Eligible students, their parents, as well as employees of K-12 schools, have long been able to purchase Macs at educational discounts. As of today, educational pricing extends to iPads, including the latest iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina display.
As available through the Apple Store for Education, the entry-level Wi-Fi-only iPad Air with sixteen gigabytes of storage has been marked down to $469.
That’s a $30 savings over its normal retailing price of $499. As for the Retina iPad mini, you’re looking at a modest $20 discount for the entry-level model…
As noticed by French blog iGeneration [Google translate], the $20/$30 discount on the iPad Air/Retina iPad mini marks the first time Apple put iPads on educational discounts.
The iPad 4 (or the iPad with Retina display, as Apple calls it) is available with a $20 discount, now $379 (normally $399). As for the original iPad mini, it sells for $279, $20 off versus its normal $299 price.
Even deeper discounts are available on refurbished previous-generation iPads in Apple’s iPad for Education store. These little used devices are good as new: they have been factory refurbished, include a brand new battery and outer shell and come with Apple’s standard 1-year warranty.
Again, these prices are only good if you’re an employee of K-12 schools, faculty, staff, student or a parent of students at higher education institutions.
All iPads sold at educational discounts – refurbished or not – are currently available within 24 hours and include free shipping as standard. Sadly, Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad models are not available at educational prices.
Cynics could argue that Apple’s educational discounts are a joke. If you feel this way, you’ll want to check out other places such as Best Buy and Target, which typically offer more generous discounts on iPads ($50 or more).
This is of course assuming you’re cool with taking a discount in the form of a gift card.
Does your local online Apple Store show these educational prices yet? And which retailer would you say offers the best deals on iPads?