Get Free AirPods With Your New Mac or IPad for a Limited Time
Apple has a new promotion where buying various iPads or Macs will bring you a free pair of AirPods – note regular AirPods, unless you want to pay an extra $ 90 for discounted AirPods Pro (or $ 40 for regular AirPods with a wireless case charging.).
While that may not sound like a ton of savings, if you’re already plunking down for a $ 1200 MacBook Pro, that’s another $ 160 worth something (regular cost for a base pair of AirPods with a standard charging case). And if you buy a $ 479 iPad to air out, the deal feels even better. Heck, you might even have a little time to upgrade to the best AirPods.
There is one small snag, however. Apple’s deal isn’t for everyone on paper ; you can only use it if you are shopping in the Apple Store for Education . In theory, this is limited to :
K12 – Any employee of a public or private K-12 institution in the United States is eligible, including home teaching teachers. In addition, school council members who are currently elected or appointed members are eligible to participate. Eligible PTA or PTO leaders who are currently elected or appointed officers are eligible to participate.
Higher Education – US Higher Education Faculty and Staff; and students attending or admitted to US higher education institutions are eligible to purchase. Apple Store for Education purchases are not intended to be purchased or resold from an institution.
Graduated Parents – Parents making purchases on behalf of their child who is currently a student attending or admitted to a public or private higher education institution in the United States are eligible to purchase.
And if you think now is a great time to stock up on iPads for your friends and get a bunch of free AirPods, guess again. Apple also limits what you can buy from the Apple Education Store given that it discounts (slightly) most of the products in this storefront :
Desktop computer: can be purchased 1 (one) per year
Mac mini: Buy 1 (one) per year.
Laptop: 1 (one) can be purchased per year
iPad: Available for purchase three (3) per year
Software: You can purchase a maximum of two (2) per software title per year.
These are all the details you need to know. And now you’re probably wondering if you can make purchases in the store, even if you do not participate in education in any way (and you do not have a child who is doing). The answer is a solid yes, because Apple is not going to test this when your new iPad is dropped at your doorstep by whatever delivery service it uses. Verification is also not built into the ordering process – you will not be asked to confirm through any third-party service that you are participating in the educational program (or working in it).
Does that make you a liar? Certainly. Should you feel bad about stealing money from Apple? If you want to arrange it that way, of course. Don’t do it and despise those who do it. If you are not very worried about this trick, which I think is as good as using a coupon code to save extra money on a purchase when not technically foreseen, or using a pricing error to earn points for something expensive for very cheap – try it. However, please be aware that Apple reserves the right to review your purchase . And if it does:
If you placed an order using a credit card, to charge your credit card for the difference between the amount you paid for the items delivered and the price Apple charged the general public for the same items in the Apple Store in effect on the date you placed order; and
If you did not pay by credit card in any other way to (a) bill you for the difference between the amount you paid for the items delivered and the price Apple charged the general public for the same items in the Apple Store that was payable at fifteen days from the date of the invoice, and (b) if you fail to pay the invoice by the due date, bring legal action against you in a court of competent jurisdiction, with the winning party entitled to attorney fees.
Buyer be careful. But if you have a friend who is in school – and you probably know – or know parents with children (again, an easy option), you can always ask them to place an order to calm your conscience and Apple’s terms of service.