In recent years, the flagship mobile phones of each family have become more and more expensive, often eight or nine thousand or even tens of thousands, and every year if you want to change a new machine, you have to make the wallet bleed a lot, which is really painful.
Take the iPhone 13 Pro Max, 128GB is 8999 yuan, the top with 1T is 1.3 W, all catching up with my one-hour income...
Cook bad old man calculated: No, too expensive will lead to lower sales, but selling cheap will lose money, the big guys on the board can't spare me
So he had a new trick.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is about to launch a "hardware subscription" service that allows users to pay monthly to buy hardware such as iPhones like they subscribe to iCloud and Apple Music. Apple plans to launch this new service starting with this year's new iPhone.
For example, after the release of the iPhone 14 Pro Max this year, you want to replace the new machine, but the price of 8999 yuan is a bit expensive for you. Then you can choose to use the "hardware subscription" service, and you can get the right to use the new machine for a certain monthly fee - the payment process is the same as subscribing to iCloud.
The specific amount of this monthly fee has not yet been determined, but it should be more expensive than direct instalment, after all, Apple also counts the depreciation fee recovered. But unlike the current 12/24 interest-free installments, hardware subscriptions allow you to cancel your subscription at any time and then change to a different model of device, making you more flexible.
The replaced iPhone will be recycled by Apple and may be "sold" to other subscribers after the refurbishment process.
Not surprisingly, Apple will put an "environmentally friendly" hat on this service, such as "allowing devices to be reused, which can avoid waste and reduce the user's payment burden" or something.
More importantly, this will bring more revenue to Apple. Bloomberg believes that the service will be the biggest boost for Apple to achieve automatic repeat sales, allowing users to subscribe to hardware for the first time rather than just digital services.
Apple has been working on this plan for several months and is expected to launch with the iPhone 14 series in September this year. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment on the news.
I think that unless the monthly fee is low enough, it is not as cost-effective as interest-free installments. If the device is lost or damaged, you probably have to give Apple money...
/ Apple One: Apple Serves The Family Barrel
Before, it cost money, the money was Cook's, the iPhone was yours.
Later, it cost money, the money was Cook's, and the iPhone was also Cook's.
The iPhone, which generated nearly $192 billion in revenue last year, accounted for more than half of Apple's total revenue, and has become a cash cow for the company.
After the introduction of the new hardware subscription system, it may attract more users to get new iPhone machines in the form of rentals, and at that time, Apple can "kill crazy". But I advise everyone to do what they can, not to lose themselves as soon as they see the low price, or to think about it carefully.
Will you choose a hardware subscription?
It doesn't feel very reliable