Giving out free iPod Touches wasn't just an altruistic move on Apple's part, it was a way of ensuring future revenue stream in the form of app and music purchases for those devices. I don't know if I buy this rumor...
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple's Back to School Promo Launching Wednesday With $100 iTunes Gift Cards?
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It's still $100. Those calling Apple "greedy" remember they are hosting the iCloud (5GB, mail, hosting, etc..) for FREE (they build a huge server farm for this costing many million $) come this Autumn. Seriously stop crying.
These responses irk me. You've joined the wrong forum. Macrumors is pretty much an entire forum dedicated to the consumer products delivered by one company who makes shiny and expensive goods. Don't come here expecting the debate to change the world. And if you do expect it, don't start bitching about the fact this it's doesn't. Yes, there exists bigger problems than anything that has EVER been posted on macrumors but there's also other places to discuss them.
I think people are understandably disappointed at the prospect of a change in the promotion. That's not to say people SHOULD or SHOULDN'T get a free ipod with their mac, but the disappointment is not surprising. I recently bought my macbook pro but I was close to waiting until the student offer - especially since this is my last year as a student and I really felt I should be patient and wait for May. Instead, I bought at the end of April and, in hindsight, I'm glad I did. Not only would I have been disappointed at having to wait longer than I expected, but I would now be regretting putting it off and probably feeling quite frustrated. Now, let me reiterate, I'm not saying I 'deserve' a free gift with my new computer and I'm not saying I would have been grievously wronged had Apple never even done a promotion at all. But I would be disappointed - and disappointment is what is coming out in this discussion. So try and be understanding. I've got my mac, I'm glad I didn't wait and I'm pleased as punch so I could quite easily be sitting here going "shut up, who cares, grow a pair, first world problems, why should you get anything free, blah blah blah" but I'm not.
One of those dudes from the bible would propose cutting the ipod in half. Or something like that.
Last edited:
Dont' worry, Apple has already said that Lion will be a free upgrade for all machines sold between WWDC and Lion's release.
And yes, an iTunes or App Store card does cost Apple money, because it has to pay the rights holder of the products purchased their percentage of the sales (which in the case of the App store is 70%, but which has never been disclosed for iTunes AFAIK, but has been speculated to be as high as 90%). So you can't say it costs Apple "nothing"; it would cost them $70 or more, plus the cost of processing the transaction and hosting the download. Considering Apple's current cost to make a low-end iPod Touch, this rumored promo would cost Apple almost as much as its traditional back to school promo did.
Having said that, there may be some merit in the speculation that edu buyers may be offered both an iPod Touch and a $100 card to be more competitive with Microsoft's current back to school promo, but that would depend on whether Apple felt it had to compete with Microsoft in this area. And Apple has never shown an interest in a race to the bottom as far as price goes.
Well I really hope it isn't true, my friend was planning on buying his first MBP the end of this summer and was looking forward to getting the iPod Touch with it as well.
Also, I was looking forward to buying a MBA 11" and essentially getting a huge discount on it by selling the iPod Touch
$I could still use the $100 as I buy a lot of apps and music so eventually it would get used but I would much rather have the $200 iPod Touch.
Especially with MSFT's free Xbox 360 deal. Unfortunately I already have a 360 and have no use for a PC other than gaming, for which I would rather have a desktop than a laptop.
Also, I was looking forward to buying a MBA 11" and essentially getting a huge discount on it by selling the iPod Touch
$I could still use the $100 as I buy a lot of apps and music so eventually it would get used but I would much rather have the $200 iPod Touch.
Especially with MSFT's free Xbox 360 deal. Unfortunately I already have a 360 and have no use for a PC other than gaming, for which I would rather have a desktop than a laptop.
Treat us the same as Apple treated Jap students 2011
100 iTunes gift card is useless as I don't listen to any kinds of music. And in Japan, apple is offering free iPod touch to Japanese students. It made feel kind of bad if Apple offered that gift card to me. Apple hopefully makes anyone equal by at least giving us free iPod touches or giving us a choice between the gift card or free iPod touches.
100 iTunes gift card is useless as I don't listen to any kinds of music. And in Japan, apple is offering free iPod touch to Japanese students. It made feel kind of bad if Apple offered that gift card to me. Apple hopefully makes anyone equal by at least giving us free iPod touches or giving us a choice between the gift card or free iPod touches.
I'll be replacing my iMac very soon and was holding out for the BTS offer, so will be disapointed if there is no free iPod.
However as I'll be getting it from the HE store I'll be saving £120 on the iMac and getting a 3 year warranty for free. So a $100 iTunes voucher (or its sterling equivalent) will be a welcome bonus, not as welcome as an ipod touch however but still welcome.
All those people moaning that they have no use for $100 voucher, are they not ever going to buy any more music, video or apps? Maybe they get their content from other sources?
I still think, and hope, the free iPod will happen but won't spit the dummy if it doesn't appear.
However as I'll be getting it from the HE store I'll be saving £120 on the iMac and getting a 3 year warranty for free. So a $100 iTunes voucher (or its sterling equivalent) will be a welcome bonus, not as welcome as an ipod touch however but still welcome.
All those people moaning that they have no use for $100 voucher, are they not ever going to buy any more music, video or apps? Maybe they get their content from other sources?
I still think, and hope, the free iPod will happen but won't spit the dummy if it doesn't appear.
