On: Apple introduces Apple Pay Later

[keiferski]

I agree completely. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but I really cannot imagine Apple doing this under Steve Jobs' management. He would have rejected it simply for seeming tacky and reminiscent of products in low quality industries.

[gumby → keiferski]

The original Mac, in 1984, was offered with a financing package because it was so expensive. And yes, that was when Steve Jobs worked for apple.

[keiferski → gumby]

That was a completely different era when personal computers were just becoming a thing. I don’t consider it comparable to cell phones today.

[DavidPeiffer → keiferski]

I was thinking the same thing. My understanding was prior to iPhone, phones were purchased outright, typically costing a couple hundred dollars, and there wasn't such a thing as paying off the phone as part of your monthly cell phone bill.

I have always purchased my phones outright, but am curious if there are fees, interest, or a higher total cost of payments via financing (fees and interest on missed payments).

That's the only justification I could use to say "maybe Steve would be good with it".

[babypuncher → DavidPeiffer]

> I was thinking the same thing. My understanding was prior to iPhone, phones were purchased outright, typically costing a couple hundred dollars, and there wasn't such a thing as paying off the phone as part of your monthly cell phone bill.

This was absolutely a thing before the iPhone. Many carriers offered Blackberries, Palm Treos, and even higher end dumbphones and featurephones at discounts when you signed a service contract.