Apple wants to make it easier to afford pricey products, in talks for new financing deal w...
Apple and Goldman Sachs are in conversations, which if fruitful, could result in alternate financing options for Apple buyers across the board in the future.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, the finance company is looking to expand its arrangements with Apple. Instead of just assisting Apple with debt sale and other financial matters, the company is looking to offer loans straight from Goldman Sachs, instead of a high-interest credit card.
Goldman Sachs has been looking to grow Marcus, its new consumer lending service. Marcus is an online service that offers loans at around 12 percent interest to shoppers during a checkout process -- instead of customers seeking the service out.
Present consumer offerings through Marcus by invitation include no-fee fixed-rate loans from $3,500 and up. It also offers consumer savings, with yields of 1.5 percent -- but Apple is unlikely to involve itself in the latter.
Apple's current iPhone Upgrade Program is funded through Citizens Financial Group and is in essence a zero-interest loan. Other credit options available through Apple are at higher interest rates, from 14.9 percent all the way up to 26 percent.
It isn't clear what effect, if any, a deal with Goldman Sachs would have with Apple's arrangement with Citizens Financial Group.
The Wall Street Journal believes that the talks "are continuing and could still fall apart." Neither Apple nor Goldman Sachs have commented on the matter.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, the finance company is looking to expand its arrangements with Apple. Instead of just assisting Apple with debt sale and other financial matters, the company is looking to offer loans straight from Goldman Sachs, instead of a high-interest credit card.
Goldman Sachs has been looking to grow Marcus, its new consumer lending service. Marcus is an online service that offers loans at around 12 percent interest to shoppers during a checkout process -- instead of customers seeking the service out.
Present consumer offerings through Marcus by invitation include no-fee fixed-rate loans from $3,500 and up. It also offers consumer savings, with yields of 1.5 percent -- but Apple is unlikely to involve itself in the latter.
Apple's current iPhone Upgrade Program is funded through Citizens Financial Group and is in essence a zero-interest loan. Other credit options available through Apple are at higher interest rates, from 14.9 percent all the way up to 26 percent.
It isn't clear what effect, if any, a deal with Goldman Sachs would have with Apple's arrangement with Citizens Financial Group.
The Wall Street Journal believes that the talks "are continuing and could still fall apart." Neither Apple nor Goldman Sachs have commented on the matter.
Comments
I still would wait to buy it outright, but I hate to see Apple look like a payday loan system or start getting into auto dealership type "now with 0% APR for 60 months with approved credit" type garbage.
Unless Goldman is trying to use its analyst clout to play tough guy in negotiations with Apple on revenue sharing. In that case, I’d walk away from them just on that basis.
But for those who do have a disposable income buffer, interest free financing is very nice.
Sure, there's always the write-off aspect, and even if Apple is on the line, it seems clear that the benefit of getting a lot more people into iPhones and more expensive iPhones is a win for the company.
Personally, I hadn't bought the highest capacity iPhone for years, but because of iUP I decided to do so because the additional monthly cost was nominal. I also know several people that wouldn't have bought an iPhone X because of the barrier to entry, but because they were on iUP and because when broken down over 24 payments is only a small monthly bump in price. I'd like to see this happen with the Mac now that they offer AC+ for Macs.