{"id":65535,"date":"2026-07-28T08:38:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T12:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/apple-launches-new-device-leasing-program-us-weekly-job-gains-cool-further\/65535\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T08:38:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T12:38:13","slug":"apple-launches-new-device-leasing-program-us-weekly-job-gains-cool-further","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/apple-launches-new-device-leasing-program-us-weekly-job-gains-cool-further\/65535\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple Launches New Device Leasing Program; US Weekly Job Gains Cool Further"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>)<\/strong> has officially launched <strong>Apple Upgrade<\/strong>, a new hardware leasing program in the U.S. backed by <strong>Klarna<\/strong>, with monthly payments starting as low as <strong>$11.99<\/strong> for iPads and Apple Watches.<\/li>\n<li>The tech giant is <strong>discontinuing<\/strong> its long-standing <strong>iPhone Upgrade Program<\/strong> and <strong>iPhone Payments<\/strong> programs for new sign-ups in the United States.<\/li>\n<li>U.S. private-sector hiring continues to soften, with the <strong>ADP NER Pulse<\/strong> reporting an average of <strong>15,000<\/strong> jobs added per week for the period ending July 11, down from the previous <strong>16,500<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The new Apple leasing structure offers <strong>24-month<\/strong> terms for iPhones and Watches, and <strong>36-month<\/strong> terms for Macs and iPads, emphasizing lower monthly costs over traditional ownership.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Apple Overhauls Hardware Sales with Klarna Partnership<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>)<\/strong> announced a significant shift in its retail strategy today with the launch of <strong>Apple Upgrade<\/strong>, a comprehensive leasing program for its core hardware lineup. Provided in partnership with <strong>Klarna<\/strong>, the service allows customers to lease an <strong>iPad<\/strong> or <strong>Apple Watch<\/strong> starting at <strong>$11.99 per month<\/strong>, while <strong>Mac<\/strong> leases begin at <strong>$24.99 per month<\/strong> and <strong>iPhones<\/strong> at <strong>$17.99 per month<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This new initiative effectively replaces the decade-old <strong>iPhone Upgrade Program<\/strong> and <strong>iPhone Payments<\/strong> programs in the U.S. market. Unlike the previous installment plans that often bundled <strong>AppleCare+<\/strong>, the new <strong>Apple Upgrade<\/strong> leases treat insurance as an optional add-on, focusing instead on providing the lowest possible monthly entry point for premium hardware.<\/p>\n<p>The program is designed to drive higher upgrade frequencies by allowing users to return devices at the end of their lease term\u2014<strong>24 months<\/strong> for mobile devices and <strong>36 months<\/strong> for computers\u2014or buy them out for the remaining balance. <em>Analysts suggest this move helps Apple maintain ecosystem lock-in while offloading financial credit risk to Klarna.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>US Labor Market Shows Continued Signs of Cooling<\/h2>\n<p>On the macroeconomic front, the <strong>ADP National Employment Report<\/strong> released its latest <strong>NER Pulse<\/strong> data, showing a further deceleration in private-sector hiring. For the four weeks ending July 11, U.S. employers added an average of <strong>15,000<\/strong> jobs per week, a decline from the <strong>16,500<\/strong> average reported in the prior period.<\/p>\n<p>This marks the <strong>fifth consecutive week<\/strong> of slowing hiring momentum, according to <strong>ADP<\/strong> data. The figure came in below the consensus forecast of <strong>16,500<\/strong>, reinforcing a broader trend of a cooling labor market that has persisted throughout the summer of 2026.<\/p>\n<p><em>Market reaction to the employment data was relatively muted, though the US Dollar Index (DXY) saw slight gains as investors weighed the cooling labor figures against recent inflation data.<\/em> The steady decline in weekly job additions suggests that while the labor market remains in expansion territory, the &quot;impasse in hiring&quot; is becoming more pronounced as companies tighten payrolls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Apple (AAPL) has officially launched Apple Upgrade, a new hardware leasing program in the U.S. backed by Klarna, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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