苹果将与Klarna推出设备租赁计划以缓冲存储涨价压力

Apple is introducing a new "device rental program" that allows customers to use iPhones, Macs and iPads for a set period before returning or keeping them. The strategy is seen as an effort to reduce the monthly payment burden compared with existing installment purchases, easing the pressure on consumers from recent price increases.
Bloomberg reported on the 21st that Apple, in partnership with the "buy now, pay later" company Klarna, will launch a new device rental program called "Apple Upgrade" in the United States on the 28th. The program covers most iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch models.
The new program resembles a subscription service. iPhones and Apple Watches can be used for up to 24 months and Macs and iPads for up to 36 months while paying a monthly fee. Customers can also pay off the remaining balance early during the contract period or upgrade to the latest model. When the contract ends, they can either keep the device or return it. Unlike existing programs, AppleCare+, Apple's device warranty service, is not included, and some transactions may incur separate fees, Bloomberg reported.
Apple plans to attract consumers by emphasizing that the monthly payments are lower than those of existing installment purchases. To this end, the company will discontinue new sign-ups for its existing "iPhone Upgrade Program" and general installment programs, consolidating them into the new program.
The program follows Apple's recent move to raise Mac and iPad prices by hundreds of dollars due to soaring memory chip prices. The industry expects that the next-generation iPhone, set to be unveiled in September, is also likely to see a price increase.
The rise in memory prices is also clearly evident in the market. DRAM spot prices rose an average of 2% over the past week and about 7% from a month earlier. Global investment bank Morgan Stanley forecast that memory prices in the third quarter will rise at least 25% from the second quarter, as supply shortages driven by AI data center demand continue. This exceeds both its own previous forecast and estimates from market research firms.
The rise in memory prices is largely attributable to a surge in demand for high-performance memory driven by the expansion of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. As the industry-wide memory shortage, dubbed "RAMageddon," continues, hardware manufacturing costs are rising as well. U.S. tech media outlet TechCrunch interpreted the rental program as a strategy to lower the burden on consumers from rising memory prices.
Apple had initially considered its own subscription-based hardware service, but by choosing to partner with Klarna, it was able to reduce the burden of directly operating financial services while offering a new purchasing method.
Meanwhile, Apple recently raised prices for the iPhone 16, iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air by about 8-11% in Japan. Currently, the domestic retail price of the iPhone 17 Pro is 1.79 million won for the 256GB model. Applying the same 10% increase rate as in Japan would raise it to 1.97 million won, putting the "2 million won iPhone" within sight.