Growing up, we weren’t rich, and some expensive items in our household were bought on the “never never,” otherwise known as lease-to-own plans.
That included our TV, VCR, couch, washing machine, car (when we had one), and several other items.
With typical black British humor, it was called the “never never” because for a lot of people, the installment plans were never paid off. The interest was often criminal. And the payments kept ballooning, trapping people in a never-ending cycle of debt.
As the current economy continues to become more K-shaped, Apple is reportedly launching its own never never plan — a new subscription service that will allow customers to buy iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watches on installments.
Actually, in Apple’s case, it’s unfair to call it that. If Apple’s current iPhone Upgrade Program is anything to go by, the terms will likely be pretty reasonable (beyond the sheer expense of maxed-out MacBooks, of course).
In fact, the new service — reportedly called Apple Upgrade — sounds very similar to the iPhone Upgrade Program, which Cult of Mac’s managing editor Lewis Wallace has been on forever. He’s a big fan. For Lewis, it’s the easiest way to get a new iPhone every year (with AppleCare+ thrown in), and he likes paying in installments.
Apple’s new plan reportedly won’t include AppleCare, but for a lot of people, the idea of spreading payments for pricey products over a long period of time will appeal.
In fact, the most surprising thing is that Apple didn’t do it sooner.
Also in today’s newsletter:
Wow: This rumor about the increased size of the iPhone 20 Pro Max has me really interested in the device, even though I ditched Max-size iPhones a few generations ago. Bigger is always better, right?
Apple continues to build out iOS 27: Here are the changes in the latest beta.
🔥 DEAL OF THE DAY: It ain’t cheap, but this beefy 23-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 dock is a great way to attach several high-res monitors to your MacBook — and all your other gear, too. #affiliate
This new Mac malware sounds fun. TL;DR: Be wary of anything that asks you to copy a command and paste it into Terminal.
Mophie’s 4-in-1 Wireless Charge Stand fast-charges your iPhone using a new cooling technique the company calls StealthCharge. Our reviewer is a fan.
Chinese phone makers can’t innovate my ass! Check out the gimbal phone in the X posts below. It almost looks like fake AI, but isn’t.
— Leander Kahney, EIC.
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Mac stands for what we are as a company — taking technology that's out of reach of the people and making it really great. That's what we did with the Apple II, and that's what we're going to do again with Mac. Computers and society are out on a first date in this decade, and for some crazy reason, we're in the right place at the right time to make that romance blossom.
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