Apple offers students free iPod Touch with Mac purchase

It's been a busy day for Apple.

In addition to quietly updating the consumer-friendly MacBook, Apple on Wednesday also launched an iPod promotion targeted to students.

The iPod Touch

(Credit: CNET)

With the promotion, students, faculty, or staff members can buy a MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac and get a free iPod Touch. Of course, students and educators can also see if they qualify for additional savings through Apple's education store.

There is a bit of a catch. You have to buy the iPod Touch at the same time as the Mac to qualify for a rebate. After the purchase, you fill out the rebate online and wait for the money from Apple.

To qualify you have to be a student or employee of any K-12 or higher-education institution. Parents of a higher-education student are also eligible for the program. Full details are available from Apple's Web site. The promotion ends September 8. Rebates must be submitted by October 9.

Apple has a long history of offering its education customers discounts and incentives when they head back to school. However, this year is a bit different because many students haven't even left school yet.

Typically, Apple starts this type of promotion in the summer and ends it in September. The earlier start date may be a way for the company to try to boost Mac sales over the summer.

[tipoo_]

Probably a first gen touch?

[irfanil]

or maybe they want to clear the 2nd gen so that new gen can be introduced?

[Train448]

I agree. I think they are trying to clean out their stock of iPod Touches for the iPod refresh that happens EVERY year in September around the exact time that this promotion ends...

[myles taylor]

They always do this to clean out their stock before a new model is introduced. I highly doubt it is the first gen model.

[deric_raymond]

It's the iPod Touch that's currently available. This is not a new sale, it happens every summer for back to school. They've been doing this sale since 2005, and the rebate is easy, you do it online right in the store (with an Apple Specialist that sold you the computer). This isn't a "new sale."

[deric_raymond]

and if you forget to buy the iPod at the point of sale. Just come in with the receipt and talk to a manager, they'll usually (almost always because it's still a sale for the store which boosts numbers) honor the rebate.

[jabuser]

Not particularly new. They did the same promotion last year and it started in May or early June.

[ducttape36]

probably started it early to take the thunder away from the zune hd.

[myles taylor]

Thunder? What thunder. An announcement of a product from Microsoft that won't be out for months. When Apple decides to take away Microsoft's Zune HD "thunder" you'll see a new iPod Touch that will make the Zune HD seem obsolete. This is a regular thing they do every year, probably in a "kill two birds with one stone" get more Mac sales/iPod halo affect and get rid of old inventory before introducing a new product.

[Police_States_of_America]

I wish i was bourgeois enough to afford a free ipod

[regulas1]

This only shows more proof that Apple gear is overpriced. As a previous Powerbook user I must admit that OS X is the bomb but I am not buying a new Mac now because they just cost too much and I won't be caught dead with the plastic white one. I will keep using my 14" Acer that has Vista wiped, running Linux.

[Mr. Dee]

You probably don't know it, but you downgraded your laptop when you installed Linux. Stop with the stick it to the man foolishness and load back Vista. People need to remove that type of mentality from there mind that because its a Microsoft product I must not use it.

[Mr. Dee]

"There is a bit of a catch. You have to buy the iPod Touch at the same time as the Mac to qualify for a rebate."

Didn't your first paragraph just say "free iPod Touch" with the purchase of a Mac? Why does the second paragraph now say you have to buy an iPod Touch to qualify? Jim, are you proofing these things before you publish them?

[Vegaman_Dan]

This is a common ploy for rebates. Often you have to follow such rules to apply for your rebate ($399 for a 32Gb Touch for example), that if you miss out on one tiny detail, it's invalid. OEM's and stores take out insurance policies to pay for the rare case where the customer actually follows all the rules and qualifies for a rebate.

Usually it works like this:

You buy the item, get the sales receipt, and apply for the rebate.

Did you include a self addressed stamped #10 envelope in your rebate sent to the company? No? Declined.

Did you include the original sales receipt? No? Declined.

Did you include the serial number of the unit? No? Declined.

Did you pre-register before sending in the form? No? Declined.

Did you send proof of enrollment at the school of your choice that matches the criteria required? No? Declined.

There's all sorts of rules they love to stick you with. This isn't Apple, mind you, it's the third party rebate companies that the OEM hires to run this. They count on a large number of people to not follow every requirement and decline the claim as a result. What's worse in many of these situations is that they don't send your sales receipt back to you- which means you no longer have any proof of purchase or warranty information for your device if it fails. But tha'ts not their problem. You chose to send it in to get the rebate.

Sometimes rebates can be done honestly and fair, but it's a rarity.

[claytonduggan]

The rebate process with apple isn't bad at all. You do it online, and they get the check back quickly. Last year they were giving away ipods, and it turned out that right after the rebate they updated to the 2gen. oh well.

