Apple may be preparing to let you rent your next iPhone or MacBook, rather than buy it completely. This rumored gadget-leasing program may keep initial costs low for Apple fans, but it would mean have much less control over the Macs or iPhones you pay for.
Last month, Apple hiked prices across nearly all its most expensive gadgets, ensuring the most powerful Macs and iPads are unaffordable for most would-be buyers. Bloomberg’s Apple leaker-in-chief, Mark Gurman, reported Tuesday that the company is responding to rising costs with a so-called “Apple Upgrade” program. This would entail a lease agreement that would allow customers to rent “most” iPhone and Apple Watch models for 24 months. Gurman suggests you’ll be able to lease Macs and iPads for three-year stints.
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Gurman further claims, based on his slate of anonymous sources, that users will be able to pay off their device early, buy it at the end of the lease period, or upgrade to a newer model. In that way, it works like a car lease, though you’ll supposedly be able to set up a device rental either in an Apple Store or online. Bloomberg says Klarna will handle the lease payments, which means you’ll still require a soft credit check to get started.
