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Apple Developing Hardware Subscription Service for iPhones and Other Devices

Won’t this cause a significant amount of e-waste and packagings? Not to mention the energy required to dismantle the old devices and then recycle/refurbish? This just doesn’t sound very environmentally friendly to me. To be fair, who doesn’t want a shinny brand new iPhone every year? But again there is no such need to upgrade annually, except to satisfy one’s greed.
 
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barkomatic said:
This may be a good option for some people but not me and I will continue to pay in full up front. This insulates me somewhat from Apple raising their rates (ala Netflix). Also, you never know where life will take you and being able to keep my device if times get tough is attractive.
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The devil is in the details:

Insurance is what comes to mind. What if you lose your phone? Dropped your phone and crack the screen/back. What is normal wear and tear? (Scratches)

I’m sure there is a break even point. For people who wants the new phone every two years, I’m sure this will be a great deal. For people who keep their phones for many years and careful with their phone (don’t drop it often), I’m sure this would be a lot expensive.

But for business, the ability to convert CapEx to OpEx is sometimes a good financial move.
 
The best part of this idea is that it lets you cut the cord that the carriers have around your neck. If ATT pisses you off you simply change carriers. In addition to the ease of cutting the cord this program might also allow the carriers to lower their prices that if customers push for discounts because the carrier doesn't have the heavy costs of providing the "free" phone every few years.
 
iPhone can easily be used for 4 years and then be sold for a couple hundred dollars to partially fund the upgrade.

Consider how expensive AppleCare+ and how stupid iPhone backglass repair cost is, I’m not interested about this at all. Besides, I prefer “owning” my devices thank you.
 
Good way to keep people swimming in iPhones in the jobless apocalypse. Rent them with your state-issued UBI crypto dollars after the world economies have been sucessfully torpedoed. Build Back Better.
 
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andrewxgx said:
you'll own nothing and you'll be happy
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Lol! Completely.

But honestly, I don’t even want to own my phone. It’s a depreciating asset that I swap out every generation. I end up absorbing the loss each year and chalking it up to an amortized lease, a phone rental fee. This would represent a convenience to me, and it’d likely bring down the cost of AppleCare+ greatly. It would also stop big carriers from keeping people locked into contracts with elevated rates solely because they’re playing the role of the bank. This model has been awful for a long time.

See you in Davos next year, comrade!
 
SouthPalito said:
most businesses just lease computer equipment...
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Yes, usually operational lease. One reason is to not own the hardware, and not have these on the balance sheet.
That has multiple advantages.

For consumers, the operational lease simply means "pay the deprecation + interest + extra margin" to the one that is offering it. And the one that is offering it, can also make margin off the used-goods.
Definitely a win-win for the one offering it.
 
centauratlas said:
I agree. I don't like to be 1984 or Brave New Worldish, but when the goal seems to be to keep people in a state of perpetual debt and serfdom, it should be pointed out.

It is kind of like the Medieval serfs who were perpetually working the land and keeping a bit while having to tithe a large percent to the land owning lords and so who were never able to save enough to be free of the hamster wheel.

Obviously this is voluntary right now, but the goal seems to be to own nothing and always be having to pay to use whatever it is. There is a reason that Wall Street likes it: recurring revenue that is larger than single purchases every few years. People will spend more because X per month seems a lot less psychologically that 50 X every 3 years.
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Well that's a real danger with Apple, seriously. If Samsung or .... one of those phone companies (sry, cba) would introduce such a model and make it mandatory - fine, buy the other one. Or if suddenly Lenovo decided to go this route .... well I heard there are other PC/Laptop manufacturers, plus there is always the DIY route. But with Apple this decision not only means to abandon your hardware but also your software, and also everything you've bought on Apple Music or Apple TV (which is the reason I do not DO that).

It also means that you will have to drastically alter your workflow if you use your device for work - which I do. Admittedly I could work (Webdev stuff) on Windows... or rather Linux ... if I had to, and I did for years on end, but I must admit that MacOS has been the best fit for me by far, and I truly believe that MacOS is the best OS you can use if your actual goal is to get stuff done. The situation would be much worse for people relying on software that's MacOS exclusive, like Logic or Final Cut, and having to relearn your entire workflow is something not done easily. Now having to abandon this would hurt, and Apple knows this very well.

Frankly that's the reason I've been (and am) very cautious towards committing to using things the "Apple Way". You sort of box yourself in and trust that your Cupertino overlords will bless you with their good graces. As long as continuing to use a product is a choice there is an actual customer relationship. But as soon as you become reliant on it to the degree that not continuing to use it is a choice you cannot justify to make even under the harshest of disincentives .... you are basically pretty much economically "addicted".
 
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canadianreader said:
They're using the word "You", this is the super rich talking to us they surely don't include themselves in this otherwise they'd have used "We"
I guess they'll get to keep their planes mansions etc but not the everyday people.
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I guess you missed out on the context of /s. ?

Of course the “elite” class are exempt from all imposes which includes the rest of the snake oil being proposed and sold. ?
 
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ian87w said:
Apple should provide something like this in markets where their prices have ballooned up into the stratosphere. With severely high inflation looming, it will make iPhone prices into new ridiculous level. But interestingly Apple would only offer programs like this in developed markets where the consumers can afford iPhones already.
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Apple has been removing more items that were previously “in the box” while calling environmentally friendly and charging more.

At one point an iPod came with a docking stand, fast-forward to iPhone and first no USB charger, then no headphones (some countries still included it), soon no charging cable as many people who own a previous iPhone have lightening cables and if iPhone moves to USB-C the claim will be people have many from Android devices or other Apple products like iPad (excludes budget iPad for now) or Mac, next will be the box and finally you won’t own the device.

The obsession with thinness and nothingness (air) and people believe Sir Jony Ive left Apple ?.
 
Shirasaki said:
Why it’s bs? Apple claims to have strong recycling programs running. If so, trickling down old device recycling isn’t going to be a huge stress to the system. Also, it means Apple would only need to support new devices since users aren’t supposed to keep old devices forever.

Plus, Apple keeps bragging about their devices being so environmentally friendly. So in theory, it is totally possible for them to purchase minimum amount of raw materials while continuing to produce new hardware if outright ownership is removed from available purchase options. Remember each year Apple sells millions of iPhone? Imagine all of those are Apple property and users have to send them back when payment stops.
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Didn’t Apple claim in its keynote address during the iPhone 12 launch that it prefers its customers to keep their phones longer as it’s environmentally friendly and that’s how Apple designs it’s hardware and software to be usable for years.
 
I'd probably be up for this. Reminds me of the days in the UK when we used to rent TVs and videos. No one cared we didn't actually own them, when new technology came out we got it.
 
No thanks, I like to own my stuff. But maybe we will not be allowed to do that in the future?
 
Who would get priority on new sales at product launch? The non subscriber in the shop with inviting new cash in hand or the subscriber who already gives their money every month?
 
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