The RAM crisis just forced Framework to suffer a nasty price hike, and Apple's supposed solution to the memory shortage is to rent Macs to cash-strapped consumers.

Apple is rumored to be planning to rent Macs, as well as iPhones and other devices, to consumers.
The ‘Apple Upgrade’ will allow you to pay via subscription (with financing arranged by Klarna) and eventually purchase the device if you wish.
This is apparently Apple’s way of sidestepping the RAM crisis and maintaining Mac sales, as we’re also hearing about alarming memory price hikes from Framework.

We’re seeing the continuing fallout from the RAM crisis, with Framework outlining plans to deal with massive increases in the cost of memory, while Apple is rumored to be about to reveal a new way to sell you a Mac to cope with ever-rising prices: it’ll rent you the PC.

Let’s start with Apple’s apparent plan, detailed in a Bloomberg report, in which Mark Gurman tells us that Apple is preparing to launch a device leasing plan for consumers in conjunction with Klarna (on the financial side).

We’re told this will be announced on July 28 and will be called the “Apple Update.” The selling point (ahem) is that you can periodically upgrade your leased hardware, plus avoid a big hit to your wallet with the considerable outlay required to buy many Macs these days.

Analysis: own nothing, be happy

A person uses a Mac.

(Image credit: Apple)

Unfortunately, July has brought us a clear picture that the AMR crisis is getting worse. We just heard that DDR5 memory has seen a noticeable increase in prices (after stabilizing a bit for a few months), and the boss of a large chipmaker has informed us that things are going to get a lot worse, and that 2027 will be nothing short of the “worst year” in the history of the RAM industry.

Framework’s story of doubling the cost of laptop memory is a really worrying increase on top of all this, and no doubt we can all still remember Apple’s price increases that came at the end of June. Especially those of you who were considering buying a Mac and regret not pulling the trigger before the increases hit.

However, Apple apparently has a solution to the RAM crisis, but this rental plan has not been well received online. Yes, you can imagine the reaction to this on social media: One Redditor notes that he’s “one step closer to owning nothing” (as in “owning nothing and being happy”), but to be fair, this is still a rumor. Although given the details and the apparent proximity of the launch, it sounds quite strict, we should not jump to conclusions.

Much of how any rent-to-own scheme will play out will depend on the prices Apple (and Klarna) charge, and the social media world fears the worst. Frankly, I don’t blame the doubters, and particularly those who are worried that the final payment to buy the Mac (or another Apple device) will be extremely high. Generally speaking, this is, of course, the way these lease agreements tend to be executed, and the same will likely be true of the option to exercise an upgrade before the current lease ends.

What’s interesting is that last week, I shared my thoughts on how worried I was that Mac sales were going to decline, and how Apple is in a bit of a tough spot in terms of combating this. Between MacBook resistance, the ongoing RAM crisis, and cynicism around an apparent renewed focus on AI from Apple, the Mac waters are getting seriously rough.

I didn’t expect to have a (theoretical) answer so soon, and we apparently now know how Apple plans to keep Mac sales buoyant. The devil will be in the details of Apple’s upgrade plan, assuming it happens, but the predominant speculation online for now remains that the terms of the rental plan will likely be leaning more in a hellish direction than a heavenly one.

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