Apple launches annual 'Back to School' promotion, iPhone now a qualifying purchase
Apple on Monday opened up its "Back to School" campaign, with this year's promotion offering $100 and $50 gift cards with a qualifying Mac, iPad or iPhone purchase.
As noted by The Verge, Apple changed its Online Store home page early Tuesday to advertise the start of the promotion, which is now live on the company's website.
For the first time, students can now buy an iPhone to receive a $50 gift card that can be used in the App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes Store, and iBookstore. The same value is also applied to iPad purchases. As in past years, Mac buyers get $100 gift cards with their machines.
To take advantage of the offer, customers must be college students, students accepted to college, parents of a college student or school faculty or staff for any grade level.
The promotional gift cards are included on top of Apple's education pricing, and purchases must be made between July 2, 2013, through September 6, 2013.
As noted by The Verge, Apple changed its Online Store home page early Tuesday to advertise the start of the promotion, which is now live on the company's website.
For the first time, students can now buy an iPhone to receive a $50 gift card that can be used in the App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes Store, and iBookstore. The same value is also applied to iPad purchases. As in past years, Mac buyers get $100 gift cards with their machines.
To take advantage of the offer, customers must be college students, students accepted to college, parents of a college student or school faculty or staff for any grade level.
The promotional gift cards are included on top of Apple's education pricing, and purchases must be made between July 2, 2013, through September 6, 2013.
Comments
The iPhone 4 and 4S are included in the promotion as well, meaning you can purchase a "free" iPhone 4 and recieve a $50 gift card.
Another clever way to clear the channel of phone and iPad inventory in the ramp to new models (tho' I imagine you CAN get a brandy new Haswell MBA?? That's cool.).
Also, of value in any case to those on a budget willing to accept soon to be last year's mobile models (at least that was the limitation when I bought)..... ...so fair inducement (I haven't heard of any pre-BTS price increases noted by one poster - who was making his first post).
....I got my first iBook (and first Mac of any kind) and iPod in 2004 that way. Bigger deal then - a $100 mail-in rebate, plus other deals or rebates on Photoshop 5 and Office '04 - AND a free Canon Pixma printer (I think - or at least a great deal) (after filling out a boat load of complicated paperwork requiring cutting SKU's off the shipping boxes with a utility knife and sending everything to four separate fulfillment companies and waiting 8 weeks at least.)....
...so I get the drill. It's not a favor, but the math worked for Apple and me. Even if Apple's cachet and success has made the offers more modest over time.
Bottom line, Apple's characteristically excellent handling of inventory management from design to component procurement, assembly, introduction, delivery, cash flow, margin, etc., through end of lifetime of each SKU that's arguably the best in the industry. I.e., another reason they're not "doomed" any time soon yet.
Another undoubtable sign for WS criminals that Apple is doomed...
I remember the days when the back to school deal included a discounted Mac, FREE iPod, printer rebate, and MS Office rebates as well.
The times have changed havent they! But I like that Apple now simple includes App Store gift cards. It increases the value of the App Store and makes more developers happy students will be downloading their paid apps (even if students are using the money for games and not productivity apps!).
Quote:
Originally Posted by vipcif
But the price has increased compared with the pre-BTS price. This is so called promotion from apple
What prices are you referring to? Certainly not ipads or iphones. perhaps those new MBA. Those, if they did go up, are due to the new hardware. Not some conspiracy to make students pay the same with their discount as before.
Or perhaps you are a 'victim' of the quarter adjustment due to the value of the dollar.
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackbook
I remember the days when the back to school deal included a discounted Mac, FREE iPod, printer rebate, and MS Office rebates as well.
1. Still has a discounted Mac
2. Apple got tired of folks selling those ipods on Ebay
3/4 The companies no longer wanted to do those deals where weren't actually BTS but everyone.
Haha, yup. There's no doubt most students are spending their App Store credits on games and not productivity apps.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BuddyRevell
Haha, yup. There's no doubt most students are spending their App Store credits on games and not productivity apps.
Mostly they spend them on music and movies.
Except no prices have changed between before the promotion and now. Except the only prices that have changed in the last month involve process that have GONE DOWN, not up.
This is so-called trolling from morons. :no:
Quote:
Originally Posted by blackbook
I remember the days when the back to school deal included a discounted Mac, FREE iPod, printer rebate, and MS Office rebates as well.
The times have changed havent they! But I like that Apple now simple includes App Store gift cards. It increases the value of the App Store and makes more developers happy students will be downloading their paid apps (even if students are using the money for games and not productivity apps!).
That was it. The iPod was free and the printer (and Office) was rebated.... ...still have the iP in the car: a 60GB iPod Photo. Of course I missed the next version that introduced being able to select starting letters of the alphabet (and played videos?) - but despite all the scrolling a great juke box over the last 9 years!!
If they don't release it by that time frame it makes you wonder if Apple is still designing, working out the bugs or still dealing with suppliers.
Compared to the give away prices being offered for MS Surfaces, these reductions will not cut it with the UK educational establishments who are strapped for cash. They will have to pursue the cheap and cheerful option of Surface tablets because these exam factories are run by accountants these days.
If Apple was serious about getting into education, give the coal face teacher a break and stymie the accountants arguments and make the price reductions worthwhile and deep.
These reductions are laughable. Sorry folks we won't be beating down your door.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Banyan Bruce
Compared to the give away prices being offered for MS Surfaces, these reductions will not cut it with the UK educational establishments who are strapped for cash. They will have to pursue the cheap and cheerful option of Surface tablets because these exam factories are run by accountants these days.
If Apple was serious about getting into education, give the coal face teacher a break and stymie the accountants arguments and make the price reductions worthwhile and deep.
These reductions are laughable. Sorry folks we won't be beating down your door.
Whatever. This promotion is not about selling to schools. It's about selling to students.
^ this
Apple has far more lucrative offers for schools and businesses than what we see here.