Apple Developing Hardware Subscription Service for iPhones and Other Devices

[droplink]

It actually is and the user base is growing. The price for pro use, ie those of us who make our living use Adobe CC, is very small. Adobe CC is not aimed at home or hobby users as the price is prohibitive for that I believe, but not for professionals. Profits from a single job easily covers and surpasses the monthly fee. Adobe CC has also made life much easier for those who work collaboratively as now everyone (almost) is always on the same version, no more headaches of being a version or 2 behind, or up to date but the client is behind and needs to work on native files, it all just works together and those issues are completely gone. This is HUGE as it was a real problem and hassle.

That said I am not a fan of subscription services for consumer use, there are enough of those as it is and this is just another way to become indebted to Apple. I envision a future of indentured servants working at Apple plants, these people who could not make their payments and now need to work it off for eternity. Of course that is fiction, but it certainly feels that way when regular life has subscription purchases attached to everything.

It was a huge problem, because Adobe (and QuarkXPress before it) made the software specifically so that you had to keep updating the software to be able to cooperate.
It was planned to become obsolete as each version added something new to the file to prevent it being opened by the old one.

And this is also the danger of these subscription models. As soon as "most" people start using subscription (and therefore have current devices) it will no longer make sense for Apple to keep updating software for older models.
So whereas you could have a 5 year old phone and still use the latest iOS version, you might be forced to change phones every two years as Apple will only see the benefit of keeping the subscription models current.

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Who bloody said anyone needs a new phone each year? my iPhone 8 is still going well, and I see no need to upgrade.
Be happy with what you have.

 

[Ifti]

I plan to keep my 13 Pro Max for 2-3 years at least, so will see how this service pans out before I even think about it. I generally dislike ongoing subscription models so I'm not keen on this on either......

 

[Starscape]

Leasing an iPhone. No thanks.

 

[happygodavid]

It's good to see Apple taking a page from Microsoft's Xbox play book. Perhaps they will bundle in Apple services into the hardware subscription just like Microsoft does with Game Pass and their console.

It's odd how there are several hundred comments, most of which are negative, but you're the only one who's mentioned GamePass. Having had an Xbox All Access subscription for several months (for the uninitiated, it's a monthly subscription that includes a ton of games, and it pays for the Xbox console over the course of 2 years), I can definitively say I prefer it to having to deal with buying a new console, sell an old one (or trade it in), etc.. I'm IN the Xbox ecosystem, so why would I do work that Microsoft is offering to do for me? Also, they don't charge more money over the long haul. I own the product in the end. If Apple doesn't let you own the device at the end of a certain period, I can see that being a drawback. But for now, if they follow the GP model, I'm all in. They cynical side of me thinks they'll likely try and squeeze more money out of the service over time. However, if they follow the very consumer-friendly model that Microsoft did with an All Access subscription, this is not nearly the travesty many of the commenters here are making it out to be. I don't trust that's the case, but it's at least worth pondering until we know more beyond the rumor mill.

 

[hanske68]

Just for $899 a month, $999 if you want it with screen protector. WOW.

 

[cb3]

In the New World Order — you will own nothing.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Just for $899 a month, $999 if you want it with screen protector. WOW.

Making stuff up, and then getting annoyed about it. The only way it works around here.

 

[satchmo]

That's the difference between having to tolerate it, and actually wanting it. Adobe CC is not popular: no one actually wants it. They just have to tolerate it.
Well when I say no one, of course, this is the internet. I could say 'no one wants to be spanked by a garden rake wrapped in barbed wire' and someone will come forward and say 'well actually...'

I guess it depends on what we’re tolerating. There’s a distinction between the software and the pricing model.

Frankly, I prefer Adobe over some of the competitors primarily because of familiarity. Sure, some apps are bloated, but they also have a robust feature set. I can pretty much guarantee getting any job done using CC.

What I’m tolerating is the pricing model. I haven’t purchased an annual CC account because of the prohibitive costs. So I use alternative apps and rent a month or two from Adobe, if the need arises.

 

[hanske68]

In the New World Order — you will own nothing.

Certainly not money.

 

[cupcakes2000]

What I’m tolerating is the pricing model. I haven’t purchased an annual CC account because of the prohibitive costs. So I use alternative apps and rent a month or two from Adobe, if the need arises.

That's exactly why a subscription model is good though. Try doing that with the old Master Collection. You'd need to drop 1500+, and whilst it's true - you would own them, they would be out of date within a year or two.

 

[MajorFubar]

That's exactly why a subscription model is good though. Try doing that with the old Master Collection. You'd need to drop 1500+, and whilst it's true - you would own them, they would be out of date within a year or two.

But no one cared: mostly 3-5 y/o CS-whatever still did what you needed it to do, especially by the time we'd got as far as CS6, so users didn't upgrade. That's why Adobe changed to a subscription model. In fact when the first MacOS came along which wouldn't run CS6 (whatever came after Mojave I think) Adobe probably threw a party.

