Apple extends iPad AppleCare+ coverage to 3 years for educational institutions

AppleInsider was tipped to the change by Twitter user @pxlate on Wednesday. When checking out of an Apple educational institution store online, buyers are presented with a yellow box offering them the ability to add AppleCare+ to their order.

But instead of the regular two-year coverage period, AppleCare+ for institutional buyers now carries three full years of warranty protection. The price is unchanged at $99.

The change is limited solely to institutional buyers, and does not apply to education purchases made for personal use by students or faculty. AppleCare+ coverage for the general public also still carries a two-year iPad coverage period for $99.

The expanded warranty coverage represents an additional push by Apple to maintain its dominance among tablets in the education market. The company boasted in its most recent quarterly earnings report that the iPad had over 95 percent share of the U.S. education tablet market.

"The focus in education is on penetration, is on getting more schools to buy, and my belief is the match has been lit," Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said. "It's very clear to the educators that have studied this that student achievement is higher with iPad in the classroom than without it. And so I'm confident we've got a really great start in education far beyond the U.S. now."