Trade-in Inflation?

Trade-in Inflation?
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CE brands use trade-ins as a way to encourage consumers to upgrade their devices and trade-in values can become a significant selling point for smartphones, where programs like Verizon’s (VZ) recent ‘…even broken phones…’ trade-in promotion can embolden those whose phones have case or screen cracks or barely work to trade-in those phones rather than junk them or pay for expensive repairs.  That said, as inflation lowers the buying power of those dollars you have earned, Apple (AAPL) has taken the concept to heart and devalued the trade-in values for many of its products, with the iPhone being the exception. 
While we make light of Apple’s move as inflation related, we expect Apple’s cost to refurbish, transport, or recycle those devices have risen along with food and pretty much everything else, so we look at the change as more of ‘what else is new’ rather than blaming Apple for the global economic situation, but while everyone struggles to meet such rising costs, one would have to assume that reducing the trade-in value of its products will have at least some effect on sales during a period where the external factors are enough to slow sales on their own.  Hopefully other brands do not follow (from a consumer’s perspective), but more likely others will join the trend after a quarter or so of eating the higher costs, but we can hope…
Here are the changes: