In a surprise move, Apple added its current flagship devices to the annual back-to-school promo deals that offer huge price cuts and purchase credits. The iPhone 6S, 6S Plus and iPad Pro bundled with the tech giant's sales campaign geared exclusively for students somehow signaled a number of things, among them the likelihood of an earlier iPhone 7 release date this 2016.
It was unusual of Apple to make the latest iPhone and iPad models part of its students-only promo. It did not happen in 2015 as well in the past years but 2016 is a different case. Both the iPhone 6S and the iPad Pro are on the table because of declining sales, Computer World said in a report.
In essence, the decision is Apple acknowledging that the iPhone and iPad are not as hot as they used to be. So in order to make the devices fly off the shelves, the company needs to sweeten the deal a bit.
"Apple enters Back to School 2016 in a very different market dynamic and the promotions reflect that," the report quoted one analyst as saying.
The educational discounts, which started in June and set to run until early September, will see the iPads and the MacBooks getting significant price cuts. For the iPad Pro, the sticker price is chopped off by $20 while buyers of the MacBook Air can take advantage of up to $100 price reduction, depending on the model to buy.
It is the MacBook Pro that dangles the highest saving as Apple will give $300 off on the most high-end edition of the existing MBPs, Computer World reported.
However, the iPhone 6S price tag is not actually discounted for now. Instead, the iOS smartphone will come with a Beats Solo2 wireless headphone and students will only to pay up an additional $100 for the listening gear. The savings to realize on such a purchase will be $200, which the report noted will not be available on any other time until the next iPhone arrives.
And speaking of which, Apple trying to speed up the movements of the iPhone 6S with bundled gifts only tell one thing to observers - the sequel is coming real soon.
That will be the iPhone 7 release date, which has been widely discussed as a not too exciting jump from the 2015 build. But in a report, it was said that the reasons are aplenty for Apple fans to jump from the iPhone 6S to the 2016 versions.
Or fans can actually stick to the 6S and even consider the 4-inch iPhone SE as these handsets are seen to shed $100 from their original mark, potentially rendering the SE irresistible with the asking price down to $299.