> After the intro period, a variable APR of 19.49%–28.24%

I suppose it isn't an issue if you pay your card off every month, but that's a high APR.

The use case here seems to be people who would not actually be able to pay this off in a month.

the target is uneducated (in the financial sense) consumers who are enticed into making purchases they might otherwise not make (and probably shouldn't make)

Apple probably wants to get at the consumers who are still buying cheap Android phones who will be bowled over by the psychology of splitting the purchase price into installments

I bought my M1 MBP using the financing they offer and it was 24 months, no interest, _and_ you do get the 3% back immediately upon purchase. They also set up the payment plan for you so you do not have to worry about missing a payment and getting charged interest you were intentionally avoiding.

It's a great option if you are on top of your finances, but the point remains that it can easily be used to live outside of your means.

The only downside of taking a 0% loan is if you're bad at finance and getting that loan makes you spend more. Either by buying something more expensive that you would without the loan, or buying more stuff with the money you didn't have to give upfront.

My only catch is this loan requires a soft credit report - I have a freeze on most of my credit scores (used to be there were only 3 now there are a few more). Even a soft pull will hit that barrier.

90% of people are fine with an M1 Air, the last time I went to an Apple store the sales clerk straight up refused to sell me one. He basically told me I didn't know what I was talking about and kept trying to sell me a pro.

I asked him 3 times to sell me an Air, and ended up leaving in frustration. Not before he pitched buying a pro on an Apple line of credit instead.

If I come into a store and tell you what I want to buy, we're not having a conversation. You have no idea what or who I'm buying it for.

Best Buy doesn't do this, I was able to get my Air without an argument and walk out.

If anything, this pay later stuff will make the issue worse. You'll go into the Apple store to be told you might as well get the most expensive thing they have in stock, it's zero down anyway!

I have a Chromebook I bought in 2018 for something like $200, and it's "fine" for gmail, online banking, youtube, and other casual stuff. I have an ssh app on it to use for work, and that's "fine" as well. Most people don't need more than this.

And a windows 11 craptop for $200. These things are absolutely completely insanely cheap.

It's been widely reported on the internet that Apple salespeople are not on commission, which is what makes the OP's story so curious.

Maybe it's changed since the pandemic.

It has also been widely reported that Apple invented USB-C and gave away for free, and All AirPod were sold at cost or at lost.

The No commission thing were from Steve Jobs era for pete sake. How long ago was that?

Depending on regions all Apple retail employees have KPIs. And we are coming close to 10 years since it’s first introduction.

The first clerk disappears, and some kid who is roughly 19 starts lecturing me about how much better the pro is. I politely respond, I just want to buy the Air.

He insists, 'well , do you want to make music '. I respond, 'please sell me the Air'. At this point he's not budging. I ask a final time, and ask why are you making this interaction so difficult.

Him: 'well you're making it difficult'.

I walk out and go to Best Buy. At Best Buy I simply asked to buy an Air, and I was out in 5 minutes.

Now truth be told, if the kid would have told me he needs to push a certain number of pros per month, I might have said okay and brought one. But instead he decided to insult me, I even explained that as a software engineer I knew exactly what I was talking about. I shouldn't need to explain anything when I'm trying to buy a product, it's none of your business if I prefer an M1 air because I routinely dropped my laptops. If it's a gift for someone else, or in reality it does the job I need it to do.

I'm legitimately never going into an Apple store again after this.

I've also heard stories that while you won't get a commission, you may get more perks at work for higher sales numbers.

In any case, your experience at Apple sounds insane.

Employees are judged on warranty sales, and when I worked at Circuit City back in the days when they, uh, existed, we were also judged based on profitability of sales.

Then end up leaving with a 2500$ computer, no big deal it's only 200$ a month.

That said, I hope my comment and the subsequent upvotes make it clear that your experience seems very unusual. I have never felt pressured to buy anything on my numerous visits, and was even talked into buying a cheaper option of two things I considered once, and another time it was suggested I go to Best Buy rather than buy anything from Apple.

They're not paid commission to avoid situations like the one you described, so it's really strange to me that happened. That's all!

So logically you want to push as many people into buying more if you want to sell the financing.

Regardless, the entire point of BNPL is to encourage you to buy more than you need.

Which is why they nag you. I don't really understand this mindset but there's no question it exists. And there's no question the paperclip machine will have its goddamn paperclips.

Probably the 19yr old will eventually get turned into Solyent and replaced with a more polite/savvy version - and you will succumb and buy a pro you don't need just to be nice. And numbers will tick upwards.

Why bother giving the customer what they want if there’s any chance they’d jump for the big one?

I guess that has changed - I also had several strange unpleasant interactions lately. Either difficulty buying something, or annoyance being sold on something more or something else.

People make poor decisions, a lot of people make poor financial decisions, what is a great tool when you're educated is a catastrophe for others

The new wave of "pay later" payment systems is clearly a way to artificially boost consumption in the short term

That's exactly why they're doing this, to get people who can't afford Apple's products to buy them anyway. Compare with what Tim Cook said in February:

> The price of the most expensive iPhone model has increased by more than half — from $962 to $1,600 since 2009 when adjusted for inflation — but Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn't appear worried about increasing prices.

> During an earnings call with investors on Thursday, Cook said he believes people are willing to pay more because the phone has become "so integral into people's lives."

> "I think people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category," Cook said, responding to a question on whether the increasing average sales price over the last few years is "sustainable."

"Willing to really stretch" is just another way of saying "spending more than they should".