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When it comes to new technology, cost is very often the biggest source of anxiety for today’s consumer. In an era of economic volatility and uncertainty, the ability to purchase new tech, like a laptop, smartphone, or tablet, can depend heavily on external factors such as inflation and supply chain reliability, which play a major role in cost and consumer spending power.

According to Assurant data, 44% of tech users surveyed expressed concern over the cost of new technology, while 27% say the cost of newly announced devices or upgrades is a major obstacle to purchase. Further, nearly half (49%) of tech users said they are interested in upgrades but hesitate or refrain due to cost. Overall, cost is consistently the most negatively perceived factor in the adoption of new technology.

Despite these sentiments, smartphone and related technology are an increasingly essential component of business, academic, and personal day-to-day life. For most, access to connected technology is nonnegotiable, and with the rise of AI-enabled features creating more intuitive user experiences, the ability to leverage the most up-to-date technology is only becoming more critical.

Caught between cost pressures and the desire to upgrade, many consumers have turned to the secondary device market as an alternative when budgets are stretched. To meet that demand, carriers and retailers have made considerable strides to enhance and streamline trade-in and upgrade programs that provide access to reliable, advanced, and affordable pre-owned devices.

These programs are growing in scale and importance, not just for cost-conscious consumers, but also for the carriers themselves, who leverage them to foster stronger, long-term relationships with their customers while recovering value from these assets.

The Secondary Device Market

When purchasing devices on the secondary market, consumers can save hundreds of dollars on smartphones that look and feel brand new, have the most popular features, have been securely wiped of data, and completely refurbished.

For multi-user families or avid tech users purchasing multiple devices, the compound savings of leveraging secondhand tech can be substantial, amounting to hundreds of dollars per device. In 2024, the average U.S. value of trading in an iPhone was $204, while the average U.S. value of trading in an Android was $105, according to Assurant data.

For consumers facing rising costs for basic goods, leveraging trade-in programs to earn money from used devices can take a $700 device to a $500 one, creating surplus that can be distributed to cover groceries, student loans, or other bills. In 2024 alone, more than $4.5 billion was returned to consumers through trade-in and buyback programs, as indicated by Assurant data.

With the uncertainty of today’s economic climate, it’s not surprising that the secondary device market continues to grow. GSMA projects that by 2027 the market will reach $150 billion globally, and it will only continue to expand as consumer costs rise and device and trade-in programs become increasingly sophisticated.

Sustainability Incentives

Beyond cost concerns, these programs also appeal to the growing number of consumers concerned about reusing resources, seeking to maximize value while minding their environmental impact. According to GSMA, 70% of global consumers surveyed would be willing to spend more for environmentally conscious devices.

Today’s tech users can trade in their used devices knowing that it will make a positive environmental impact, with the assurance that there is no risk to their personal data or security. Current trade-in programs accept an increasingly wide range of devices, even of older generations, to be either refurbished and resold or responsibly recycled if repair is not feasible. In the case of the latter, parts and materials are leveraged throughout the recycling process to be repurposed in other devices wherever possible.

Complementing environmental sustainability, social sustainability also plays a role in the secondary device market. Both globally and domestically, the secondary market ensures these devices become far more accessible and affordable for individuals around the world who may otherwise be priced out of adopting newer technologies – expanding connectivity on a global scale.

Looking Ahead

While a majority of consumers understand that trading in their devices can lead to sustainability benefits, the biggest barriers to broader adoption of secondhand devices today are centered around a lack of awareness about the quality and array of technology available, the ease and financial benefits trading in old devices, and how easy and secure the process can really be.

As technology continues to become more deeply entrenched in our daily lives and the cost of new devices continues to increase, we will see continued growth in the secondary market. Cost will always play a key role in consumers’ purchasing decisions, but as the success and growing size of secondary device programs proves, consumers are also swayed by compelling, mission-driven options – especially those that align with a lower price tag.

We've compiled a list of the best business monitors.

This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Ed the Zebra was captured safely after being located in a pasture near a subdivision in the Christiana community in central Tennessee, the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office confirmed.

(Image credit: Rutherford County Sheriff's Office)

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 259, for June 9.

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for June 9.

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Members of the California National Guard arrived in the Los Angeles area Sunday morning after being activated by President Trump.

(Image credit: Jae C. Hong)

Maybe Happy Ending during The 78th Annual Tony Awards'/>

NPR is updating this list of Tony Award winners as they are announced.

(Image credit: Theo Wargo)

The new handheld console was revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase, and I got to spend some time with my hands on it.

Citing a rarely used law, President Trump bypassed California's governor Gavin Newsom, and ordered two thousand national guard troops to Los Angeles for sixty days.

