Report: AppleCare extended warranty could become subscription-based

It's been a big week for subscriptions. First, Adobe announced that its Creative Suite software would be entirely replaced by the subscription-only Creative Cloud service. Now a report from AppleInsider claims that Apple will be replacing or augmenting its AppleCare and AppleCare+ extended warranty plans this fall with a new subscription offering referred to as "One Apple." The new plan would support all of the Apple devices a subscriber owns rather than individual devices paired with individual plans.

Tara Bunch, an Apple vice president formerly of HP, reportedly broke the news during one of Apple's internal town hall-style meetings. AppleCare and AppleCare+ plans are currently sold on a per-device basis. These options extend free telephone tech support and hardware repair coverage from 90 days and one year (respectively) to two years (for iOS devices) or three years (for Macs). Under the new plan, the complimentary phone support period would be increased from the current 90 days to one year.

The exact terms, pricing, and length of coverage available under the alleged subscription plan are unknown at this point. The report suggests that the plan's perks include in-store training similar to Apple's current One to One offering, as well as possible 24/7 phone support.

Apple will also reportedly change the way that iOS devices are repaired. Currently, devices that break under warranty are swapped out for new ones, and the damaged units are sent to Apple presumably to be refurbished and re-sold. Under the new system, common hardware issues (problems with the speakers, receivers, home buttons, vibrator motors, and batteries) will actually be fixable in-store, and customers will have their device repaired and returned to them rather than replaced outright. More advanced repairs (displays, cameras, power buttons, and logic boards) will become possible in-store during the summer. Apple reportedly hopes to save nearly $1 billion a year under the new repair policy. This change will apparently begin to roll out in the United States before it affects international markets.