According to Bloomberg’s new report it turned out that Apple is going to sell iPhones and iPads as a part of a hardware subscription service, moreover this changes may happen already the next year.
Several years ago Apple slowly started to push their consumers towards buying recurring subscriptions as a new way of profitable revenue streams. The examples can be Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple News Plus, Apple Fitness Plus, and Apple Arcade. Moreover a lot of these services have been already connected together in Apple One bundles.
The price of subscription will not be calculated simply in a way that the total price will be divided by 12 or 24 month. It will be undecided monthly cost, linked to a user’s existing Apple ID account, with the possibility to upgrade to new hardware as it’s released.
So basically picture is going to look like that: people are renting iPhones or iPads and while using the devices they have to pay, and when they decide to stop using it, devices must be returned back.
Most probably Apple is just looking for a way to cut out the so-called middle man and expand its installment-based payment offerings to other products. This actions will stop people of paying percent for other services. But the question is if this type of payment will be accepted and liked by customers.
I think this can be a good idea if the price for subscribing is attractive for Apple lovers. In Korea, it was not an official thing from apple, but there have been plans of telecom agencies for people who change their mobile phones annually whenever a new iPhone comes out. This way, they give a certain amount of discount to customers and they also can keep their customers from changing the agency to another company for some kind of new-customer discount when changing devices. I wonder how the agencies in my country react if Apple makes this official.
Many people that are used to the apple interface will probably be displeased. The mere fact, that by renting something you are not the real owner of the device discourages from purchase.