Why Apple's Hardware Subscriptions Make Sense But Probably Aren't Worth It

screenrant.com:

Apple's rumored plans to launch a hardware subscription service are currently a hot topic of debate among industry experts and enthusiasts. The idea is simple. Apple will loan a gadget with its Apple One and Apple Care service as a bundled package, and interested folks will pay a flat monthly fee to own it temporarily. The service is said to cover iPhones, Mac and Apple Watch and will reportedly go live by the end of 2022. Now, nothing is official, and the plans might change down the road, so it is worth keeping the high expectations and enthusiastic hopes in check.

But assuming Apple goes ahead and introduces a hardware subscription service, it will be a significant strategy shift in how Apple markets its products. All of it sounds like a glorified rental — an ambitiously hands-on approach to moving products off the shelves by letting customers try a product as if it was their own. But only for a few weeks or months. And at a higher price than what one would pay with a financing plan. But Apple is not just loaning its hardware but also giving a paid demo of its popular services such as Apple Music, Apple Fitness and iCloud+, among others.

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And it all sounds like a win-win strategy for both parties. Of course, Apple's services are best served on Apple hardware. But so far, the predominant way in which Apple has added subscribers to its services has been via users that are already a part of its hardware ecosystem. Folks who are interested in experiencing Apple Music's Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos trick or iCloud+ Private Relay or Hide My Email were left out of the pool because they don't own Apple's hardware, and owning one is not easy on the