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.
Alleged photos and videos of an unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 chip continue to surface on social media, in what could be the worst product leak for Apple since an employee accidentally left an iPhone 4 prototype at a bar in California in 2010. The latest video of what could be a next-generation MacBook Pro was shared on YouTube Shorts today by Russian channel Romancev768, just...
An alleged unboxing video for an unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M4 chip was uploaded to YouTube today by Russian channel Wylsacom. The video was later linked to on social media platform X by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. It is possible that this is the same MacBook Pro box shown in photos that were shared by leaker ShrimpApplePro in late September, as he claimed that this MacBook Pro...
Monday October 7, 2024 5:34 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's new Vitals app for watchOS 11 appears to be impressing some users with its ability to detect potential illness days before symptoms manifest, according to recent reports on Reddit. The Apple Watch app, which analyzes key health metrics measured during sleep over the last seven days, appears to be providing early warnings of impending sickness for at least some Apple Watch wearers...
Tuesday October 8, 2024 6:16 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Rumors strongly suggest Apple will release the seventh-generation iPad mini in November, nearly three years after the last refresh. Here's a roundup of what we're expecting from the next version of Apple's small form factor tablet, based on the latest rumors and reports. Design and Display The new iPad mini is likely to retain its compact 8.3-inch display and overall design introduced with...
Tuesday October 8, 2024 5:45 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
We're nearing the end of the iOS 18.1 beta testing process, but Apple is continuing to make tweaks to refine built-in features ahead of when the software launches. With testing winding down, there are fewer new additions, but Apple has made changes worth noting. The new beta is available for both developers and public beta testers. Control Center In the Control Center, Apple has added new...
Sunday October 6, 2024 6:40 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple will announce several new M4 Mac models around the end of October, with the company planning to launch at least some of them as soon as Friday, November 1, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple will launch a new M4 version of its low-end 14-inch MacBook Pro, as well as higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models...
Tuesday October 8, 2024 8:57 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
The current Apple TV was released two years ago this month, so you may be wondering when the next model will be released. Below, we recap rumors about a next-generation Apple TV. In January 2023, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that a new Apple TV was planned for release in the first half of 2024:Beyond the future smart displays and new speaker, Apple is working on revamping its TV box....
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.
