Apple Working on iPhone Subscription Service, Could Launch by Year End: Mark Gurman

News about Apple’s hardware subscription service was missing at its iPhone event

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 12 September 2022 16:21 IST

Apple Working on iPhone Subscription Service, Could Launch by Year End: Mark Gurman

Apple iPhone 14 Pro models have been launched at Rs. 1,29,900 in India

Highlights

Apple’s hardware subscription service has been in the work for while
It will let buyers subscribe to Apple hardware instead of buying it
Subscribers will have to pay a monthly fee like any other subscription

Apple's hardware subscription service has been in the works for a while and was made public after it surfaced in a Bloomberg article in March this year. A few months later, the same source now claims that Apple's hardware subscription service is currently undergoing testing and that it will be announced by the end of this year, or early next year. The subscription service will essentially let buyers subscribe to Apple hardware instead of purchasing them outright. Buyers will have to pay a monthly fee and can upgrade to a newer iPhone model when available.

In his Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman explains that the service once live is expected to function very differently compared to Apple's current iPhone Upgrade Programme, which basically lets buyers split the cost of an iPhone over 12-24 months. The new hardware subscription service will be quite different as subscribers to the same would have to pay a monthly fee (like subscribing to Apple Music) to use the device and can later upgrade to a new one; once a new model is available.

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According to Gurman, Apple is still testing out its new hardware subscription service and working out how it will integrate its Apple One bundles with it. The source also claimed that its new service will launch either later this year, or next year and that Apple did not announce the service at its iPhone 14 launch, to “reduce launch day complexity”, as it would be an entirely different way to purchase an iPhone.

What remains to be seen is how many Apple's devices will be a part of this subscription service and whether this would extend to Apple's Mac ecosystem as well. Also critical is the pricing and the fine print that would divide the line between owning the devices or purely using them. Gurman in his newsletter also stated that subscription fee would also depend on “which device a user chooses.”

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As per an earlier report, this new hardware subscription service is supposed to benefit Apple well as it is expected to rake in more money than the average selling price of an iPhone. This should work out well for Apple as it releases new versions of important devices year after year. The consumer benefits with a new and updated device at a lower cost and does not have to bear the entire cost of buying a new device in one go.

Apple unveiled eight new products at its September ‘Far Out' event. Which ones will float — and which will sink? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Further reading: Apple, Apple iPhone

Sheldon Pinto

Email Sheldon Pinto

Sheldon Pinto is based in Mumbai, and has several years of experience in reviewing smartphones and gadgets. As a Senior Reviewer at Gadgets 360, you will always find him deeply immersed in his reviews, switching from one phone to another. When the battery dies out, Sheldon is always browsing the web for a good sci-fi movie or reading up on cars and bikes. He also loves creating lists of interesting places to eat and travel. Sheldon is available on Twitter at @shellshocd, and you can mail him at ...More