everything is in good shape.
This week we're expecting Apple to introduce a new version of the MacBook Pro, likely featuring the M6 chip that we just tested in the updated Mac mini . Additionally, like the iPad mini 8, we should also see a new MacBook Pro with a touchscreen OLED display, a first for Apple.
Like the iPad trade-in program, the Mac and MacBook version will also get a bit more money. Unfortunately, that suggests that the new MacBook Pro and MacBook Ultra will be far more expensive than last year's models.
We're looking at a potential $3,000 price tag for the OLED MacBook.
With that in mind, here's what you could get for trading in your MacBook or Mac.
Model
Trade-in value
MacBook Pro
up to $1,435
MacBook Air
up to $795
iMac
up to $440
iMac Pro
up to $340
Mac mini
up to $645
Mac Studio
up to $1,700
Mac Pro
up to $2,560
Right now, we know that pre-orders for the iPad mini 8 will open up on Wednesday, October 28, with shipping beginning on November 6. Presumably, the new MacBooks will have a similar pre-order and shipping window.
If you haven't traded in with Apple before, you can swap out your device online or at an Apple Store.
In-store is pretty straightforward. You'll want to unpair any accessories, back up the device and sign out of services like iCloud, iTunes and the App Store. For an iPad, you don't need to erase anything as an Apple specialist will help you with that.
On a Mac, however, Apple requests you erase your hard drive and reinstall macOS. Once those are done, take it into an Apple Store where a specialist will inspect the device and give you a value; if it has no value, Apple will recycle the device.
If you go the online route, you'll need your device's serial number. Plus, you'll do it as part of purchasing a new Apple device. Adding the device is part of the checkout process. Apple will send you a trade-in confirmation email with instructions for backing up your data and prepping the device.
Finally, you can mail the device in or drop it off at an Apple Store. The company will include step-by-step instructions for this part in the confirmation email.