Apple Upgrade makes getting a new iPhone or Mac look surprisingly affordable. You select your preferred device, lease term and then pay for it in monthly installments. At the end of the lease, you can buy the device outright or upgrade to a newer model.
But is Apple Upgrade really worth leasing your next iPhone or Mac? I did the math to find out.
The new Apple Upgrade program makes a compelling first impression, enabling you to lease a new iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch or iPad at low monthly rates. You can lease a new iPhone for $17.99 per month or a Mac for as low as $24.99 per month.
However, the enticingly low lease price only tells part of the story. Before signing up for the Apple Upgrade program, you should examine the terms, restrictions and other factors in the fine print to see if leasing makes sense for you.
Apple just made it easier to stay on the latest hardware with the launch of Apple Upgrade, a new subscription-style leasing program that lets U.S. customers pay a monthly fee for an iPhone, Mac, iPad or Apple Watch.
The new service builds on the company’s old iPhone Upgrade Program by expanding to almost its entire product lineup, giving customers many more options when it’s time to move to a newer device.
“At Apple, we put the customer at the center of everything we do,” said Karen Rasmussen, Apple’s vice president of the Apple Store online in a press release Tuesday, “and we’re thrilled that Apple Upgrade offers our customers, both online and in-store, a more flexible way to pay for the products they love.”
Apple apparently wants you to stop buying iPhones outright, with the rumored Apple Upgrade leasing program the clearest sign of that shift. But code hidden in the iOS 27 beta hints at what happens if you fall behind on an Apple Upgrade payment — and it isn’t pretty.
According to information that leaked Tuesday, Apple Upgrade will enable consumers to pay monthly for an iPhone, Mac, iPad or Apple Watch. To go with that, Apple appears to be working on a system that could restrict a financed iPhone if payments lapse.
Apple is reportedly preparing a major shake-up in the way customers buy its products. The company plans to launch Apple Upgrade, a subscription-style leasing program that lets customers upgrade to newer devices more easily while lowering monthly payments, next week, according to an unconfirmed report.
It’ll apparently be similar to the long-running iPhone Upgrade Program — which is reportedly getting canceled — but with a much broader range of products covered. There’ll be other differences as well.
Apple might soon give customers the option to get a Mac or other device with monthly fees, rather than paying the full cost up front. The company is working on a hardware subscription service, according to a reliable source.
Software subscriptions are common, but hardware is a different business. Even so, Apple has already dipped its toe into this market.
The iPhone Upgrade Program enables people to get a new Apple handset every year and pay it off in monthly installments, interest free. The monthly payments come from a credit card or a bank account. It’s possible to change which one at any time.
Many people who used the Upgrade Program to get an iPhone 13 want to do this because a bug prevented an Apple Card from being used for this on the handset’s launch day.
Here’s how to switch to a new credit card or bank account for Apple’s installment plan.
The preorder experience for iPhone 13 proved less than enjoyable for many customers Friday morning, with Apple Store problems causing all kinds of headaches. Complaints quickly flooded Twitter as various errors plagued would-be upgraders fighting to get their orders in quickly.
The iPhone Upgrade Program is Apple’s equivalent of a carrier’s monthly contract. You can upgrade your iPhone every year, and pay a monthly fee instead of buying the handset outright. The upgrade path is simple — there’s a new iPhone every year, and you can upgrade every year.
Here’s how to get ready so you can be ready for iPhone 13 preorders this Friday. Don’t wait until the last minute.
iPhone 12 and 12 mini will soon be available in a brand-new purple color option, alongside AirTag — Apple’s very first item tracker. You can preorder all three devices starting Friday, April 23, ahead of their release on April 30.
We’ll show you how.
If you plan to preorder iPhone 12 mini or Pro Max on Friday, November 6, through the iPhone Upgrade Program, then do yourself a massive favor and get preapproved early. It will make the whole process quicker and easier.
We’ll show you how.
Apple Card users can soon use this credit card to buy an iPhone with payments stretching over two years, but without incurring any interest.
It’s already possible to buy an iOS handset through the iPhone Upgrade Program, but this requires a separate loan.
