For years, my wife and I always bought secondhand cars.
When we were young and poor, they were clunkers. One of them was set alight by someone who broke inside it to smoke crack. We continued to drive that one for several years, with seats I salvaged from the junkyard — and a toxic smoke smell that required we always kept all four windows down.
Although we saved significantly upfront, we often paid out thousands of dollars in repair costs to keep these jalopies on the road. Don’t get me started about the three Land Rovers we’ve owned, which ultimately proved very expensive.
I tried several times to persuade my wife that we should lease a car instead. For a low-ish monthly payment, far less than our mortgage, we could get a great new car that accommodated our growing family — and save big on repairs and gas, too.
But my wife never liked the idea. She hates being in debt, and correctly pointed out that at the end of the term, the car would have to be returned in pristine condition. No stale Cheerios all over the floor or moldy food scraps stuffed between the seats.
The general reaction to Apple’s new leasing program reflects my wife’s attitude.
Yesterday’s Cult of Mac Today poll asked readers if they had any interest in the new Apple Upgrade program, and the results were very, very clear.
Like my wife, no one is interested in it. Even Matchbox: The Movie from the poll the day before got more votes!
Nonetheless, I think that for a lot of people, and for a lot of devices — especially the pricier ones — Apple Upgrade does make sense. There’s a good reason Apple launched the program just before it debuts the first foldable iPhone and touchscreen MacBook.
I’m very tempted to upgrade my aging iPad Pro using the program, and I found our Apple Upgrade explainer really helpful.
Also in today’s newsletter:
I’m definitely going to get the foldable iPhone if/when it comes out this fall, and I’m really excited about Apple’s long-rumored home hub, too. It might debut very soon.
At first I found the idea of HBO surfacing vertical video clips absolutely abhorrent. But it actually makes a lot of sense.
🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: Ever the cheapskate, I love Amazon’s cheap-ass Apple Watch bands like this six-pack of silicon sports straps for just $15. #affiliate
I find it really hard to talk to my Mac or dictate my writing. I think with my fingers (or not!), but I’m clearly behind the times. Google Gemini’s upgraded dictation abilities sound really interesting — especially the screen-aware stuff.
And here’s where it all started. It’s fascinating to compare this three-decade-old machine with today’s technology. It’s both immediately recognizable and light-years ahead.
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
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The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
Today’s poll
Will Apple's home hub be an instant buy?
Results from yesterday’s poll:
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