Apple's 2026 Back to School Offer Expected to Begin by Next Week

[JPack]

I am so upset. I was waiting for the back to school promo and now, here we are. Any discount or promo is going to be negated by the price increase. I wish they gave us a date of the price increases not just doing it over night.

Apple wouldn't increase prices and then drop it back down via BTS promo. Price increases are the last resort.

At this point, I'd expect nothing more than a free AirTag or Polishing Cloth as the BTS promo item.

 

[joakes90]

I’m feeling pretty lucky I ordered my MBP when I did. Between the looming threat of a price hike and how late the BTS offer was taking to materialize I figured I would order on Tuesday and if a better deal becomes available I could cancel and reorder in the 5 to 6 week time frame they said it would take for the machine to ship. Now we’re sitting here and my laptop is already being built and I saved $1800 over what my spec would cost today.

 

[klasma]

I can’t afford to go back to school with these prices.

 

[slb]

Unfortunately this is what I always feared entering the Apple realm back in 2019. Apple would spike prices or my financial situation would change and I’d be either priced out or priced painfully but have all my data and work stuck in Apple ecosystem. I kept one foot out. Now head we are. The issue isn’t just the initial upfront cost. If you could afford a mbp6 base before you may still be able to afford it but can you afford to replace it? Bc everything is soldered on you can’t repair much of it so any break and you are out $3k minimum.

As it is I’m likely going to pursue a hybrid of things and not Apple. I’ll use the saving to buy battery packs I guess. 💀. This makes me sad. I love the MacBook but I’m not going to keep spending on them.

I'm finding myself migrating out of the Apple ecosystem for similar reasons. It's a painful situation.

 

[canyonblue737]

I am surprised they didn't start this today to cover the bad press

they couldn't... the poor kids who needed a laptop could have bought last week for less... now this "back to school" offer will be for a much higher cost ($200+ in many cases) laptop / iPad than just last week... but they throw in some AirPods or something.

 

[GraXXoR]

I’m feeling pretty lucky I ordered my MBP when I did. Between the looming threat of a price hike and how late the BTS offer was taking to materialize I figured I would order on Tuesday and if a better deal becomes available I could cancel and reorder in the 5 to 6 week time frame they said it would take for the machine to ship. Now we’re sitting here and my laptop is already being built and I saved $1800 over what my spec would cost today.

Thanks for your contribution to the thread. We are all super stoked that you saved $1800 and that you risked a price increase but we’re able to avoid it by merely being fortunate.

I’m sure that your being lucky and having the capital in hand to buy at the former prices will make the other readers of this thread feel so much happier about the price rises they will suffer.

Thanks for sharing your tale.

 

[BigTRQ]

It’s now “next week.” Apple, where is the Back to School offer for 2026 in the USA? 😬

 

[tomori]

I was waiting for the Back to School offer to purchase an iPad Air 256GB for my wife and also to impulse buy a MBP M5 Pro 18-core 1 TB, 64 GB.

But the hike last week was ... astronomical. I bought the iPad Air off a local electronics store (before they hiked too), then re-evaluated my laptop requirements. The MBP would be a good-to-have, a fun experiment as I had an iPhone, an AW, AirPods, and now the incoming iPad. But at that price, it didn't justify being a 'fun experiment'.

I think I'd eventually go with a decent $2K Lenovo Legion gaming laptop instead. I preferred having Linux and playing games, but I'd really wanted to try the Mac experience since at one point, it seemed like the price point were comparable but with better hardware/UX.

I'd probably only grab the Apple Pencil Pro on the Back to School offer, if they have any discounts on that.

 

[Geekett]

Gosh, still no Back to School ?!!

 

[JPack]

Wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t happen at all. Apple is backordered on most MacBooks by at least 3 weeks. Only Neo and iPads are widely in stock.

 

[Geekett]

Wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t happen at all. Apple is backordered on most MacBooks by at least 3 weeks. Only Neo and iPads are widely in stock.

Hope you’re wrong. It would be a big let down for million of students and will push them to buy cheaper elsewhere

 

[veeliam]

Hopefully Apple will get it online this week, been anticipating it, too bad i missed-out on the last minute sale before the price hike, but still waiting the BTS to secure my macbook pro /w m5 pro for my masters studies. 🙁

 

[Geekett]

Hopefully, they delay BTS because of backorders.
Edit : base MBA is available in store (on line : 3 weeks shipping)

 

[veeliam]

Hopefully, they delay BTS because of backorders.
Edit : base MBA is available in store (on line : 3 weeks shipping)

Apple store @ Malaysia just run out of stock on MBA also, only MBP are available right now... damn I might no wait no more... Screw the BTS ATP

 

[seek3r]

Hopefully Apple will get it online this week, been anticipating it, too bad i missed-out on the last minute sale before the price hike, but still waiting the BTS to secure my macbook pro /w m5 pro for my masters studies. 🙁

Still missing, would have expected it today 🙁 (they like Tuesdays)

Maybe next week

 

[veeliam]

Still missing, would have expected it today 🙁 (they like Tuesdays)

Maybe next week

They said maybe it could be launching on Thursday, (the price hike is also on Thursday), i think we can still give it some time till Thursday, if until Thursday they still not launching it, i might just go buy it off on Friday... Let's be patient maybe, the price is already increased, all we can do is only wait, I think mostly it's effected by the shortage also, but we'll see? Hopefully it will be this week. Cheers mate 😉

 

[DominikHoffmann]

Wither Back-to-School promotion?

 

[JPack]

Gone the way of the iPod it seems. Brace yourselves, full-priced fall is coming.