Apple trying to tempt businesses into buying new MacBook Pros

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited November 2022
If a business wants to get a large number of MacBook Pro units, Apple reportedly has a new deal on the table for them.

The new 14-inch MacBook Pro
The new 14-inch MacBook Pro


A report on Monday evening says that Apple is offering "as much" as 10% off a MacBook Pro bulk-buy. While the report claims that it is "unusual," it's not clear why that claim of rarity is being made by Bloomberg

Apple does have enterprise and school sales channels, which routinely offer discounts on the iPad, with custom deals available for other hardware. Discounts are most often found on AppleCare and support contracts on top of the hardware, but deals on the hardware itself are not uncommon.

And, sales on the hardware at more than 10% off are relatively easy to come by through other channels. For a period of time in October, reseller MicroCenter was offering an incredibly well configured 14-inch MacBook Pro for what the "entry" level cost. At present, a 14-inch MacBook Pro with 512GB of storage, 16GB of RAM, and M1 Pro processor can be had for about 20% off at $1599.99 from Amazon.

This all said, Apple is expecting a difficult compare to the year-ago quarter where it launched the current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro. A refresh on the line is expected at some point in 2023, but when isn't quite clear.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    22july201322july2013 Posts: 3,573member
    Merchant Bulk Purchase (MBP) on MacBook Pros (MBP).
    h4y3swatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 7
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,322member
    10% on top of the usual bulk buy pricing?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 7
    djames4242djames4242 Posts: 651member
    FWIW, one upside of companies setting up an enterprise sales agreement with Apple is that it allows their employees discounts on hardware through an Employee Purchase Plan. The discounts are moderate (usually just enough to offset sales tax).

    Back when software was sold in the Apple stores, those discounts were significant. I remember purchasing Aperture (RIP) and Final Cut Express at significant discounts.
    doozydozenAlex_Vwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 7
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,861administrator
    mattinoz said:
    10% on top of the usual bulk buy pricing?
    Nope, just 10% off. Which is why I'm puzzled about the story.
    mattinozracerhomie3h4y3swatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 7
    MisterKitMisterKit Posts: 496member
    I don't get it. There have been better deals on Amazon and it's not even Black Friday yet.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 7
    FileMakerFellerFileMakerFeller Posts: 1,546member
    Mike Wuerthele said:
    mattinoz said:
    10% on top of the usual bulk buy pricing?
    Nope, just 10% off. Which is why I'm puzzled about the story.
    Twenty-some years ago when I worked for an Authorised Apple Reseller and Repair Centre in Australia, there were never any discounts based on volume. You were either a customer in the Education or Government sectors or you paid full retail - or, more accurately, Apple charged the reseller the same price as always and it was up to the reseller to decide on the final sales price. Resellers that achieved a certain volume level would receive a bonus from Apple that would be applied to the reseller's purchasing account.

    If Bloomberg is relying on sources with experience from ten or more years ago, that would explain their attitude to the current situation. I was certainly surprised to read about the discount, but then again I haven't been involved in bulk hardware purchases or sales for a very long time.
    Alex_Vwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 7
    doozydozendoozydozen Posts: 539member
    Most online retailers are not equipped to authorize a sale of 10 Mac (for example). Order like such will automatically be flagged as fraud. Happened to a friend’s company. They were introduced to the business team and the sale was approved immediately. Business customer must go through Apple, Bust Buy Business, or CDW (there’s only a few more) to have access to larger volume purchase. Everything else is for consumers. There is hard limited to deals. Most retailer limit sales to one Mac. Good luck running IT for a business where they onboard 10 employees per month and trying to procure Macs from consumer channels. You’ll be driving around town all week buying 1-2 Macs per Best Buy, or the like. 
    Alex_VFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra
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