Using Apple products is an excellent way to improve your business. Although Apple is not known to offer a business discount, it offers other programs, such as financing, leasing, etc., to boost business growth. And you can take advantage of them for your business.
So, if you’re interested in creating an Apple account for your business, read this article until the last punctuation mark.
What is Apple For Business?
Apple for business comprises a combination of Apple’s software, hardware, and services to enable your employees to do the job flexibly. Whether your business is a startup, scale-up, or multinational enterprise, these tools will work for you.
You will find over 235,000 business apps on the App Store. These apps help you increase efficiency and productivity.
From Microsoft Excel (for everyday needs) to Scandit (for specialized tasks) to Cisco Webex to industry-specific tools like Sharpr3D, Apple has all it takes to level up your business.
How Does Apple For Business Work?
Apple has been helping and is still helping businesses thrive. The company’s goal is to assist every company in growing, competing, and succeeding. And one primary service Apple offers to businesses is the Apple Business Essentials.
Even though you’re a small business owner, you can access the Apple Business Essentials. Apple’s Business Essentials simplifies device setup & management, device upgrade & security, support, data storage & backup, and repairs. This service helps you save time, mainly if you don’t have dedicated IT staff.
To use this service, you start with employee onboarding, which lets your enterprise configure, deploy, and manage Apple products from anywhere. Then, the Collections feature allows you to distribute groups of apps to your teams or employees.
Now, your employees can sign in to their work account (with a managed Apple ID) using their iPhones, iPads, or Mac. The sign-in will grant them access to all they require to be productive, such as the Apple Business Essentials app. With this app, they can download work apps that are available to them.
You can create a Managed Apple ID by integrating with Microsoft Azure Active Directory, enabling employees to sign in to their devices using a single business name and password. Apple Business Essentials ensures your personal information stays private.
In addition to that, the service offers your company an iCloud work account specifically for work. This iCloud account helps you securely store, back up, and collaborate on documents and files.
How To Create an Apple Business Account
For your business to access Apple’s business features and online store, you have to create an Apple Business Account. It allows your business to enjoy benefits like personalized support and business pricing.
Thankfully, the steps to create an Apple for business account are easy.
1. Set up Apple ID for Business
Visit the Apple Store to set up a free Apple ID or use your existing ID for your business.
The email you used to access several Apple services (iCloud, iTunes, and App Store) is your Apple ID.
2. Create your business account
Fill out the required information for your business. This comprises your business name, business phone number, address, etc. Create your business account on Apple’s website.
The information you provide will make up your eligibility and custom store. You will also be able to use the account to earn business pricing and benefits.
3. Start shopping
After setting up your business account, you can now access the online store. With the online store, your business can purchase Apple products that meet its needs.
It’s time to get more productive with Apple’s business products. You can always reach out to the Apple team in-store, online, and over the phone to assist you in choosing the right product(s) for your business.
Apple Business Financing: What it is and How it Works
Apple business financing is an Apple program that allows businesses to lease equipment like iPhones, Macs, iWatches, iPads, and Apple TVs. The CIT Bank does these leases. It is an online bank that offers business credit cards, deposit accounts, term loans, and other business financings.
The CIT bank provides a web portal for companies to apply for Apple business leasing. Or, these borrowers can directly call and talk with a sales staff member.
After the business has chosen the equipment for leasing and the type of term, Apple applies to CIT. The CIT now decides to either approve or decline the equipment lease depending on the business and borrower’s creditworthiness alongside other factors.
Apple business financing offers two leasing programs—the $1 buyout and Fair Market Value. These leasing programs are available for small and medium enterprises.
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1.  $1 Buyout
The $1 Buyout Apple leasing program provides your business with fixed monthly payments and comes with full equipment ownership. If your company plans to keep the equipment beyond 12 to 36 months, this is an excellent choice.
In this lease program, the buyout terms are integrated into the initial lease agreement. Thus, there wouldn’t be any uncertainty about the equipment’s final purchase price. This will help your business technology budget become more reputable and stable.
2. Fair Market Value
The Fair Market Value program provides you with fixed monthly payments alongside an alternative to return the equipment, renew the lease, or buy the equipment at its Fair Market Value by the end of the lease term. Fair Market Value is how much equipment will sell on the open market.
This lease type comes with uncertainties about the equipment’s final purchase price. However, the monthly payment for this lease program is lower.
Pros and Cons of Apple Business Financing
Why should you choose to lease Apple equipment instead of purchasing it? Let’s look at a rundown of the positive and negative sides of this action.
Pros
- Upgrade easily. Technology fades away with time, meaning it could be a wrong investment in the long run. Therefore, leasing equipment enables you to upgrade your tech every few years without buying new equipment.
- Lesser upfront costs. Many small businesses face challenges with cash flow. So, equipment leasing prevents you from investing a considerable amount in tech. It instead helps you divide the cost over some months or years.
- Easy budgeting and planning. Equipment leasing makes it easier for you to plan future budgets for your tech expenses since you already know how much it costs.
Cons
- An excellent credit score is required. A poor credit score will not qualify you to get a lease.
- It’s not easy to walk away. If, for instance, you don’t need the equipment anymore, you may face the consequences of returning the leased equipment early. Some leases charge you for terminating the lease early.
- High-priced. Leases come with interest rates fused into their monthly payments. That’s how leasing companies make money.
Apple Business Discount: How to Get Discounts
Although Apple is not known to offer a discount, you can still get discounts for your business. However, you must reach a particular spending threshold for your business to be eligible for discounts.
Also, if your business has a good relationship with Apple, you and other employees can enjoy a discount on Apple Store when buying items for personal use. If you work for a relatively large company, you can ask your HR if you qualify for discounts at the Apple Store.
And if you qualify, you’ll have to present documents like your business card or work ID badge, then tell the Salesperson to apply the discount. Sometimes, your company may offer you an online portal to order from Apple at a discount.
FAQs
Small businesses in the United States can use Apple Business Essentials free for two months. However, plans start at $2.99 per month afterward.
1. Visit Places on Maps and log in with your Apple ID and password. If you don’t have an Apple ID, get one.
2. Choose your relationship with your business. For example, I’m the business owner, or I’m authorized by the business owner.
3. Input your essential business details. It includes the business name, business phone number, and business address.
4. Confirm your business phone number. Apple will call you and provide you with a PIN code from Apple. You can also choose to verify later.
5. Verify your business location.
6. Confirm your business hours. Specify the hours you are open from Apple’s list of seven days.
7. Enter your company’s website and social media accounts. Add the URLs to the provided fields.
8. Assess your business information. If everything is accurate, tap OK. And that’s it! Within a week, new listings should show on Apple’s Maps app. But if there’s a need for extra verification, Apple will communicate to you.
Apple Inc. is an American global technology company focusing on consumer electronics, online services, and software. Its headquarters is in Cupertino, California, United States.
Businesses should use Managed Apple IDs to enable employees to use them for business purposes. Apple IDs are different from Managed Apple IDs.
When you make purchases, Apple Pay uses a unique transaction code and device-specific number. Therefore, Apple never saves your card number on your device or Apple servers and doesn’t share it with merchants.
References
- apple.com – Apple Business
- imore.com – How To Get Discounts at The Apple Store 2022
- macpricesaustralia.com – How To Create an Apple Business Account
- lendingtree.com – How Does Apple Business Financing Work?
- fitsmallbusiness.com – Apple Business Financing: How it Works & Compares To Other Lenders
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