Upgraded, a MacBook upgrade program that offers month-to-month subscription for new laptops, launched in the United States on Thursday.
Subscribers pay for their MacBook with a monthly fee, and can trade up to a new model every two years at no additional cost.
Buy a MacBook as a subscription with bi-annual upgrades
Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program lets customers pay a monthly fee instead of buying the handset outright. It includes a new iPhone every year. But Apple has no equivalent for MacBooks.
But now there’s Upgraded. The San Francisco-based company launched first in Scandinavia, but is now bringing its service to the U.S.
It allows customers to buy a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro with the cost spread over 36 months. But after 24 months, they can trade in the notebook for a new one and start the process over.
The monthly cost for a MacBook Air starts at $39.67, while a MacBook Pro starts at $43. Naturally, the cost increases depending on the configuration of the computer. In addition, an AppleCare+ subscription is required, and interest rates on the loan vary by customers’ credit ratings.
The loans are handled by Citizens Pay, the same company Apple uses for the iPhone Upgrade Program.
“Upgrade programs are long overdue when it comes to laptops, and our program is the most viable path to own a MacBook without having to dish out thousands of dollars at once on a single purchase,” said John Erik Metcalf, Co-founder & CEO of Upgraded.
At this time, MacBooks are the only products in the program.
Visit the Upgraded website for more details.
There is a possibility that this startup will someday get a big rival: Apple itself. Leaks from 2022 indicated that Cupertino is considering its own service to sell Macs for a monthly subscription fee.
