It’s no secret Apple frequently ships boatloads of iPhones yearly; it bought 239 million items in 2021, in line with analysts. However the firm feels it could actually promote much more — and it apparently has a brand new concept to try this.
Based on a report by Bloomberg, the Cupertino-based firm is engaged on a brand new subscription plan to promote you iPhones and different {hardware} merchandise.
Whereas finer particulars are but to be finalized, the gist is Apple desires you to lease an iPhone or an iPad the identical manner you purchase a subscription for its digital companies by way of iCloud. As somebody who’s been following the corporate for a great whereas, this transfer is fairly puzzling to me.
When you dwell within the US, the corporate already sells iPhones by way of carriers the place you need to pay a month-to-month subscription payment for the gadget. Plus, there’s the Apple Upgrade Plan, which incorporates AppleCare+ and the choice to improve your gadget when you’ve paid for 12 months.
However this new subscription plan will supposedly allow you to lease a tool with none lock-ins. And also you’ll get entry to Apple’s premium companies akin to Apple One — which gives Apple Music, TV+, Arcade, Health+, and iCloud storage — together with the AppleCare safety plan.
All of this sounds too good to be true. There are a number of unknowns at play. Would Apple lend me gadgets like a $5,999 Mac Professional, AirPods, or equipment like these $699 wheels for my shiny new desktop? Can I simply use a tool for one month and return it? Will there be a trial interval like Apple’s different companies? Can I personal the gadget after paying X months of lease?
Apple must work out all these questions and logistics of how they’d ship and accumulate gadgets. For a corporation of this dimension, determining the nitty-gritty of this plan shouldn’t be very exhausting.
There’s a risk that each one that is a part of Apple’s financing ambitions just like the rumored “buy now, pay later” program. Earlier this week, it additionally acquired UK-based fintech startup Credit Kudos which makes use of AI to calculate credit score scores in an progressive manner. This might be helpful when making an attempt to establish eligible prospects for its subscription program.
In the long run, it’ll boil down as to if Apple could make it interesting sufficient for individuals to decide on this subscription plan over present choices.
