Apple is planning to sell iPhones, iPads as a subscription service

Apple is working on launching a hardware subscription service for iPhones and iPads. The move is expected to make owning an iPhone or an iPad as easy as paying monthly rental for an app.

Bloomberg reports that Apple is planning to enable customers to subscribe to their preferred hardware (that is, iPhones or iPads) with the same Apple ID and App Store account that they use to buy apps and subscribe to various services. The program would differ in a way that it wouldn’t split the price of the device across 12 or 24 monthly instalments. Instead, it would be based on the fee of the subscription service, which in turn would be based on the device that the user has chosen.
The report also says that Apple has plans of allowing customers to swap out their devices for new models when fresh hardware comes out as a part of its upcoming hardware subscription service.

Furthermore, the report says that the company is having internal discussions for attaching the hardware subscription service to its AppleCare technical support plans and Apple One bundles that was launched in 2020 and allows users to subscribe to a host of Apple’s services such as TV+, Arcade, Music, Fitness+ and iCloud storage among others.

Notably, Apple had been working on its hardware subscription service for quite some time now. However, its plans of launching the service were put on hold in order to launch the company’s ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ program more quickly. Now, the company is expected to launch the service at the end of 2022 or early in 2023.

It is worth mentioning that this is not the first attempt that Apple is making its devices more accessible to the users. The company, back in 2015, launched the iPhone Upgrade Program that enabled users to spread the cost of an iPhone over 24 months. It also enabled users to upgrade to a new iPhone model every 12 months. In addition to this, the company also allows Apple Card users to divide the cost of an iPhone or Apple Watch over 24 months and the cost of an iPad or a Mac over a span of 12 months.

If announced, this would be the first time that Apple will roll out a subscription service that is akin to leasing a device. While it would make it easier for users to buy its devices, the report says, that it could also help the company generate more revenue.

The post Apple is planning to sell iPhones, iPads as a subscription service appeared first on BGR India.