Apple's business-focused 'Mac notebook upgrade' programme over

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple's business-oriented Mac notebook upgrade programme, which let businesses lease new M1 Macs for as low as $30 per month has now been discontinued, a media outlet reported.

CIT Group (an American financial services company), which partnered with Apple has confirmed that the Mac notebook upgrade programme has ended, reports The Verge.

In 2021, the tech giant partnered with the bank to let small businesses lease new M1 Macs for as low as $30 per month, with easy options to upgrade if and when more powerful devices are released.

Businesses that had signed up for the programme will now have to sign up for a different programme from CIT Group, or find another way to get their computers, said the report.

The bank is now requesting that the company switch to an FMV (Fair Market Value) lease or continue leasing the equipment at the same monthly rate -- though the lease would run indefinitely with no buyout option.

However, CIT and Apple have not confirmed the programme's status, the report mentioned.

Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly planning to release a new MacBook Air with a larger 15-inch display in April 2023.

According to display analyst Ross Young, the laptop is expected to be powered by the M2 chip and will likely support Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.