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Apple introduces leasing program for iPhones and other devices

nytimes.com

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Re: Apple introduces leasing program for iPhones and other devices

#51

Post by Someone »

cedws wrote: post #44
microtonal wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed, there is very little happening from generation to generation. Yes, the 17 Pro had a redesign and better thermals, but was very boring otherwise. I don't really see why non-enthusiasts with a 14/15/16 Pro would upgrade. The 17 was a good step up, but it's hard to cheer for finally getting a 120Hz display, while 300-400 Euro Android phones had them for a few years already. The iPhone Air was the only really int…

I have an iPhone 14 Pro and honestly can’t tell the difference between mine and the newest gen besides the different colour options. Releasing a new iPhone every year at this point is stupid, innovation has slowed right down, but Apple aren’t going to turn down the free FOMO money.

> Releasing a new iPhone every year at this point is stupid

That buying a new iPhone is stupid for the typical user doesn’t mean releasing a new on every year is stupid for Apple.

If users upgrade their iPhone every X years, Apple still can sell their new model to 1/X of their customers.

That means they have extra costs of having to design more new models and losing some economies of scale, but it also removes some risks:

- it prevents their phones from looking old compared to the competition

- it means that a slightly flawed design can be iterated upon faster

- at Apple’s sales numbers, I’m not sure economies of scale matter much. Scaling down might even help them. Imagine having to negotiate production of half a billion identical screens over a period of X years. A one-year contract for a hundred million ones means Apple can switch easier between suppliers, putting some pressure on suppliers to offer lower prices.

Re: Apple introduces leasing program for iPhones and other devices

#52

Post by addaon »

RunSet wrote: post #16
jb1991 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a seven-year-old MacBook Air that is like new and runs just as fast today as it did the day I bought it. Battery lasts acceptably and it’s a joy to use.

It occurs to me that none of those metrics include numbers.

Seven might disagree.

Re: Apple introduces leasing program for iPhones and other devices

#53

Post by reilly3000 »

speak_plainly wrote: post #39
xnx wrote: post #28

Apple is introducing this now because hardware capability ceilings are being hit and component prices are preventing higher specced components from being used. I buy a new (non apple) phone most years, but I'll probably skip the next 2 years due to flatlining of specs and increasing price.

The next few upgrade cycles for Apple will be about enabling AI functionality through an increase in ram. So if people want AI, they’ll have to get a new phone.

This is the only reason I got the 17p. My 14p was and continues to be a fine phone (now tester for my son’s app). Useful offline inference with the context of your phone is revolutionary stuff.

Re: Apple introduces leasing program for iPhones and other devices

#54

Post by malshe »

quietsegfault wrote: post #45
harladsinsteden wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What exactly does "heavy use" mean? My MacBook Pro is now in its fourth year of daily development work. It doesn't show any kind of wear. So far I don't see any reason to replace it in the years to come. If nothing major changes I think I'll get another four years out of it.

I’ve never replaced a MacBook because it was worn out, but because I wanted a newer, higher performance version. I have a 2018 MacBook Pro that I just can’t get rid of because it still works great.

Same here. I have my 2013 MacBook Pro still going strong. My father uses it when he visits me.

Re: Apple introduces leasing program for iPhones and other devices

#55

Post by ImHereToVote »

roysting wrote: post #11
ImHereToVote wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why are capitalists doing this? I thought it wall all CuLtUrAl MaRxIstS??

It’s a mistake to call these capitalist things. When the government subsidizes you and bails you out with money printing fraud and government spending and no one is ever held accountable, let alone suffer any real consequences; you don’t have capitalism at all, any more than “communism” was ever actually communism. Frankly, if you look at “capitalism” it oddly looks far more like the underlying con system of control…

Capitalism needs governments to work. It has throughout history. Free markets aren't synonymous to Capitalism.

Maybe a theoretical free market state can exist. But it has certainly never been tried.

Re: Apple introduces leasing program for iPhones and other devices

#56

Post by Jtsummers »

artisinal wrote: post #48
pllbnk wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only phone I would consider upgrading from my 14 Pro Max is Air. I think phone cameras have hit a limit several years ago and stopped improving, the end results looking really weak even with all this heavy post processing. Air finally doesn’t feel like a brick while having a large enough screen. It’s a breath of fresh air, pun intended.

Take a look at the regular 17 then. Only slightly more expensive, a couple grams heavier but it will not be as much of a downgrade from your 14PM. The 17 is very good in the hands with that screen size. And it has an aluminum housing.

The regular 17 is cheaper than the Air, not more expensive. And it has a better camera and battery and a slightly worse processor (but still better than the 14 there). The next gen Air might be worth getting but the current one is an awkward model that only makes sense if you want it for its thinness. It is $200 more than the plain 17 with only one better feature (processor) other than thinness and $100 cheaper than the Pro which has a lot of improvements (battery, camera, screen).

Re: Apple introduces leasing program for iPhones and other devices

#57

Post by xnx »

UnreachableCode wrote: post #36
xnx wrote: post #28

Apple is introducing this now because hardware capability ceilings are being hit and component prices are preventing higher specced components from being used. I buy a new (non apple) phone most years, but I'll probably skip the next 2 years due to flatlining of specs and increasing price.

If you don't mind me asking, why do you buy one new phone every year?

Most years the camera improves enough to be worth it for me and I have a few different people my hand-me-down phones go to so it averages to 1 new phone every 4 years for the group.

Re: Apple introduces leasing program for iPhones and other devices

#58

Post by rjrjrjrj »

jb1991 wrote: post #12
sixhobbits wrote: post #7

Not sure why people are so negative about this, macbooks only really last a few years under heavy use anyway and most small businesses would love to pay $100/employee/month to make sure they all have hardware they need rather than trying to manage depreciation accounting and cash flow. Eg often hardware over $1000 gets depreciated over 5 years but employee laptops get replaced every 3 years so subscribing can have a…

I have a seven-year-old MacBook Air that is like new and runs just as fast today as it did the day I bought it. Battery lasts acceptably and it’s a joy to use.

While I agree with the general sentiment, if you're not using an Apple Silicon MacBook you're missing out.

(Sent from M1 MBA)

Re: Apple introduces leasing program for iPhones and other devices

#59

Post by Grombobulous »

cautiouscat wrote: post #20

For what it’s worth, it’s lease to own: > At the end of your initial lease term, you can do one of the following: > Upgrade and return your current device. Footnote ◊ > Leave the program and return your current device. Footnote ◊ > Buy the device outright with a one-time payment from your Klarna account. https://www.apple.com/shop/apple-upgrade

What is more positive about it is just that there’s no interest or money factor.

I do think it is ultimately an effort to shorten upgrade cycles. Lower the monthly payment enough and keeping the same payment will look appealing to many customers.

From a positive perspective, I think it’s preferable to trade-in programs if you were planning to do that sort of thing, and I think it wrestles a little bit of control back from carriers who have been very aggressive about upgrade deals that end up locking people in (even though there’s no “contract,” the effect is the same, since you lose your bill credits if you switch providers before the term is up).

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