Rumor: Apple planning hardware subscription service

Apple is planning a new hardware subscription service that would allow customers to “subscribe” and receive an iPhone, iPad, and maybe other  devices as part of their subscription, reports Bloomberg. They would pay a monthly fee for the service and could be tied to the Apple One and/or AppleCare bundles.

From Bloomberg: The service would be Apple’s biggest push yet into automatically recurring sales, allowing users to subscribe to hardware for the first time — rather than just digital services. But the project is still in development, said the people, who asked not to identified because the initiative hasn’t been announced.

It will be interesting to see how the subscription program compares to its  iPhone Upgrade Program. And how it stacks up against a customer’s ability to finance nearly any hardware purchase (in the U.S.) using its Apple Card platform.