9to5mac:

According to sources, Apple will soon introduce a new recycling and trade-in program that will accept non-Apple smartphones, notably including Android and BlackBerry devices, in exchange for gift cards to be used toward the purchase of new iPhones. In continuing to court Android switchers, Apple will use a similar system to the one it uses to repurchase iPhones, whereby Apple Retail Store employees determine trade-in values for devices by considering their cosmetic and functional condition.

The new program will begin in the coming weeks, following extensive training programs for retail store employees that will begin later this week. Apple employees will be able to transfer address book contacts from the rival smartphones to the iPhones, but other data will have to be moved by customers.

If true, this strikes me as a genius move on Apple’s part. It’s a terrific incentive to reach BlackBerry and Android users on the fence about their next device. But it also throws a little mud on the BlackBerry and Android brands, painting them as second tier devices of the trade-in variety.

Update: I originally encountered this post on the Bloomberg site, but 9to5mac was the first to break it. No surprise there.