Apple has joined forces with Alipay in an effort to boost iPhone sales in China.
iPhone fans can now bag one of the company’s latest handsets with up to two years of interest-free finance. The loan allows customers to swap the costly upfront fee for much more affordable monthly payments. It’s available on purchases of 4,000 yuan (approx. $595) or more.
The iPhone Upgrade Program is Apple’s equivalent of a carrier’s monthly contract. You can upgrade your iPhone every year, and pay a monthly fee instead of buying the handset outright. Usually, the upgrade path is simple — there’s a new iPhone every year, and you can upgrade every year. But the iPhone X came out on November 3, 2017, so iPhone Upgrade Program participants still have at least a couple of weeks left to run on their contracts.
So how do you get the colorful iPhone XR you’re craving on launch day?
The iPhone XR, the handset which scored the main event spot in Apple’s most recent media event, opens up for pre-orders this Friday. However, if you’re a loyal enough Apple fan to be a member of its iPhone Upgrade Program, you can begin the process of getting your hands on an iPhone XR today.
That’s due to a pre-approval feature, which will speed you through Friday’s checkout process like a celebrity being ushered through airport security.
T-Mobile customers can now sign up to the iPhone Upgrade Program online — just in time for Apple’s big 2018 upgrades.
Online enrollment was previously available to those on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon, while T-Mobile subscribers were forced to visit their local Apple Store. The process will be a little easier for those looking to buy a new iPhone this fall.
It might not seem like it at the time, but buying an iPhone for full price upfront is probably the cheapest option. Swallowing the $1,000 purchase price of an unlocked iPhone X isn’t easy. However, you won’t wind up tied to carrier contracts that trap you for a year or two. Plus, you can pick a cheap, $10-per-month prepaid data plan instead.
In the European Union, Apple sells unlocked phones from the get-go. If you buy a new iPhone from Apple on launch day, it will not come tied to a carrier. In the United States, SIM-free iPhones usually go on sale a few weeks after launch.
Today we’ll look at how and where you can buy a SIM-free, unlocked iPhone.
Apple is giving iPhone Upgrade Program subscribers a “head start” on their iPhone X pre-order. Starting today, eligible customers can begin the upgrade process so that there is no delay in placing their order come Friday morning.
iPhone X is Apple’s most expensive smartphone to date, with the cheapest 64GB model priced at $999, and the 256GB model priced at $1,149.
That’s $50 more than a 21-inch iMac. However, you don’t have to go hungry for the next few months to afford one. Here’s how to save money and get your hands on iPhone X without breaking the bank.
Apple should take a note out of Jeff Bezos’ playbook and launch an Amazon Prime-style subscription service, claims an analyst for Goldman Sachs.
“We think Apple should launch a subscription bundle as a way to reinforce iPhone loyalty and leverage it into content,” Simona Jankowski writes in a new note to clients. In the brief, Jankowski and colleagues ponder the potential of a $50 monthly subscription that would get customers the latest iPhone plus other services like Apple TV, Apple Music and freemium access to the iTunes library.
Samsung has launched its own Upgrade Program alongside the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge to make it easier for fans to get their hands on its latest devices.
It comes in response to Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, but it’s nowhere near as good.
Apple is rolling out several new programs in its retail store locations that will give credit for iPhones with pretty severe damage, according to a report. The program will allow customers with a cracked screen, damaged buttons or damaged cameras to trade in their faulty device without issue. Apple previously wouldn’t accept this kind of damage in its Reuse and Recycle trade-in program.
Samsung is reportedly planning to launch its own upgrade program to give Galaxy smartphone fans an easy and more affordable route to its latest devices.
The move would be a direct response to Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, and could prevent long-time users from making the switch to iOS.
Hit-and-miss Apple analyst Gene Munster has admitted he couldn’t have been more wrong about the likely customer uptake of Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, the $32+ per month scheme designed to get new iPhones into the hands of people happy to pay a monthly fee to Apple.
Wow. That was a big deal. For a mere “s” upgrade, Apple went way above and beyond with today’s big product showcase. Three major product lines have been not just upgraded, but reinvented, and finally there’s a reason to buy the one that has been languishing — the Apple TV, which is now a gaming console as well as an entertainment center.
Maybe I’ve drunk too much Kool-Aid, but I thought this morning’s presentation was one for the history books.