Following unprecedented price hikes on the Mac and iPad, Apple is now working on a leasing program to alleviate customers during the AI rush. According to a new Bloomberg report, the program is called "Apple Upgrade" and will allow you to lease a midrange or high-end device for up to 36 months, at the end of which you can choose to keep it. Apple is purportedly partnering with Klarna on the service.
Apple Upgrade will reportedly be a subscription service with monthly payments spanning across 24 months for iPhone and Apple Watch, or 36 months for Mac and iPad, including the Pro models. According to the report, Entry-level hardware like the MacBook Neo is not included in this program. Education or business discounts are also excluded; Apple is explicitly targeting regular consumers who've been affected by the ongoing component crisis.
According to Mark Gurman, customers will be subject to a soft credit check and only be approved for the program after passing it. The program will be available both in-person at physical Apple Store locations and online on Apple's website. At first, it will only be available in the United States, but we don't have any info on whether Apple Upgrade will expand beyond the region later.
As mentioned, Klarna is reported to be the official broker between Apple and the customer. The leasing structure would closely follow standard practice, where you can choose to keep the asset at the end after paying a residual fee, or return it, in which case you were just renting the hardware. Customers will also reportedly have the option to upgrade to a newer model if they finish their payments early.
For instance, if you leased an iPhone 17 Pro Max but Apple announced the 18 Pro Max a few months later, you could simply get the new device early if the old one was already paid off. Some of you will know that Apple already has an upgrade program for iPhone, but this one is different since it expands to Mac, iPad, and other accessories, and, more importantly, it doesn't come with AppleCare.
In fact, Bloomberg says Apple will eventually phase out the iPhone Upgrade program in favor of Apple Upgrade as a whole. New enrollments for standard financing through the Apple Card will also reportedly be discontinued. The company will advertise lower monthly payments to attract customers, which will ultimately allow it to keep a stable income during one of the most turbulent consumer tech eras the world has ever seen.
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