AppleInsider Staff
Apple appears to have mothballed its long-running back to school promotion — which traditionally paired hardware discounts with iTunes or Apple Store gift cards — but parents and students will have another option for Apple deals this week in Amazon's first-ever Prime Day.
Apple's back to school sale usually begins around the first of July, and with no sign of it halfway through the month, it's unlikely to make an appearance this year. Consumers who were waiting to pounce on a new Mac, iPad, or iPhone might look to Amazon's July 15 Prime Day instead.
The virtual retain giant hasn't let slip which products will be on sale or how big the discounts will be, but they do tout "more deals than Black Friday."
Amazon is already an attractive place to purchase Apple products, often selling devices for $50 to $100 less than Apple's MSRP. A current-gen 15-inch MacBook Pro configuration that normally goes for $2,499 can be had on Amazon for just $2,374.99, for instance.
Amazon's Prime Day sale is only open to Prime members, but anyone can sign up and receive a free 30-day trial. After the trial, Prime costs just $99 per year and grants members free two-day shipping, discounted overnight shipping, and unlimited access to Prime Instant Video.
Charles Martin
Andrew O'Hara
Amber Neely
Oliver Haslam
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
20 Comments
Well, things are pretty tight at Apple right now. Probably need the money so they can backs gay initiatives.
Prime costs just $99 per year and grants members free two-day shipping, discounted overnight shipping, and unlimited access to Prime Instant Video.
Prime is a fantastic deal, especially if you order a lot of stuff from Amazon anyway like I do. The free shipping is a no brainer in my opinion. In addition to the unlimited video I think you also get unlimited music and Kindle books, although I have never used either of those.
*** it's unlikely to make an appearance this year*** Based on what... simply the fact it hasn't been announced yet? You do realize that Apple will be announcing new iPods this week, yes? Would you like to make a bet as to whether or not they announce their back-to-school promotion at that time?
not unlimited kindle books (that is a different program) - but one free book a month which is nice. unlimited music within the prime set is also nice. unlimited photo storage is valuable as a backup. also, I think there is an option to share prime with other people? prime is a weird hodgepodge of features and services.
Oh, and look what bomb just dropped on Amazon...
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/14/technology/accusing-amazon-of-antitrust-violations-authors-and-booksellers-demand-us-inquiry.html?_r=0
Thousands of authors and booksellers pressing for an anti-trust violations inquiry into Amazon's practices. LOL!