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Apple Launches 2016 Back to School Promotion, Offers Free Beats With Mac, iPhone, or iPad Pro Purchase

Get used to bundled Bluetooth headsets in future iPhones guys. Starting from the iPhone 7. Mark this post.
 
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HobeSoundDarryl said:
Ummm. All of us before there was a retina MBP? Back then, nobody griped about it's screen lacking higher pixel density, so, apparently, it was a perfectly fine, perfectly usable screen back then... for EVERYONE.

Retina is fine and all but it's not like a computer is unusable if it lacks it.
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I guess you're not a big "value shopper". For $200 more you get 8GB RAM, faster CPU, an SSD, AND a Retina display.
 
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HobeSoundDarryl said:
Ummm. All of us before there was a retina MBP? Back then, nobody griped about it's screen lacking higher pixel density, so, apparently, it was a perfectly fine, perfectly usable screen back then... for EVERYONE.

Retina is fine and all but it's not like a computer is unusable if it lacks it.
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How is that a relevant consideration? You're buying a new product at full price, so the comparison point should be other new products...not models from 4 or 5 years ago. No one is saying the non-retina MBP is unusable, but rather that it is just a terrible value for what it is.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
The free swag is on top of Apple's student discount. If you go to any U.S. campus they are chock full of MacBook variants. Students may not be rolling in $ but just about every student needs a laptop. Many prefer Macs so this is a bonus.
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Very true. My daughter graduates from HS this weekend. She had asked for a laptop and has her eye on a Mac. She was happy to wait until June though....just in case new MacBook Pros are announced.
 
While id never turn my nose up at free stuff, I think the free printer/gift card was a much better incentive since when I went to uni I needed to get a printer and software, whereas decent headphones are more a "yeah why not"
 
Afluffykitten said:
How does this help students? Do you know what students don't have... MONEY. They need discounts, not free swag.
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No but it has to do with entertainment and potentially locking another group into a possible subscription model ... aka Apple Music. And iTunes. We can't ever forget iTunes.

Seriously though. An education event?
 
japanime said:
Back to School sales already? Didn't North American schools just start the summer break?

I guess Apple is the corporate equivalent of that one oddball kid who actually enjoys going to summer school. :D
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Summer is when all the Parents start to buy the laptops for college. Usually every Fall you see a huge influx of freshman with new MacBooks at my university. Although, I expect to see a ton of Surface Pros this year.
 
doctorwhofan98 said:
No - this only applies to Macs, and even if you had bought a Mac, Apple can be lenient but probably not that lenient.
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No it doesn't. It applies to both iPhone and iPad as well. You just get different headphones depending on your device purchase.
 
Goaliegeek said:
Interesting... On one hand, this will help clear stock of Macbook Pros and help with the case of a new Macbook Pro coming very soon, but this promo lasts until Sept, and is Apple really going to have 2 generations of Macbook Pros being sold during this promotion? If it ends in Sept, maybe we won't see a new Macbook Pro until October once the promo is over a-la the release of the unibody Macs in Late 2008... FIRE ANGELA blah blah blah
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It wouldn't be the first time Apple ran the Back to School promo and the MacBook Pro received an update after the promo started, or had 2 different generation MBP's being offered during promo.

July 1, 2014 : Back to School promo starts
July 29, 2014 : new 13" and 15" retina MBP's launched


June 11, 2012 : Back to School promo starts
June 11, 2012 : Apple updates 2nd gen non-retina MBP *and* releases retina MBP (3rd gen) .... all on the same day
 
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While it is early, buying a laptop for college isn't necessarily a spur of the moment thing. This allows Apple to get their deals outfront knowing it may take 4-8 weeks to convince their parents to buy one (or save up more money themselves to buy one).
 
dmylrea said:
I guess you're not a big "value shopper". For $200 more you get 8GB RAM, faster CPU, an SSD, AND a Retina display.
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I wasn't commenting about price- just the implication that retina is essential thus, who would want a laptop without it... as if nobody could/should have a go at any computer lacking it... yet that was perfectly fine for all of us right up until Apple rolled out retina. And even then- when there was some stuff with and without it, we passionately argued for retina in Apple stuff that had it and against the need for it in Apple stuff that did not have it yet. When the latter got it, we then flip our prior arguments against the need for it in such products and argued why everyone needed to upgrade to get retina in those same products.

Now, if you want to bring value into the equation, for $200 LESS they can probably get a much more robust hardware platform running Windows 10 which will come with the version of Office that is most compatible with what their university will be using and thus the bulk of their work can be shared back and forth and maintain consistent formatting.

Yes, if you force the value shopper to ONLY shop in the Apple store, then paying up more will get them more tech. But if the value-minded shopper wants better specs in hardware, why are they limiting themselves to only Apple hardware... where "specs don't matter" is commonly spun to try to mitigate the head-to-head hardware spec comparisons?
 
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swester said:
How is that a relevant consideration? You're buying a new product at full price, so the comparison point should be other new products...not models from 4 or 5 years ago. No one is saying the non-retina MBP is unusable, but rather that it is just a terrible value for what it is.
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I guess you could read the OP comment that way...

Dydegu said:
$999? Who would ever buy the non-retina MBP? What a joke. And the rMBP is pictured.
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I interpreted the part I colored red above as spinning retina as essential (or that non-retina IS unusable) and the point I offered is that EVERYONE wanted a non-retina MBP before and no one found any fault with pixel densities. So, I can't believe that not one person could want to buy a non-retina computer now in a promotion like this one. Or more simply, it was once fine for ALL of us, it's probably still just fine for some of us. "Who would ever buy" and "What a joke" implies it fits no one IMO.
 
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