Really? Someone hacked my Apple account and purchased nothing (although they did purchase and pay for several iPhones, which were not charged to me), and when the account was restored, I had a $100 credit!
Useless
The $100 gift card is useless. Music, videos, and software can all be obtained for free
The $100 gift card is useless. Music, videos, and software can all be obtained for free
So 15 plus % off a Macbook Pro and $100 to spend in iTunes is not good enough? Come on
I am just happy with the discount.. anything else on top of that is a massive bonus. 1/2 price iPads would be lovely though and could be a good tactic for Apple to get more of them into colleges
I am just happy with the discount.. anything else on top of that is a massive bonus. 1/2 price iPads would be lovely though and could be a good tactic for Apple to get more of them into colleges
Apple can do what they want...it's their business. However, as a consumer...i choose how I buy.
I was going to do the following: new 13" macbook pro for the wife, keep my decent but older macbook, donate the wife's 5 year old macbook.
I will now do this: buy a new mac mini for me, wife gets my macbook...
I'll save $350 plus $100 on the deal and spend a good deal less. Apple will get less of my money though if they do this...
Just have to be flexible folks...
I was going to do the following: new 13" macbook pro for the wife, keep my decent but older macbook, donate the wife's 5 year old macbook.
I will now do this: buy a new mac mini for me, wife gets my macbook...
I'll save $350 plus $100 on the deal and spend a good deal less. Apple will get less of my money though if they do this...
Just have to be flexible folks...
Best Buy
Best Buy does the free iPod year round with a mac package. I bought a 21.5 inch iMac, had to buy iWork and iLife and they gave me a free ipod.
Here's how stupid they are...
Instead of not charging for the iPod, they charged me $200 then took $200 off of the iMac. THEN, she wrote on the receipt "part of bundle" in marker. I paid $1099 for the iMac, went back to best buy a week later and said I lost the receipt. They printed me one off my credit card account and I returned the programs and iPod. I paid $1099 for my iMac.
BEST BUY IT!
Best Buy does the free iPod year round with a mac package. I bought a 21.5 inch iMac, had to buy iWork and iLife and they gave me a free ipod.
Here's how stupid they are...
Instead of not charging for the iPod, they charged me $200 then took $200 off of the iMac. THEN, she wrote on the receipt "part of bundle" in marker. I paid $1099 for the iMac, went back to best buy a week later and said I lost the receipt. They printed me one off my credit card account and I returned the programs and iPod. I paid $1099 for my iMac.
BEST BUY IT!
Where do you get 15% from?
I should just buy from MacMall (lower than student prices, free ship, no tax, able to upgrade)
not trying to offend anyone or anything,
to those people saying that people shouldn't complain about getting $100 itunes gift card and the educational pricing.
People are bummed about only getting $100 itunes gift card is because the deal is a downgrade from last year and the year before that, and the year before that. Instead of $300 off, they are getting $200 off, I know it shouldn't be the difference between buying or not buying, but that is the reason why people are mad.
You would expect smarter people on this site, I guess not.
to those people saying that people shouldn't complain about getting $100 itunes gift card and the educational pricing.
People are bummed about only getting $100 itunes gift card is because the deal is a downgrade from last year and the year before that, and the year before that. Instead of $300 off, they are getting $200 off, I know it shouldn't be the difference between buying or not buying, but that is the reason why people are mad.
You would expect smarter people on this site, I guess not.
So at first I was with the majority - annoyed.
And I'm not sure how this will convert to £ rather than $ (if it's bad, then I will be annoyed!), but the way I look at it, is I was going to spend so much on software with my Mac, but now I can just use the voucher to buy the software, thus saving money on my initial Mac purchase, leaving me with money left over. (Not entirely sure how much this would differ from selling the iPod but at least I'm not spending as much)
And I'm not sure how this will convert to £ rather than $ (if it's bad, then I will be annoyed!), but the way I look at it, is I was going to spend so much on software with my Mac, but now I can just use the voucher to buy the software, thus saving money on my initial Mac purchase, leaving me with money left over. (Not entirely sure how much this would differ from selling the iPod but at least I'm not spending as much)
Who doesn't have an iPod at this point? Heck, I've got three, including my phone. Everybody seems to want one so they can sell it on eBay, since they already have one! Well, now you have some free stuff to load on what you already got, and that's pretty nice. Point is, it's free money in your pocket if you need a new computer, but they certainly don't have to do that.
People who base their computer-buying decision on whether or not they get a free iPod have their priorities way out of whack.
Yeah, yeah, I get that it's perhaps less value than an iPod, but how much are you really going to get when eBay is flooded with iPods?
People who base their computer-buying decision on whether or not they get a free iPod have their priorities way out of whack.
Yeah, yeah, I get that it's perhaps less value than an iPod, but how much are you really going to get when eBay is flooded with iPods?
glad i didn't wait. got my new macbook pro weeks ago, after the first "delay" of the bts promo.
We need to remember that this is still just rumored at this point and Apple could still be giving iPods as part of the promo.
And to those that think getting a PC/Xbox is a better deal... You're crazy.
And to those that think getting a PC/Xbox is a better deal... You're crazy.
I'm not sure if my priorities are way out of whack.... I was looking at an MBP and I also need to replace a 2-3 year old iPod Touch that my wife uses mostly for games. So the deal made a total sense for me. I'm disappointed that Apple changed the offer.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8G4 Safari/6533.18.5)
$200>$100 but then again, its a pc
$200>$100 but then again, its a pc