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Top Stories: 'Apple Upgrade' Program, Apple Music Price Hike, and More
It's been another busy week in the Apple world, led by word that the company is preparing to launch a new device leasing and financing program as it has raised some more prices including on Apple Music subscriptions.
This week also saw a fresh round of beta releases for iOS 27 and related updates, details on roughly a dozen new Macs under development, and more, so read on below for all of the details!
Apple and Klarna are partnering on a new "Apple Upgrade" leasing program set to launch in the U.S. on Tuesday, July 28, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The program will allow you to finance most iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models, with a 24-month term for iPhones and Apple Watches and a 36-month term for iPads and Macs. Customers will be able to pay off the device early during the term, upgrade early to a newer device, or keep or return the existing device after the term.
As part of the transition, Apple will wind down the existing iPhone Upgrade Program.
Following last month's move to raise prices across its Mac and iPad lineups, Apple last week expanded its price increases even further.
Apple Music saw price increases across all tiers, with the change driving increases to Apple One bundles as well. Apple also raised iPhone prices in Japan by up to 11%, perhaps foreshadowing price hikes in other countries with the iPhone 18 lineup, if not earlier. And finally, Apple increased iCloud+ prices in eight countries.
Apple is preparing to refresh every Mac it sells over the next two years, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The plans come amid a Mac resurgence, with sales projected to climb for a third consecutive year, partly thanks to a growing following among users who lean on the machines for demanding, agent-based AI workloads.
The wave of new Macs will begin this fall with a refreshed entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and the first new iMacs in two years. Check out the full list of new Macs under development in our coverage.
Apple is continuing to tweak iOS 27 ahead of its September launch, with the fourth developer beta and second public beta released this week.
Check out our full list of tweaks and changes in the latest beta, including some new settings toggles, visual tweaks, and more.
Interestingly, some new code in this beta makes several references to an iPhone with multiple internal batteries, hinting at the upcoming foldable "iPhone Ultra" that will have a battery in each half of the device.
Since iOS 26, a malfunctioning iPhone has been able to boot itself into Recovery Assistant, with no Mac or PC required. However, you could only get there if your device failed to start up and dropped into recovery on its own.
In iOS 27, currently still in beta, Apple has removed that limitation, and you can now manually boot into a Mac-style recovery screen whenever you like.
The new recovery mode lets you troubleshoot, update, or erase your device without necessarily plugging it into anything. It can connect automatically to a known Wi-Fi network, and it shows your battery percentage in the corner of the screen. Check out our guide to see how to access recovery mode and what the various options it offers can do.
Amid the ongoing wait for Apple's first foldable iPhone expected in just a few months, Samsung this week introduced the Galaxy Z Fold8, which adopts a very similar form factor to what we're expecting for Apple's device.
Samsung's Z Fold8 has a 7.6-inch display when open and a 5.5-inch display when closed, and it has a passport-style form factor, so it's wider and more square than prior Samsung foldables.
The aspect ratio of the unfolded Z Fold8 makes it feel similar to using an iPad mini, which feels more natural than using taller foldables. It's a size that's perfect for watching videos or running two apps side by side. The Z Fold8 gives us a pretty clear look at what the Apple foldable will look like and what it will feel like to use.
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!
This article, "Top Stories: 'Apple Upgrade' Program, Apple Music Price Hike, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
This week also saw a fresh round of beta releases for iOS 27 and related updates, details on roughly a dozen new Macs under development, and more, so read on below for all of the details!
Top Stories
'Apple Upgrade' Program Reportedly Launching Next Week
Apple and Klarna are partnering on a new "Apple Upgrade" leasing program set to launch in the U.S. on Tuesday, July 28, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The program will allow you to finance most iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models, with a 24-month term for iPhones and Apple Watches and a 36-month term for iPads and Macs. Customers will be able to pay off the device early during the term, upgrade early to a newer device, or keep or return the existing device after the term.
As part of the transition, Apple will wind down the existing iPhone Upgrade Program.
Apple Music Now Costs $11.99 as Apple Increases Subscription Prices
Following last month's move to raise prices across its Mac and iPad lineups, Apple last week expanded its price increases even further.
Apple Music saw price increases across all tiers, with the change driving increases to Apple One bundles as well. Apple also raised iPhone prices in Japan by up to 11%, perhaps foreshadowing price hikes in other countries with the iPhone 18 lineup, if not earlier. And finally, Apple increased iCloud+ prices in eight countries.
Apple to Overhaul Mac Lineup With 11 New Models
Apple is preparing to refresh every Mac it sells over the next two years, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The plans come amid a Mac resurgence, with sales projected to climb for a third consecutive year, partly thanks to a growing following among users who lean on the machines for demanding, agent-based AI workloads.
The wave of new Macs will begin this fall with a refreshed entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and the first new iMacs in two years. Check out the full list of new Macs under development in our coverage.
Everything New in iOS 27 Beta 4
Apple is continuing to tweak iOS 27 ahead of its September launch, with the fourth developer beta and second public beta released this week.
Check out our full list of tweaks and changes in the latest beta, including some new settings toggles, visual tweaks, and more.
Interestingly, some new code in this beta makes several references to an iPhone with multiple internal batteries, hinting at the upcoming foldable "iPhone Ultra" that will have a battery in each half of the device.
iOS 27: Access the New iPhone Recovery Screen
Since iOS 26, a malfunctioning iPhone has been able to boot itself into Recovery Assistant, with no Mac or PC required. However, you could only get there if your device failed to start up and dropped into recovery on its own.
In iOS 27, currently still in beta, Apple has removed that limitation, and you can now manually boot into a Mac-style recovery screen whenever you like.
The new recovery mode lets you troubleshoot, update, or erase your device without necessarily plugging it into anything. It can connect automatically to a known Wi-Fi network, and it shows your battery percentage in the corner of the screen. Check out our guide to see how to access recovery mode and what the various options it offers can do.
Hands-On With Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8, the Closest Thing Yet to a Foldable iPhone
Amid the ongoing wait for Apple's first foldable iPhone expected in just a few months, Samsung this week introduced the Galaxy Z Fold8, which adopts a very similar form factor to what we're expecting for Apple's device.
Samsung's Z Fold8 has a 7.6-inch display when open and a 5.5-inch display when closed, and it has a passport-style form factor, so it's wider and more square than prior Samsung foldables.
The aspect ratio of the unfolded Z Fold8 makes it feel similar to using an iPad mini, which feels more natural than using taller foldables. It's a size that's perfect for watching videos or running two apps side by side. The Z Fold8 gives us a pretty clear look at what the Apple foldable will look like and what it will feel like to use.
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!
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This article, "Top Stories: 'Apple Upgrade' Program, Apple Music Price Hike, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
