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The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade

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Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade

#221

Post by apparent »

cloudfudge wrote: post #199
apparent wrote: post #197

Interestingly, Apple is apparently going to be able to nerf the devices if the customer misses a series of payments. [1] Presumably this ability means that Klarna has a lower risk of nonpayment, and is willing to accept a smaller cut of the total price from Apple. 1: https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/21/ios-27-code-suggests-apple-co...

Note that they already do this if you buy a mac on an Apple Card, and they even go so far as to link your AppleID that you may have had for decades. I bought a new mac last year and signed up for the 0% Apple Card financing and if I'd have known about this little bit of leverage they use, I would have created a brand new AppleID to partition it off.

What do they do to your Mac if you don't make payments?

Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade

#222

Post by xp84 »

alexjplant wrote: post #51
xp84 wrote: post #16

Seems like a good place to also mourn the canonical best iPhone financing method - the blissfully simple Apple Card payment plan. They got rid of it[1] (except if you're engaging in the postpaid carrier contract foolishness) in 2023, which coincidentally was the last time I felt the need to get a new iPhone. I know a lot of people use postpaid, but I can't understand why. I'd challenge anyone to justify that decision…

> I know a lot of people use postpaid, but I can't understand why. Two reasons: data caps and device cost. People want iPhones but they cost $1000 outright which isn't a small amount of cash these days so they roll the cost of the device into their monthly bill. The average consumer also doesn't understand how mobile data versus 802.11 works - their kid doesn't activate Wi-Fi on their phone or download anything, they…

There's no need to settle for a measly $10GB plan for that kind of money. Mine costs $32.50 and includes unlimited data (actually not deprioritized, too) and 50GB of hotspot.

If you really can settle for 10GB though, you could do it for even less.

I can see how some people feel like the phone financing is something they need if they have cash flow problems and trouble accessing credit, but boy do those postpaid carriers make you pay for it, both in the payments themselves, AND in the plan itself costing more than twice as much what I pay even if you've finished paying off your phone payments.

Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade

#223

Post by wxw »

bri3d wrote: post #69
wxw wrote: post #17

> To make way for Apple Upgrade — a new experience that offers more products and terms that work for you — we’re saying goodbye to the iPhone Upgrade Program. https://www.apple.com/shop/apple-upgrade It looks like this leasing program is just moving into a more generic/Apple-wide offering... not sure if the fine print changes. [edit: from the comments, it sounds like the difference is it was previously 0% interest fi…

It's "just" a restructuring; the previous setup was a really bizarre financial product where Citizens Bank gave you a 24-month 0% personal loan to buy an iPhone, but Apple would also buy your phone and loan out and sell you a new one every 12 months. Now it's just a normal lease product with a 0% money factor through Klarna, that also works across Apple. What this does is gives Apple more "price flexibility" (aka, th…

Makes sense, thanks!

Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade

#224

Post by Barbing »

macintux wrote: post #219
horsawlarway wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand this mindset. I get that people who are going to upgrade to the latest flagship phone every 18-24 months will probably do better with this, but realistically... those people are fucking insanely financially irresponsible (and if you can afford it - no shade, I guess, its your money - lord knows I burn lots of cash on hobby projects of my own, although I tend to buy things that are actually projects…

For me, the primary value of my phone is the camera, and the telephoto on the iPhone Pro Max models has gotten significantly better in the 2.5 years since mine was released. Were it not for the camera, I could have stopped upgrading 10 years ago. My point is, not everyone values the same things you do. The new Siri AI only runs on 15 Pro and higher, I think. New features do arrive in newer phones.

iPhone 17 Pro is binoculars and also eliminated 16 Pro battery anxiety.

Value in being part of the discussion for a whole year every year too. You realllly have to care about stuff like these factors though (or hate investing your money or have too much).

Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade

#226

Post by ZekeSulastin »

horsawlarway wrote: post #215
0x457 wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, lets do math: - from this thread: iPhone 17 pro max would be $1199 to buy (~1273 with tax) or $34.99 for 24 months totaling $839.76. So would cost 433.33 at the end of the lease to keep it If you upgrade your phone every 1-2 years then what you pay for the phone is something like "full cost - optimistic trade-in value". I see no reason not to do if you know you going to upgrade.

I don't understand this mindset. I get that people who are going to upgrade to the latest flagship phone every 18-24 months will probably do better with this, but realistically... those people are fucking insanely financially irresponsible (and if you can afford it - no shade, I guess, its your money - lord knows I burn lots of cash on hobby projects of my own, although I tend to buy things that are actually projects…

So how much annually do you spend on your hobbies, anyways, if you're going to declare getting a new phone every two years "fucking insanely financially irresponsible" :p Glass houses and all that, right?

Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade

#227

Post by Spooky23 »

nerdjon wrote: post #23

The math for the new program is kinda perplexing, my guess is that they are hoping that most people just will send in the device and upgrade. If I am reading the FAQ here properly: https://www.apple.com/shop/apple-upgrade . > If you decide to buy the device, the purchase option fee is the list price minus any lease payments you’ve made minus any remaining discounts or trade-in credit. (excluding tax and any damage fe…

It’s all about the AppleCare. I’ve used the upgrade program from the beginning. The issue with it from Apple is if I have an iPhone, iPad, MacBook I’m not gonna buy the $20/mo AppleCare.

They are also dumping a weird risk premium on the end user. I literally get a new phone every year with the upgrade program, there’s no way I’ll be doing that going forward, at least through the lease. I’ll just buy it with cash and wait for a deal.

Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade

#228

Post by amazingamazing »

pishpash wrote: post #115
amazingamazing wrote: post #73

People whine about everything. This is a free loan compared to Apple MSRP.

First-party MSRP at that. What's a few % free loan discount in comparison to almost any other retail pricing out there that is periodically 10-15% off.

Where can you consistently get 10-15% off apple products?

Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade

#229

Post by Barbing »

lovich wrote: post #190
Mistletoe wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why on earth are we leasing phones now???

That’s tame when people are leasing literal meals with klarna

Also leasing whatever Subway sells https://sezzle.com/shop/subway

Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade

#230

Post by Spooky23 »

paxys wrote: post #96
Aurornis wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A lot of people aren’t going to have that $433 at the end of the lease to purchase the device outright I think you're looking at this too much from the perspective of someone who wants to own the phone, not as someone who wants to consider a lease. Leases are not a new invention. A lot of people, including very financially savvy and well off people, choose to lease rather than buy depending on the circumstances. It…

> If someone doesn’t have $400 to buy out the residual then I doubt they would have had the cash to pay for the whole thing up front. That’s the entire point. They would have bought a cheaper phone, or held on to their old one, but are now paying perpetual monthly payments. There’s a reason car dealerships never ask “how much can you afford”, but “how much do you want to pay every month”. There’s a reason Klarna is r…

What if I don’t want to “own my phone”?

Look, I have one camera with me and one child. As long as the camera gets better every year, I’m gonna want a better camera, every year. I don’t want to deal with carriers and trade-in shopping. Unfortunately this particular deal sucks compared tot he old one.

I’m not financially irresponsible. I value these devices highly and value my time.

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