MusicMagpie offers you an Apple life for rent
UK/US second user retailer, MusicMagpie has jumped into a big space, offering up refurbished iPhones, iPads and Macs as a service with a 12-month rental deal.
The company has – I think – correctly figured out that for many consumers the up-front cost of new product has become hard to meet, but the demand to use the best available equipment remains. It means your Apple life is now to rent.
What these deals mean?
MusicMagpie began life as a second user DC, DVD, vinyl and games exchange/store. It then branched out into second user electronics, such as consoles, PCs, smartphones and tablets, before it began to dabble with smartphone rental in October 2020.
The smartphone rental scheme lets users acquire a second user smartphone (including iPhones) for a monthly fee.
The service has already attracted around 13,500 subscribers and the company has become confident enough to extend this to iPads, Macs and other computing equipment.
What you get
Assuming you pass a credit check, you can rent the Apple device(s) you need under a 12-month contract. The devices aren’t new, they’re refurbished, and some models may not be available.
Rent that studio…
During the contract period your device is covered for any technical faults and at the end of the 12-months subscribers can upgrade to a newer device or keep the current system for a lower monthly fee. If your system is lost or stolen you may face an additional fee, however – so you may want to insure it. Prices start at c. $15/month for an iPad or c. $30/month for a MacBook.
[Also read: Does Apple plan a Books+ subscription service?
People seem more willing to embrace access-based, rather than ownership-based, models to access their kit.
Access, value, and sustainability
Chief executive Steve Oliver said: “It’s clear from the popularity of this service, as well as the growth of the wider subscription economy, that consumers are increasingly prioritising access, value and sustainability over full ownership.”
The thing is, I’ve been arguing for an age that this is the kind of approach Apple should begin to explore, offering access above ownership.
To an extent it already does, in the form of the iPhone Upgrade plan and its quiet work on Mac lease/rental with third party partnerships.
This makes complete sense.
Not only does it give the company a predictable and sustainable income, but it should also massively expand services income – and given some customers will choose to lease tens of thousands of Macs, the consequences (particularly within the context of an increasingly closed loop manufacturing and recycling system) could potentially be vast.
At some point, Apple (and others) will line up their entire manufacturing and distribution chain in such a way as to carve profitable and sustainable businesses in this way.
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