Apple Raised Mac Prices. Now It Might Lease You One Apple is set to introduce Apple Upgrade, a leasing program backed by Klarna, which will be available in the U.S. starting July 28. The initiative aims to make high-priced devices more accessible by allowing customers to spread the cost over time. This comes less than a month after Apple raised prices across its hardware lineup, citing global shortages of memory and storage chips. The MacBook Air, for instance, saw its price increase from $1,099 to $1,299, while the iPad Air rose from $599 to $749. Despite these price hikes, Apple reported strong financial performance in its latest earnings release. The company called its March quarter “the best March quarter ever,” with $111.2 billion in revenue for the three months ending March 28, a 17% increase from the same period the previous year. Net income reached nearly $29.6 billion during the same period. These figures suggest Apple Upgrade is more about maintaining sales momentum than salvaging a struggling business. By framing the $1,299 MacBook Air as a three-year payment plan, the company hopes to ease the psychological burden of a high upfront cost. The leasing strategy aligns with broader economic trends. Recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows applications for new credit hit a five-year high in June, while a separate survey found that 37% of adults would need to borrow money or sell assets to cover a $400 emergency. This makes buy-now, pay-later models more appealing, as customers only need to afford the first payment rather than the full price upfront. Apple Upgrade functions similarly to a car lease, offering flexibility in how customers use the devices. Users can upgrade early, return the device at the end of the agreement, or pay the remaining balance to keep it.#apple #macbook_air #klarna #ipad_air #apple_upgrade
