Microsoft has stepped up its aggressive new approach to penetrating the iPhone- and Android-dominated smartphone market by announcing a new offer that lets owners of an iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S trade their devices in for a minimum of $200 at Microsoft stores.
SEE ALSO: Microsoft Surface Promotion Offers iPad Owners a Trade-In Deal
Although the new iPhone 5S and 5C are breaking sales records for Apple, not everyone is sold on the device’s fingerprint scanner and iOS 7 operating system — a fact that Microsoft is counting on as it courts old iPhone users with the promise of something new: a Windows Phone 8 device.
This latest deal is nearly identical to an earlier promotion launched by Microsoft a few weeks ago that allowed iPad owners to trade in their tablets for a gift card redeemable in Microsoft stores.
A Microsoft spokesperson told Mashable that the offer was a part of its Recycle for Rewards program that lets customers trade in old devices, such as smartphones, tablets and even old Xbox consoles. In return, they get a Microsoft Store gift card for the value of their device.
For select brick-and-mortar store locations, Microsoft is working with CExchange, a Texas-based company that specializes in electronics trade-ins and buy-back programs, to facilitate its Recycle for Rewards program. CExchange also works with retailers such as Walmart and RadioShack to offer trade-in programs across the U.S.
While the notion of trading in an old iPad for a gift card toward purchasing a shiny new Surface tablet may be compelling for some, Microsoft’s strategy to offer old iPhone owners this deal so soon after the launch of the iPhone 5S and 5C is a decidedly bold move.
If Apple rival Samsung offered a similar deal, few would take note, but the fact that an old industry stalwart like Microsoft is targeting old iPhone owners with such perfect timing indicates that the company is serious about wresting at least a portion of the smartphone market from Apple and other competitors.
Unfortunately for long-time iPhone users looking to switch, Microsoft’s trade-in deal — which ends on Nov. 3 — does not extend to earlier versions of the iPhone, such as the iPhone 4 or 3GS versions.
The granddaddy of Microsoft’s mobile UI, the Pocket PC first appeared in 2000. It was powered by the Windows CE OS. In the early days, there were two different versions of the device -- one with a mobile phone and one without.
Photo courtesy of Lorenzarius, via Wikimedia Commons
Before there was Windows Phone 7, there was Windows Mobile. Microsoft first used the name for an OS in 2003. It initially powered Pocket PC devices, but eventually expanded to other brands. The final version, Windows Mobile 6.5, appeared in September 2009 -- about a year before Windows Phone 7 dropped.
Photo courtesy of Joshualam, via Wikimedia Commons
Here's a snapshot of Microsoft's mobile UIs from 2001 to 2009.
Brianreading and Koman90, via Wikimedia
The first devices running the Windows Phone 7 OS — HTC Surround and Samsung Focus — hit the market in November 2010. Eventually the OS. Eventually Nokia and others released devices running Windows Phone 7.
Photo coutesy of Anuj Biyani, via Flickr
With the codename “Mango,” this was the most sizable update to the Windows Phone 7 OS. Microsoft announced the update in May 2011 and began rolling it out later that year, in September. It brought “hundreds of new and improved features” to the OS, according to Microsoft.
Since Windows Phone 7 devices will not be eligible to be upgraded to Windows Phone 8, this update will be rolled out to WP and 7.5 devices. The update includes the new WP 8 start screen.
Microsoft revealed the specifications for the Windows Phone 8 in June. In the photo, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Stephen Elop, president and CEO of Nokia, hold up Nokia phones run by the Windows Phone 8 OS.
Image: Andreas Solaro/Staff/AFP/Getty Images