 

[cupcakes2000]

But no one cared: mostly 3-5 y/o CS-whatever still did what you needed it to do, especially by the time we'd got as far as CS6, so users didn't upgrade. That's why Adobe changed to a subscription model.

What a typically massive and un-provable internet statment to make!

I doubt 'no one' cared.

Anyway. 3 years of full CC is quite a lot less than the full price of the Master Collection, and you get substially more.

If you need this type of essential software, it's better value. If you occasionally use it then perhaps not, although you can subscribe and resubscribe when you like so it seems still better value for non professionals that this stuff has never been aimed at or priced for.

 

[satchmo]

But no one cared: mostly 3-5 y/o CS-whatever still did what you needed it to do, especially by the time we'd got as far as CS6, so users didn't upgrade. That's why Adobe changed to a subscription model. In fact when the first MacOS came along which wouldn't run CS6 (whatever came after Mojave I think) Adobe probably threw a party.

I still have CS6. Unfortunately it doesn’t get used very much given it doesn’t run on my M1 Mac mini.

 

[Wxchaser]

I subscribe to Adobe CC and I use it occasionally - but probably not often enough to justify the subscription cost. I would greatly prefer paying for the upgradeable software suite (like FCP), then bending over to pay the monthly subscription fees.

I will never buy an iPhone on subscription but pay full price at release. If you purchase a subscription you will be paying more over time - interest, payment schedule, etc.

 

[svish]

Might be available only in the US initially.

 

[PaloAltoMark]

I personally would still prefer to own my phone. However, if I could buy a subscription for as little as 1 month, I might use this to try a particular model and decide whether I wanted to actually buy it. In other words, try the model with 3 cameras and decide if its worth the extra money vs the lesser model with 2.

 

[Wxchaser]

I personally would still prefer to own my phone. However, if I could buy a subscription for as little as 1 month, I might use this to try a particular model and decide whether I wanted to actually buy it. In other words, try the model with 3 cameras and decide if its worth the extra money vs the lesser model with 2.

Good point!

 

[MajorFubar]

What a typically massive and un-provable internet statment to make!

Unprovable? What about the fact they started revoking CS6 licences because people weren't 'transitioning' fast enough?

They moved over to a subscription model to make sure you were perpetually paying for something that you previously bought once and potentially didn't need to upgrade from, ever.

But like I said in my earlier post (previous page), this is the internet. When I said 'no-one', it obviously had an asterisk at the end.

 

[MacSince1985]

Why don't they simply call it rental or leasing? It's nothing new and most phone companies already offer similar programs.

For people who upgrade their equipment on a regular schedule, it may be a simpler option as they won't need to figure out how to sell the equipment at the end of the term. As for value, it all depends on the subscription cost vs. cost of purchase and resale value, and convenience.

It's probably not for me, but I can see it as a useful option for some individuals and companies.

 

[kawalerzysta]

This is pretty exciting. I’m looking to see what they offer. Hopefully, AppleCare+ isn’t forced into the program like it is for the iPhone Upgrade Program. Hopefully, you don’t need to be on one of the big 3 carriers to sign up like the iPhone Upgrade Program.

If they are leasing it to you, they own it so you can bet Apple Care will be part of it.

 

[satchmo]

I personally would still prefer to own my phone. However, if I could buy a subscription for as little as 1 month, I might use this to try a particular model and decide whether I wanted to actually buy it. In other words, try the model with 3 cameras and decide if its worth the extra money vs the lesser model with 2.

You can pretty much do this now given you have 14 days to return an item. Just do this twice.

 

[MajorFubar]

I still have CS6. Unfortunately it doesn’t get used very much given it doesn’t run on my M1 Mac mini.

I have a Studio Max on order. From my arsenal of old Mac kit in my signature, I will be selling my 2011 iMac but will be keeping my 2012 non-retina MPB specifically for running CS6.

 

[Thebrochure]

This will only come out for people who buy a new phone all the time. Those of us who wait five years or more would end up getting rooked.

 

[MajorFubar]

This will only come out for people who buy a new phone all the time. Those of us who wait five years or more would end up getting rooked.

You're right but that happens now even with contract phones. Certainly here in the UK. Years ago I was on a two year T-Mobile contract with my first iPhone (4S), paying £40 per month for the phone + data + txt + mins. Something like 26-27 months in, I phoned up to ask at what point in time were they planning to move me onto a sim-only deal considering I now effectively owned the phone having completed the obligatory contract. Long story short, they wouldn't ever have done. So I cancelled that contract and took out a sim-only contract with them, got a better package (more data+txts+mins, which in those days weren't unlimted) for £20pm. But if I hadn't asked, I'd have been paying £40pm forever.

 

[Le0M]

Nonsense. When the rental goes back to Apple, it’s either refurbished and resold to someone else, or it’s recycled and made into more iPhones.

Until these products are 100% recyclable - and without polluting during the recycling process - than it won't matter if they get refurbished etc, because the point is to entice consumers to get a new iPhone every year.
I realised that most of the time we can ask ourselves "if every person on this earth would do this, would it have a positive impact?" and if the answer is "no " then we also know that this modus operandi is a no-go, and viceversa.