Apple seems to have missed announcing its rumored hardware subscription service during the recently-held iPhone 14 event. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman believes this new service may still be announced this year, possibly during the next Apple event in October.
Hardware Subscription Service is Still On
Bloomberg first reported the rumored hardware subscription service in March 2022. The report described the new service as Apple’s “biggest push yet into automatically recurring sales.” We even expected Apple to potentially launch the service in May. But Apple did not announce it then or during the iPhone 14 event.
So, is Apple still planning for the rumored hardware subscription service? Gurman believes Apple could still announce it later in 2022. Since the only event Apple might yet hold would be the anticipated October event, that would be the time for it. Reports have it that Apple is still planning another media before the year ends to announce new iPads and Macs. At that time, Apple could also announce the hardware subscription service. Apple may have decided not to announce the service during the event last week to avoid further launch day complexities.
Apple is Still Testing the Service
Still, it will be interesting to know what the rumored hardware subscription service could offer to the public. The hardware subscription service could tie into Apple One bundles and AppleCare. These two services are currently being offered independently.
In his latest “Power On” newsletter, Gurman said that Apple is “indeed still working on a hardware subscription service that will integrate with its Apple One bundles.” He also wrote that Apple is still testing the service and would probably announce it later this year or early next year.
Unfortunately, it seems we’ll have to wait a bit longer to learn whether Apple will still offer the hardware subscription service. It’s expected to serve as an easier way for iPhone users to swap their units with new iPhone models when they become available.
Arnold:
This would not only make sense, it would acknowledge our actual relationship with our technology, provide an efficient system of planned materials recycling, and for those who routinely upgrade, a more pleasant experience at potentially lower cost – financing scheme depending.
Uptake will be heavily details-dependent, but this could be a substantial differentiator from the rest of the hardware industry. It will be interesting to see how the Street reacts to it.