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Apple's Upgrade Program offers a 'head start' on iPhone X
While initial pre-orders for the iPhone X are still a week away from opening, some Apple die-hards will be able to get started early. Apple's installment-based Upgrade Program that lets customers get a new phone every year will, just like it did with the launch of the iPhone 8 / 8 Plus, allow members to get their loan paperwork in order starting on Monday. Combined with the recently added mail-in return option for their old iPhones, it should make staying up to date easier than ever, even if it doesn't guarantee that they'll be able to purchase the new OLED-screened device right away. For that, they'll have to stay up until 3 AM ET Friday morning just like everyone else.
Apple's iPhone upgrade program now available online
Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program is now available online, meaning you won't have to trek to a store if you want the latest device every year. As a reminder, the company launched the program when it released the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, letting you buy those phones starting at $32 a month on 24-month subscription. After a year, you can trade in your old iPhone for a new one, as long as you're willing to renew the subscription for another 24 months.
Sony's PlayStation 4 upgrade program gets detailed: $10 for a next-gen copy
Back at Gamescom 2013, Sony made it known that select cross-generational games, like Call of Duty: Ghosts, purchased for the PlayStation 3 would be upgradeable for its forthcoming PS4. At the time, Sony kept general pricing details for the program under wraps, although Activision did announce its qualifying CoD title would set PS4 users back $10 bucks for the next-gen upgrade privilege. Now, Sony's coming clean with the full spate of its limited run upgrade program, adding Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, Battlefield 4 and Watch Dogs to the list -- all for $10. So how does it work? Well, for those gamers that insist on purchasing a physical copy of any of the above games, they'll receive a redeemable pack-in code which they can enter into the PlayStation Network for a digital copy of the PS4 version. That's not all though. In order to unlock that next-gen copy, the physical disc has to be in the console to activate it. The process is much simpler for those that opt for the all-digital route, as a PS3 purchase made on PSN will automatically qualify gamers for the discount, at which point the game will be available for download. You have to hand it Sony: with news of this expanded upgrade program and the PS4's Gaikai-powered PS3 backwards compatibility, it seems the company's well learned from the lessons of the previous gen's past.
Microsoft reportedly starting Office 2013 upgrade program mid-October
As Microsoft ramps up for its next big Office release, the company is apparently getting ready to offer up a program to help cushion the blow for those who pick up the current version of the suite. ZDNET is reporting that Redmond will begin its Office 2013 upgrade program on October 19th, keeping with its policy for past Office and Windows releases, ensuring that those who pick up the software between that date and the end of April get the upgrade. The word comes from some anonymous sources, so there's no guarantee here -- there's also no info on whether the upgrade will be fully free or will have a small fee attached. We're still not quite sure when Office will officially be hitting the market, but the site's sources put it at around February.
