Do you think Apple wants to control all the old iphones so in the near future people can't repurpose them for inference servers once all hardware gets jailbroken by AI? I forsee all software and hardware becoming unlocked by anyone since there is a will and the way is becoming so easy with AI assistance. The cat and mouse game is about to end!
The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade
281–290 of 411 posts
Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade
#282Interestingly, 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...
I’m confused where it says they will be able to nerf them.
Reads to me like there’s code that could be that, but it’s not certain.
Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade
#283Can anyone explain why Apple needed Klarna for this? They have Apple Card so presumably they are capable of providing financial services like loans on their own, why bring in a third party who will take a cut and force your consumers onto their app with a bad reputation?
Goldman Sachs is the issuer for Apple Card.
Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade
#284Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 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.
No one's really stopping you from owning nothing and being happy.
Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade
#285Can anyone explain why Apple needed Klarna for this? They have Apple Card so presumably they are capable of providing financial services like loans on their own, why bring in a third party who will take a cut and force your consumers onto their app with a bad reputation?
Apple absolutely does not provide Apple Card in-house, and in particular is not loaning you the money when you use it. Among many other reasons, for that to be legal would require Apple to be a bank, which they're not and they definitely don't want to be, because being a bank is a huge pain, and in particular means signing up for an extremely heavyweight regulatory compliance regime.
Apple Card is the result of a co-branding deal between Apple and Goldman Sachs (which is currently in the process of exiting the deal and being replaced in that capacity by JPMorgan Chase). Apple provides the branding and some minor fintech features; Goldman (or in the future Chase) issues the card and is on the hook if people don't pay their credit card bill.
Presumably for this particular program using Klarna was cheaper because Klarna already specializes in precisely this kind of transaction.
Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade
#286Earlier quoted context omitted.
That’s evil. So if the target demographic, the person that does not have money to buy an iPhone outright, is mugged, they need to essentially buy the iPhone outright or they start racking up interest and fees. (I don’t care if they say the target demographic is “people who upgrade every 2 years” instead. If that were really the case, you don’t need financing, just a buy-back program)
This is the same as when you get a phone through a mobile carrier. T-Mobile doesn't care that I got mugged, they want their money.
It’s not the same. With a mobile carrier, you could just continue to make monthly payments as normal, and at the end of your contract, the payments stop.
With this program, you can either pay a lump sum to cancel the lease early, or you can continue making monthly payments, but at the 24-month mark, since you can’t return the phone, you’ll still owe them $430.
Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade
#287Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’ll never stop using a case. Too clumsy, too careless. 2-3 days without my phone would be manageable but why?
My screen is cracked, and I still prefer it over a case. Just a personal preference, I think.
Phones these days are so slippery without a case though... Is it just me? Feels like trying to hold on to a wet bar of soap sans case.
Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade
#288The 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…
AppleCare is even more important with the lease. If you lose the phone you have to pay Klarna to replace it. There might also be lease cancellation fees on top of that.
That is my big problem with leasing portable things. I never get AppleCare because I can self insure. But if I lose the phone 8 months into the lease I am deep in a hole.
Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade
#289Earlier quoted context omitted.
That’s evil. So if the target demographic, the person that does not have money to buy an iPhone outright, is mugged, they need to essentially buy the iPhone outright or they start racking up interest and fees. (I don’t care if they say the target demographic is “people who upgrade every 2 years” instead. If that were really the case, you don’t need financing, just a buy-back program)
People must really like the dopamine rush of feeling outraged. Giving people the option to not buy insurance is not evil. It's just a seller giving a buyer options at different price points.
Giving people options that will in practice put them into spiraling debt slavery is objectively evil.
Re: The iPhone Upgrade Program is being replaced by Apple Upgrade
#290Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is unchanged from the upgrade program terms before. The phone is unlocked, but when you take delivery of the phone you have to activate it on a Big 3 carrier's postpaid plan.
So, the phones arrived locked? You can't use them with any carrier you want?
Phone is unlocked but you have to put in carrier info when you buy the phone. You have to activate a line from one of the big three carriers to use the program at all.