It's the first time in 60 years a president has used federal power to deploy national guard troops without the agreement of the state's governor.

NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and hears how people in the city are reacting.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

(Image credit: Frederic J. Brown)

The Invincible franchise is heading to Xbox.

Air quality can be impacted by smoke from wildfires. Our reporter set out to build an air filter — in a style the EPA praised, using only things she already had at home.

Time for another trippy military adventure.

Looking for a different day?

A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, June 8 (game #1231).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1232) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1232) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1232) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1232) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 0.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1232) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• D

• L

• W

• H

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1232) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1232, are…

• DERBY
• LEMON
• WRITE
• HOVEL

I was roaring through today’s Quordle when I suffered a bad case of brain freeze on the final word.

For some reason I got obsessed with thinking the word must have a double-E and managed to overlook the letter D that I had in wrong a position. Thankfully my incorrect guess pathed the way for the correct one.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Daily Sequence today (game #1232) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1232, are…

• SKULL
• MANGA
• ABYSS
• NURSE

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1231, Sunday, 8 June: REBAR, ALERT, PAYEE, FLUME
• Quordle #1230, Saturday, 7 June: FLUNK, ESTER, SPITE, CHEAP
• Quordle #1229, Friday, 6 June: ELUDE, KHAKI, VISTA, SMOKY
• Quordle #1228, Thursday, 5 June: CHIDE, RABBI, GUSTY, LANCE
• Quordle #1227, Wednesday, 4 June: BANAL, STOUT, SEDAN, HIPPO
• Quordle #1226, Tuesday, 3 June: FUGUE, SYRUP, FLACK, WORST
• Quordle #1225, Monday, 2 June: THINK, BELLE, CRONE, BOULE
• Quordle #1224, Sunday, 1 June: POINT, MERIT, WHOOP, APHID
• Quordle #1223, Saturday, 31 May: CRUMB, ELFIN, DRIER, QUITE
• Quordle #1222, Friday, 30 May: RAJAH, CAUSE, BLACK, ETUDE
• Quordle #1221, Thursday, 29 May: CRIER, DRAPE, STRUT, NEIGH
• Quordle #1220, Wednesday, 28 May: HELLO, BEADY, VIGIL, PURER
• Quordle #1219, Tuesday, 27 May: TWEET, RANGE, POPPY, RADAR
• Quordle #1218, Monday, 26 May: BLEAT, HOWDY, ASIDE, SCOOP
• Quordle #1217, Sunday, 25 May: OCEAN, AMBER, PIPER, GLEAN
• Quordle #1216, Saturday, 24 May: HUSKY, HEIST, FOGGY, POLAR
• Quordle #1215, Friday, 23 May: SHIRE, GIANT, AWAIT, CAPER
• Quordle #1214, Thursday, 22 May: LOSE, GLOVE, STINT, EXCEL
• Quordle #1213, Wednesday, 21 May: NOVEL, CHOSE, DIRTY, DONUT
• Quordle #1212, Tuesday, 20 May: DECOY, SHAKE, MAPLE, PURER

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, June 8 (game #728).

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #729) - today's words

(Image credit: New York Times)

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PRINT
• GENUS
• RING
• BOOK
• FAMILY
• SLID
• ORDER
• SAVE
• RESERVE
• PASTE
• GOO
• CREW
• MAZING
• REQUEST
• SYNDICATE
• QUIT

NYT Connections today (game #729) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: PC actions
• GREEN: Pre purchase
• BLUE: The Sopranos is one
• PURPLE: NYT game Levels 

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #729) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: KEYBOARD SHORTCUT COMMANDS
• GREEN: SECURE IN ADVANCE
• BLUE: CRIME ORGANIZATION
• PURPLE: SPELLING BEE RANKS MINUS A LETTER 

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #729) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Connections, game #729, are…

• YELLOW: KEYBOARD SHORTCUT COMMANDS PASTE, PRINT, QUIT, SAVE
• GREEN: SECURE IN ADVANCE BOOK, ORDER, REQUEST, RESERVE
• BLUE: CRIME ORGANIZATION CREW, FAMILY, RING, SYNDICATE
• PURPLE: SPELLING BEE RANKS MINUS A LETTER GENUS, GOO, MAZING, SLID

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 mistake

I really enjoy it when Connections goes meta and references another New York Times game. For those of us hooked on Spelling Bee, today’s purple group must have felt strangely satisfying.

Not being a regular Spelling Bee player – and certainly never hitting genius level when I do play it – I got the hardest group correct not because I knew it was SPELLING BEE RANKS MINUS A LETTER but because they all looked like words with letters missing. Not quite as satisfying.