[kevinskrause]

I've found Apple's rebate process to be extremely quick and painless. Just be sure to carefully read what your signing; which you should be doing anyway.

[littlezahn2]

I didn't have a problem at all getting a free ipod and a free printer. Is following step by step directions hard for people now-a-days?

[myles taylor]

Mr Dee and Vegaman_Dan:

I know a lot of people who have done this. They did it online and had no problems whatsoever. Rebate policies are hard to handle and try to catch you. I was surprised that Apple was able to make it so easy.

[Chapmaniac]

They can give away the hardware because the real money (in iPods at least) is in the iTunes marketplace. Music, movies, apps - you name it. It's known as the "razor and blades" technique. You practically give away the razor because you know customers will spend way more for a long time to come on replacement blades.

[DrtyDogg]

The margins on music are really thin, and didn't Steve Jobs say that it was the other way around iTunes was just to sell iPods?

[baconstang]

Totally, they make the $$ on the hardware.

[inverse137]

by regulas1 May 27, 2009 10:11 AM PDT
This only shows more proof that Apple gear is overpriced. As a previous Powerbook user I must admit that OS X is the bomb but I am not buying a new Mac now because they just cost too much and I won't be caught dead with the plastic white one. I will keep using my 14" Acer that has Vista wiped, running Linux
--------------
Dude, a macbook is $1,400 and a MacBook Pro is $2,000. You can get them even cheaper if you buy a Refurbished from Apples website.

I have a first generation MacBook Pro that I bouth the February the year they were released. This February that same MacBook Pro became the laptop I have used the longest. I typically was replacing laptops every 18 months to 24 months. i am now on 3 years.

I'm not really seeing your "cost to much" argument.

For $2,500 I have a computer that runs OS X, and Windows Vista.

The only down side I can see with the 1st gen i bought was the 2GB memory max. Other than that, this is THE best laptop I have ever owned. I can even play 1st person shooters on it!

[PrettyStuzz]

Apple's (and their resellers like Macmall) rebate programs have always been sweet whenever I've used them. Free-after-rebate obviously makes for instant cash-flow, which the sellers require per their inventories and account ledgers. Everyone benefits when the item shows up on eBay, brand-new & spanking clean, at cost-plus.

[anime-master]

I wouldn't mind a touch but there pricey, and I'm not getting a mac. But I hope this will flood the emarkets with second hand new ones and drive there prices there down en

[myles taylor]

Interesting that they started this early. I was expecting to have to wait a few more weeks.

It's also open to Homeschooled students. About 5 of my friends took advantage of this last year.

[surfandwork]

Why limit this to students? I wouldn't mind getting this deal. I'm thinking of getting a Mac laptop or Dell laptop partitioned with XP and Linux in 2 months.

[myles taylor]

Because Apple gets Tax incentives for their student programs I'm assuming. They probably make more money on these deals.

[NervClaX]

And you'll be able to get a brand-new laptop with Windows 7 and a Zune HD for even less than a standard MacBook come the Fall. Cue the Find-it Keep-it commercial.

[baconstang]

Tempt them with a Zune... LOL. I think the point is to offer something people actually WANT.

[MaggieRed]

Also if you are a student or are buying for a student, use the educational discount.

Apple's rebate program is fairly painless and easy to use.

For the guy running his PowerBook, my daughter retired her's with a new black MacBook and it screams with the 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo. You are really missing out on a lot of performance enhancements with the old PPC boxes.

For the record I have both a 24" iMac and a white MacBook. I love my little MacBook, take it everywhere and when home both of them are usually always running. If you want the badazz graphics laptop then go with the 1500. MacBook or spend another 500 for the MacBook Pro. Dude you will not be disappointed. And the new white MacBook got the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M so it is a big improvement over the Intel graphics chipset. Plus it's only $950.

OS X Leopard and the upcoming Snow Leopard are designed for the Intel processors. You really should consider an upgrade. Everyone I know that did, is always glad they did afterwards.

Just because Apple bundles a deal for students and educators returning for the new school year, is absolutely no indication that the products are over-priced. That's just idiotic. Companies bundle all the time. It's part of the sales cycle. It helps them move product and in some cases clears inventory channels for new upcoming products. We took advantage of it last year got two new Macs plus a new printer and a new iPod for free.

[baconstang]

24" iMac and white Mac book is a great combo! Top it off with a Touch and you're good to go.

[mmntech]

I'm not sure why all the tech news sites are promoting this as a major sale. Apple does this iPod giveaway every year as a back-to-school promotion. They've had it since at least 2005 when I bought my iBook for university.

[jordosbaloney]

The college I graduated from in Oklahoma has included a MacBook and iPod Touch or iPhone as part of the tuition fees for over a year now. The campus has been completely wireless for almost a decade and has included a laptop in the tuition for just as long. First with Thinkpads, then with Dell Latitudes. I guess this will become more common across the country.