A recent Bloomberg News story suggests that Apple (AAPL 0.55%) may begin an iPhone trade-in program to compete with current third-party options. With the high price of the iPhone, buyers in emerging markets are anxious to by "used" iPhones at discounted prices. While the company hasn't commented on the motivation for the move -- should it in fact happen -- any measure that accelerates the iPhone product cycle should be seen as a positive for investors.

In the following video, Fool.com contributor Doug Ehrman discusses some details about the iPhone trade-in programs that currently exist and some reasons Apple might want to join the mix.