iStore is ramping up its efforts to make Apple technology more accessible to South Africans, with its iPhone trade-in programme.
Core Group is the official and exclusive Apple distributor in South Africa, and iStore is its primary retail outlet for the products. The company handles distribution and logistics, through to marketing and retail operations for Apple and other brands.
iPhone prices are steep in SA, with prices ranging from R10 000 to R30 000.
According to StatCounter, in early 2025, Samsung held the leading smartphone market share in South Africa, at 52%. Apple followed with 17% and Huawei was in third place at 10%. Other brands – such as Honor, Xiaomi and Oppo − held smaller but growing market share.
Speaking to ITWeb TV, iStore CEO Chris Dodd said trade-ins are the retailer’s foremost affordability solution. “We’ve benchmarked against other companies, including Apple globally, and we really do offer the best trade-in rates around the world for Apple products.
“Customers use that value to offset whatever they’re buying, which makes upgrading more affordable,” commented Dodd, who also holds the position of head of education and enterprise at Core Group Southern Africa.
Arnold Ponela, IDC senior research analyst for mobile technologies and image printing and document solutions for SA and Sub-Saharan Africa, recently told ITWeb that Apple’s certified pre-owned offerings market is flourishing, driven by the high cost of new devices that are beyond reach for most locals.
The trade-in programme also feeds into iStore’s sustainability drive, ensuring pre-owned devices are refurbished instead of ending up in landfills.
iStore has established facilities with about 50 staff replacing batteries, screens and other parts, before reselling the devices through pre-owned stores nationwide. “This helps the environment, lowers prices, and opens the Apple ecosystem to many more people, from students starting on an iPhone 8, to future iPhone 16 customers,” Dodd explained.
Same-day delivery push
Beyond trade-ins, iStore has adopted an omnichannel retail strategy to keep pace with the rise of online shopping.
Customers can order online, opt for click-and-collect, or receive same-day delivery. “If you can order a pizza and get it within an hour, why not an iPhone?” said Dodd.
The company is also investing in skills development. Earlier this year, it launched an AI Skills Hub at its Sandton head office, with plans to expand nationally. The hub provides entrepreneurs and students with access to high-performance Apple hardware for AI model testing.
iStore also runs training programmes, coding camps during school holidays and initiatives through its long-running iSchoolAfrica partnership, which equips under-resourced schools with Apple technology and teacher training.
“iSchoolAfrica has been running for 15 years, and equips under-resourced schools with skills and hardware, to give those learners a chance of being part of this digital world. It has been a very successful programme.
“Through iSchoolAfrica, the teachers are trained because they are not typically used to technology. Through this programme, we’ve partnered with [rugby’s] Siya Kolisi with the primary school that he went to in the Eastern Cape, and more recently we did the same with Cheslin Kolbe in the Western Cape.”
Local is lekker
On balancing global standards with local needs, Dodd said: “When you walk into one of our flagship iStores, you may as well be overseas, because the design is Apple’s. But our local flavour comes through affordability programmes, trade-ins and financing options tailored to South Africa.”
Dodd maintains that Apple users have been utilising artificial intelligence (AI) for many years. “If you think of Apple Siri − it's been around for many years and it's actually a form of AI that has been getting better over the years.”
More recently, Apple Intelligence has been added and embedded in all applications. “So, whether you're using notes or mail or whatever application, it's easily accessible with a click of a button. If you need generative AI, you can also then break out into ChatGPT.”
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