In terms of the best student laptop, there are plenty of options. But MacBooks are all over university campuses (and a lot of other places, too) – and Apple’s annual student offer/back-to-school promotion is surely one reason why.
This year Apple is offering a free Apple Pencil Pro or AirPods 4 earphones with iPads bought using the cheaper Apple Education Store (US/UK). And if you need a Mac rather than an iPad, you can choose between a free mouse, keyboard or trackpad if you wish, or opt for AirPods 4 instead.
For either type of device you can also pay a reduced ‘step-up fee’ to upgrade to a range of other accessories, such as a Magic Keyboard or AirPods Pro 2.
Apple already offers an educational discount on devices, but in late summer, the deal gets even sweeter. As usual, eligible students, teachers, and other educational staff can save on a new Mac computer (laptop or iMac) or on a new iPad.
For example, you can get a MacBook Air M4 from $899/£899 – though it’s always worth shopping around as selected retailers have been doing some great deals on the Air recently.
The deal is available only via the education store and runs from today through 21 October. So if you’re a student or teacher on the fence about a new Mac or iPad, and you’ve wanted to buy something else to go with it, now’s the time to pounce. Of course, you can also customise your Mac through the store, too.
In addition, you can get 10% off AppleCare+ to protect your purchase (unfortunately, down from 20% last year). If you’re often carrying your gear to and from lectures and elsewhere after… well, we’d recommend it.
