3 ms·

Why It Makes Sense to Rent Rather Than Buy Your Devices

3 points by kartickv 9y ago

celticninja 9y ago
This article doesn't make any sense. Desktop Vs laptop - do a bit of thinking before buying, how, why, where and when will you use it? Same thing goes for the iPad/Surface decision. Work out what you want it for, research to see if it does that well and decide accordingly. Insufficient memory - look for devices that have expandable memory. This mistake should only occur once. Buy an item with no expandable memory, realise what a ball ache that is, avoid this type of device in future. Unused devices - eBay/gumtree/shpock or whatever your local equivalent is. Get some money Mack toward your new/replacement device. Hardware defects on a new item should mean it is replaced whether you bought it new or rented it. Rent a second hand device to save money. Or you know buy a second hand device to save money. The basic economics of it are that renting will be more expensive than buying because the agency renting you your item needs to make a profit. On a phone with an expected life of 2 - 4 years the renter wants to recoup costs in the first year when demand for the item is high, the subsequent years rent is the profit. So if you rent it in year one you will essentially be paying for the item. If you rent a second hand device in year 3 and 4 you will probably pay close to what a second hand device would cost you at that time. Refurbished devices may only have a 1 year warranty in India but that second hand macbook you are going to rent had either been refurbished or will be when you drop it back and pick up a replacement (again refurbished). I could go on, basically renting is not going to save you money over buying and reselling an item when you are finished with it.
- kartickv 9y ago
  Almost everything you said is missing the point in some way. You can think all you want, but your needs change over time, and in any case can't be foreseen by reading some articles. There's no substitute to using it for a few months to understand. It's easy to say "look for devices that have expandable memory", but many don't, particularly Macbooks. As an iOS developer, I need macOS. I'm not going to go on and refute your other (frankly mistaken) points, except to say that yes, renting will be more costly, in exchange for the benefits you get. There's no free lunch, and the article doesn't claim there is. The point is that the benefits renting provides are worth the extra cost, for many people.
detaro 9y ago
It would make sense, yes, if someone would provide it for a useful price point. Given that they'd have to price in repair insurance and want to make a profit I don't see it happening for many use cases. Short-term rental (e.g. for tests or if you really only need it a limited time) is a different thing and exists already.
- kartickv 9y ago
  The OEM could be offering rentals as a way to drive sales, making the same profit as they do when they sell it outright.

3 points by kartickv 9y ago

This article doesn't make any sense. Desktop Vs laptop - do a bit of thinking before buying, how, why, where and when will you use it? Same thing goes for the iPad/Surface decision. Work out what you want it for, research to see if it does that well and decide accordingly. Insufficient memory - look for devices that have expandable memory. This mistake should only occur once. Buy an item with no expandable memory, realise what a ball ache that is, avoid this type of device in future. Unused devices - eBay/gumtree/shpock or whatever your local equivalent is. Get some money Mack toward your new/replacement device. Hardware defects on a new item should mean it is replaced whether you bought it new or rented it. Rent a second hand device to save money. Or you know buy a second hand device to save money. The basic economics of it are that renting will be more expensive than buying because the agency renting you your item needs to make a profit. On a phone with an expected life of 2 - 4 years the renter wants to recoup costs in the first year when demand for the item is high, the subsequent years rent is the profit. So if you rent it in year one you will essentially be paying for the item. If you rent a second hand device in year 3 and 4 you will probably pay close to what a second hand device would cost you at that time. Refurbished devices may only have a 1 year warranty in India but that second hand macbook you are going to rent had either been refurbished or will be when you drop it back and pick up a replacement (again refurbished). I could go on, basically renting is not going to save you money over buying and reselling an item when you are finished with it.

kartickv 9y ago
Almost everything you said is missing the point in some way. You can think all you want, but your needs change over time, and in any case can't be foreseen by reading some articles. There's no substitute to using it for a few months to understand. It's easy to say "look for devices that have expandable memory", but many don't, particularly Macbooks. As an iOS developer, I need macOS. I'm not going to go on and refute your other (frankly mistaken) points, except to say that yes, renting will be more costly, in exchange for the benefits you get. There's no free lunch, and the article doesn't claim there is. The point is that the benefits renting provides are worth the extra cost, for many people.

detaro 9y ago

It would make sense, yes, if someone would provide it for a useful price point. Given that they'd have to price in repair insurance and want to make a profit I don't see it happening for many use cases. Short-term rental (e.g. for tests or if you really only need it a limited time) is a different thing and exists already.

kartickv 9y ago
The OEM could be offering rentals as a way to drive sales, making the same profit as they do when they sell it outright.