In association with CIT as the financing partner, Apple has launched a new Mac Upgrade Program for small businesses and Apple business partners that allow companies to easily distribute and upgrade their fleets of MacBooks at an affordable price to all of their workers.
As outlined on CIT's website, shared by Max Weinbach, Apple Business Partners can distribute the 13-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch MacBook Air, 14-inch MacBook Pro, and 16-inch MacBook Pro to their staff for only 3% of their retail list prices as monthly installments.
The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros are offered at $60 and $75 per month, respectively, while the 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are offered at $30 and $39 monthly payments. No Mac desktop is provided as part of the program.
While details are scarce, CIT's website says that small businesses can apply for the program through the website, and if approved, Apple will process and ship the Mac orders.
A similar program exists for regular customers with the iPhone Upgrade Program, where customers can get the latest iPhone for one monthly price. The program has been a popular financing option for customers. A Mac Upgrade Program is not offered publicly to regular customers, and it's important to note that customers less often upgrade their Mac computers, so a program in that regard may make less sense.
Two years ago, a 16" MacBook Pro started at $2,399 which would be $72/month under this program. If we assume the device is worth at least $1,000 (?) wholesale/trade today, the company would've ended up having spent $1,399 net or $58/month. The balance is interest and other costs of $336. $336 interest on a 2 year $2,399 loan is about 13% APR.
I really want Apple to bring this to everyone. I've long wanted that because for many years, before Apple's pricing became too rich for my blood, I was an annual upgrader. I'd love to give Apple something like $350 a month for a Mac, AirPods, iPad, iPhone, AppleTV all with AppleCare on an annual upgrade path. Let them handle the refurbishment and save me time having to sell stuff on eBay to recoup 50% of the cost after 12 months.
Very good news. However 2 things that would make this more appealing to me (and most likely countless others around the world): 1. Expand the 'Upgrade Programme' concept to retail-consumers for a greater array of Apple products that have established regular release cylces e.g. Watch, iPad; and 2. Do deals in other markets with financing companies. Don't limit these types of arrangements to just the US market. Apple is everywhere, so these types of arrangements should be more global.
Hi, I used to be an Apple Small Business Account Manager in San Francisco.
This really isn't very new. My main job was to get business customers to sign up for leases that would allow them to pay monthly and then return the devices every 2 or 3 years. CIT was the finance then and still is.
We would highlight the tax savings, as there is no sales tax (in California) when one leases the equipment and we would ask the customers, "How many old devices do you have and how do you deal with getting rid of them?" They normally would say that they have a closet and found that it was difficult to legally transfer ownership to the employee. All that makes a lease pretty enticing.
I wonder how small is too small? I’m an incorporated freelancer in a computer-intensive field (design and operate large resolution content for live events) so want to upgrade my Macs often.
As previously rumored, the next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature a unified volume button and a mute button, according to leaked CAD images shared in a video on the Chinese version of TikTok and posted to Twitter by ShrimpApplePro.
Instead of separate buttons for volume up and volume down, the iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to have a single elongated button for...
A first-generation iPhone still sealed inside its box sold for $54,904 at auction, which is more than $54,000 over the original $599 price tag of the device when it was released in 2007.
The original iPhone was put up for sale by RR Auction on behalf of a former Apple employee who purchased it back when it first came out. Back in February, an original, sealed iPhone sold for over $63,000,...
While year-over-year iPhone upgrades are not always groundbreaking, new features can begin to stack up over multiple generations. For example, the iPhone 15 Pro will be a notable upgrade for those who still have a three-year-old iPhone 12 Pro.
If you are still using an iPhone 12 Pro and are considering upgrading to the iPhone 15 Pro when it launches later this year, we have put together a...
Apple's high-end iPhone models have started at $999 in the U.S. since they first launched back in 2017 with the iPhone X, but could this finally be the year that starting price sees an increase?
This week also saw some more rumors about Apple's upcoming headset and the company's explorations in the booming AI industry as well as the release of a new round of beta updates, so read on for all...
The iPhone 15 Pro Max will have the thinnest bezels of any smartphone, beating the record currently held by the Xiaomi 13. That's according to the leaker known as "Ice Universe," who has divulged accurate information about Apple's plans in the past.
Both iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to have thinner, curved bezels compared to the iPhone 14 Pro, potentially resulting in an Apple...
While the iPhone 15 lineup is around six months away, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes are expected for the iPhone 15 Pro models in particular, including a titanium frame and more.
Below, we have recapped 11 features rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A17...
Apple continues to test iOS 16.4, which includes a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features coming with the software update, including new emoji, push notifications from websites, and more.
Apple says iOS 16.4 will be available in the spring, which begins today. In his newsletter this weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should ...
Apple on January 23 released iOS 16.3, delivering support for Security Keys for Apple IDs, changes to Emergency SOS functionality, support for the second-generation HomePod, and more.
Top Rated Comments
1. Expand the 'Upgrade Programme' concept to retail-consumers for a greater array of Apple products that have established regular release cylces e.g. Watch, iPad; and
2. Do deals in other markets with financing companies. Don't limit these types of arrangements to just the US market. Apple is everywhere, so these types of arrangements should be more global.
This really isn't very new. My main job was to get business customers to sign up for leases that would allow them to pay monthly and then return the devices every 2 or 3 years. CIT was the finance then and still is.
We would highlight the tax savings, as there is no sales tax (in California) when one leases the equipment and we would ask the customers, "How many old devices do you have and how do you deal with getting rid of them?" They normally would say that they have a closet and found that it was difficult to legally transfer ownership to the employee. All that makes a lease pretty enticing.
Cheers,
Max