I did, however, know that the green group was SECURE IN ADVANCE – but this was still where my error came, as in my original quartet I had SAVE instead or ORDER.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Sunday, June 8, game #728)

• YELLOW: PERSIST HOLD, LAST, STAND, STAY
• GREEN: ANIMAL METAPHORS IN ECONOMICS BEAR, BULL, DOVE, HAWK
• BLUE: SIDEBAR INFO ON A PERSON'S WIKIPEDIA PAGE BORN, EDUCATION, OCCUPATION, SPOUSE
• PURPLE: HOMOPHONES OF SLANG FOR MONEY BRED, CACHE, DOE, LUTE

What is NYT Connections?

NYT Connections is one of several increasingly popular word games made by the New York Times. It challenges you to find groups of four items that share something in common, and each group has a different difficulty level: green is easy, yellow a little harder, blue often quite tough and purple usually very difficult.

On the plus side, you don't technically need to solve the final one, as you'll be able to answer that one by a process of elimination. What's more, you can make up to four mistakes, which gives you a little bit of breathing room.

It's a little more involved than something like Wordle, however, and there are plenty of opportunities for the game to trip you up with tricks. For instance, watch out for homophones and other word games that could disguise the answers.

It's playable for free via the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, June 8 (game #462).

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #463) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… What you see isn't what you get

NYT Strands today (game #463) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• DANCE
• CARD
• NOSE
• CONE
• FOAM
• SKIDS

NYT Strands today (game #463) - hint #3 - spangram lettersHow many letters are in today's spangram?

• Spangram has 10 letters

NYT Strands today (game #463) - hint #4 - spangram positionWhat are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First side: top, 3rd column

Last side: bottom, 3rd column

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #463) - the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #463, are…

• MASK
• CAMOUFLAGE
• DISGUISE
• CLOAK
• COVER
• FACADE
• SPANGRAM: FALSE FRONT

• My rating: Moderate
• My score: 1 hint

Fittingly, today’s search words were well hidden and I needed a hint to get started. The word MASK confirmed what we were looking for – so I immediately started looking for CAMOUFLAGE and DISGUISE.

The spangram was not a term I was familiar with, but is one that I have seen in action in London. Here, there is a beautiful old theater I watched turn from thriving to derelict that has been under development for years to become apartments.

As is the case in many cities, the back of the building was demolished – leaving just the FACADE. However, along the way something structurally most have gone wrong as the propped-up facade was then completely replaced by a new facade, copying the art deco style of the original. So now, not one brick of the original building remains, which maybe was the plan all along. Either way, not once but twice, a FALSE FRONT.

How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, June 8, game #462)

• CAST
• SCORE
• LIGHTS
• SINGING
• DANCING
• COSTUMES
• SPANGRAM: ITS SHOWTIME

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.

Obsidian Entertainment's newest action RPG is borrowing systems from one of the studio's most successful games ever.

• SilverStone’s FLP01 case brings old-school charm, complete with fake floppy drives and retro lights
• arkhive Business Limited comes with RTX 5060 Ti and offers real creative power
• Noctua cooling keeps the retro shell silent while the modern internals do all the heavy lifting

Arc has unveiled a curious blend of nostalgia and modern performance with its desktop system, the "arkhive Business Limited," now available via PC Shop Ark.

The Japanese device is housed in SilverStone’s FLP01 case, designed after the classic 1980s PC-9801, and features distinctive styling, including a fake 5.25-inch bay cover and mock indicator lights.

The vintage aesthetic may evoke beige memories of dial-up tones and DOS prompts, but its internals suggest something far more capable, perhaps even worthy of use as a video editing or workstation PC, if judged solely on specs.

Nostalgia meets modern power

The base models come in two CPU versions: Intel’s Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD’s Ryzen 7 9700X. Both models are paired with 32GB of RAM and a 2TB NVMe SSD, and are cooled using a Noctua air cooler, a name respected for silence and efficiency rather than flair.

Graphics are handled by the new GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, whose 16GB of VRAM places it squarely in the mid-range performance bracket.

While that might not win over hardcore gamers, it should be more than sufficient for creative professionals and could make the system a viable business PC for those needing GPU acceleration in Adobe apps or 3D workloads.

Physically, the PC measures 440 x 362 x 170 mm, a footprint that’s not particularly compact by modern standards.

It comes with Windows 11 Home preinstalled and includes an 80PLUS GOLD 850W power supply.

However, with a price tag of 299,800 yen (about $2,081) and lacking even a standard optical drive (unless added via a limited-time campaign), some may question whether the retro shell justifies the cost.

PC Shop Ark is now accepting orders with full BTO (build-to-order) options, allowing for further customization.

The company appears to be banking on a blend of nostalgia and performance to attract buyers, but the arkhive Business Limited may appeal more to the heart than the head.

Via PCWatch

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