In Indonesia, there is a service that rents iPhones by the day just for use at concerts, vacations or going back home. With a rented iPhone, users will appear to have a higher wealth status because Apple devices are still a luxury in Southeast Asia.
Now Bloomberg reports that Apple will offer a new rental plan called Apple Upgrade. Through Apple Upgrade, customers can rent iPhones and Apple Watches for 24 months while renting iPads and Mac computers for 36 months. At the end of the rental period, customers can buy the device outright, return it or upgrade to a newer model.
Apple Upgrade is believed to be launched through a partnership with Klarna in the United States only. It is different from the rent-to-own plan that Apple currently offers because it limits the number of models offered.
Global device prices will rise again in H2 2026 due to the RAM crisis that has not yet subsided. Apple has just increased the selling prices of its devices except for the iPhone and Apple Watch. If these rumors are true, Apple Upgrade may be a way to still get customers even through the rent-to-buy plan when the price of the iPhone increases later.
