A new report coming from Bloomberg claims that Apple is working on an iPhone subscription service. Essentially, the company would make the iPhone experience similar to app subscriptions. Apple would also tie in AppleCare and digital services to the iPhone subscription.
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According to Bloomberg, their sources claim the iPhone subscription plan is still in development, so we may not see it this year. This subscription service is similar to leasing and means you will not own the hardware, and you already don’t own the software. This plan could sour many, giving Apple more control over what your device and software can do.
Adopting hardware subscriptions, akin to an auto-leasing program, would be a major strategy shift for a company that has generally sold devices at full cost outright, sometimes through installments or with carrier subsidies. It could help Apple generate more revenue and make it easier for consumers to stomach spending thousands of dollars on new devices.
A spokeswoman for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment on the company’s plans.
The idea is to make the process of buying an iPhone or iPad on par with paying for iCloud storage or an Apple Music subscription each month. Apple is planning to let customers subscribe to hardware with the same Apple ID and App Store account they use to buy apps and subscribe to services today.
The program would differ from an installment program in that the monthly charge wouldn’t be the price of the device split across 12 or 24 months. Rather, it would be a yet-to-be-determined monthly fee that depends on which device the user chooses.
Bloomberg
An iPhone subscription plan is interesting, but we hope that the option to buy the hardware will still be available for those not interested.
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