RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 4 sourcesGo to the 9to5Mac home page Switch site 9to5Toys 9to5Google Logo 9to5Google Electrek Drone DJ Logo DroneDJ Space Explored About Privacy Toggle social menu Toggle dark mode Search for: Submit Toggle search form Forums Store Podcasts Apple@Work Happy Hour 9to5Mac Daily Overtime iPhone iPhone Mac Mac MacBook Pro MacBook Air iMac Mac mini Mac Studio Mac Pro iPad iPad Pro iPad Air iPad mini iPad iPadOS Watch Apple Watch Apple Watch Ultra Apple Health Apple Watch SE Vision Vision Pro visionOS Music and TV Apple Music AirPods HomePod Apple TV Guides Reviews How Tos AAPL Apple Store Apple Arcade Apple Card Apple Silicon Apple One Apple Fitness+ CarPlay Siri HomeKit Toggle dark mode AAPL Company Apple Upgrade Here's how to avoid being trapped in never-ending Apple Upgrade leases Ben Lovejoy | Jul 28 2026 - 7:21 am PT 4 Comments Apple today officially announced its Apple Upgrade leasing program , and it works in the way we expected. While it does make products more affordable on a monthly basis, it leaves people at risk of being trapped into a never-ending lease cycle.
That's because, unlike the iPhone Upgrade Program it partly replaces , you don't own the device outright at the end of the term …
With Apple product prices higher than ever, there's no arguing with the fact that there's an appeal to making devices more affordable. The Apple Upgrade program certainly achieves this when looking solely at the monthly payments.
For example, you can lease a MacBook Pro with 16GB memory and 1TB storage for as little as $38.99 per month. This approach brings more Apple devices within reach of more consumers, and this aspect of it is for sure a good thing.
The danger, however, is the one I anticipated last week: that people will use this program in exactly the same way as a car lease. While you have the option of making a balloon payment at the end of the lease term in order to own the car outright, almost nobody does so. The vast majority of those leasing a car return it and lease a new one, starting the cycle all over again.
The same thing could happen with the Apple Upgrade program. In order to own the product outright, you have to make a balloon payment equal to the difference between the total lease payments you've made and the full initial retail cost of the device.
Let's see how that would work with the MacBook Pro referenced above (rounding the totals to the nearest dollar):
For someone who can't afford to buy the machine outright, those are significant amounts to find. Unless they've been setting aside the difference during the term of the lease, the chances are that they will struggle to pay it. The more likely outcome, then, is that they'll begin the cycle again.
If you can afford a higher monthly outlay, the smart approach would be a DIY conversion to the equivalent of the IUP.
You pay Apple the lease amount, and simultaneously make a monthly payment into a savings account to cover the balloon payment at the end. For that 36-month MBP lease, for example, the sums would look like this:
You then using your savings to pay off the $585 due and the machine is yours, free and clear.
Of course, if you do want to upgrade to a new machine, then there's absolutely nothing to stop you selling the machine you now own and taking out a new lease. The amount you'll get from a private sale will likely more than cover the new balloon payment, so you can simply stick this directly into a savings account and have only the lease cost as your new monthly outgoing.
What do you plan to do to finance future Apple products? Please share in the comments.
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Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He's known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!
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