iPhone Frenzy

​The new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus were release about a month ago, and many people lined the streets to get the new one. The phones have features like Live Photos that will turn photos into videos, the ability to shoot video in 4k (four times the resolution of HD), and 3D touch.

Many carriers have even adjusted their phone and rate plans to accommodate the customers that want to upgrade their phones. I chatted with Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure about the allure of the new iPhone and what Sprint is doing to accommodate for the customers.

Hi Brynn.

Hi, how are you today?

I'm doing great. How are you?

I'm doing wonderful. Now with a lot of people gearing up to trade in their cell phones this season with the recent release of the latest iPhone, what are some ways that we can save a little bit of money and get the latest technology?

It's really exciting. We recently just had the launch of the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus and this year we have pulled out all of the stops. We have a new program called iPhone Forever where you can get a new iPhone every year without paying extra. Now if you look at the industry historically, manufacturers like Apple launch a new phone every year, but carriers tend to keep people in two year contracts preventing them from getting the latest device when it comes out.

With iPhone Forever, we created a whole new way to buy so that every year you can have the latest iPhone. It's really simple to do. You just have to come into Sprint, bring your trade in, and for $15 a month we will start you with the new iPhone 6S. Then every year when the new iPhone comes out, just bring us your old one and we will take it and give you a new one. It's just that simple.

That does sound really simple. Now how does this work for those people who are quite so careful with their cell phones and it has a cracked screen?

Well, for the traded in phone, we do need to have you take care of the device during the time you have it. Now most of our customers who have really any smart phone buy insurance which will cover the phone for things like cracked screens. As long as you bring the phone to us in good condition then we can easily trade you up to the next iPhone.

So for that minority that doesn't want to invest in the insurance, they should look at purchasing something like screen protectors and decent cases to better take care of the phones so they can trade them in.

Yes, you absolutely need to take care of the phone so that there are no issues when you need to trade it in.

Now what are some other features of this program?

There are a couple things that I should probably mention. One is that we have a great program going on from a rate plan perspective. So if you're not a Sprint customer, we will cut your rate plan in half which will then make the iPhone Forever plan wildly affordable. And then even with that program we will buy you out of your existing contract with your other carrier. We try to make it as simple as possible for you to come to Sprint.

And it definitely sounds like you guys take on all the work and all the customer has to do is come into the store. Now tell us, how long is this promotion being offered?

This is really a structural program rather than a promotion. It's what we want to deliver to our customers so that they have the ability to get the very latest technology each year that it comes out. So we should be thinking about it more as a program than a promotion.

Awesome. So this is definitely something that for the person who maybe just go a new phone and they are not ready to trade that one in just yet, they can still have the opportunity to sign up for this later down the road.

They do. I should also mention one other thing to you. We have a really integrated program called Direct To You, and the idea is for those people who don't always want to go to stores or don't have time to go. So the Direct to You program is where we will send a car to your home or office and we will bring the device and set it up for you. We just want to make it really simple for our customers to move and get into the latest iPhones.

Wow! That's a really cool idea to show that you are thinking about the busy lives of all the customers who want that latest phone. This is a very convenient option.

Absolutely. It's all about being simple and our satisfaction ratings have proven that customers like this programs.

That's awesome. Now where can people go for more information about everything we talk about today?

You can find more information at www.sprint.com/iphoneforever and also at www.sprint.com/directtoyou.