alt Hacker NewsApple introduces leasing program for iPhones and other devices
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For what it’s worth, it’s lease to own:
> At the end of your initial lease term, you can do one of the following:
> Upgrade and return your current device. Footnote ◊
> Leave the program and return your current device. Footnote ◊
> Buy the device outright with a one-time payment from your Klarna account.
Apple is introducing this now because hardware capability ceilings are being hit and component prices are preventing higher specced components from being used.
I buy a new (non apple) phone most years, but I'll probably skip the next 2 years due to flatlining of specs and increasing price.
Because if you don't own it nothing on it is monopoly anymore. You are allowed to use it the "intended" way.
I use Klarna all the time but I always felt that it’s more suited for fast fashion, Shein, Aliexpress etc kind of like sites. Apple giving them a huge business here selling millions of iPhones.
The biggest enemy of Apple's upgrade cycle is a rugged phone case
Own nothing and be happy. Hope people don't fall for this BS. The only thing you can control is to decide where to spend your own money and time.
At the same time T-Mobile just announced they're finally going out to 36 month installment agreements on phones.
https://www.t-mobile.com/news/un-carrier/eip-flex-36
... though curiously, out of all the carriers, T-Mobile is now the first to start charging anywhere from 0% to 24% APR on their installment plans based on creditworthiness. I assume this is a signal that the era of 0% APR installments from carriers is going to start to disappear as well.
Sprint also got sued a few times over for offering leasing for cellphones - I wonder when the first lawsuits against Apple and Klarna are going to strike as well when consumers realize what they fell for.
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What happens to the whole attention economy, i.e., social media, apps, games, etc. when phones/devices become too expensive for people?
Not sure why people are so negative about this, macbooks only really last a few years under heavy use anyway and most small businesses would love to pay $100/employee/month to make sure they all have hardware they need rather than trying to manage depreciation accounting and cash flow.
Eg often hardware over $1000 gets depreciated over 5 years but employee laptops get replaced every 3 years so subscribing can have a huge positive effect on cashflow
> In order to lease an iPhone, you must select one of the following carriers (but you cannot use a prepaid carrier plan):
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I suppose I'll keep buying my phones outright... no protection money to the carrier mafia == no lease.