Apple officially announced its 2021 Back to School promotion today in the US. Like last year, students, teachers, and faculty can get a free pair of AirPods along with the standard education discount on Mac and iPad but there’s more complexity this time around. Here’s why you might want to wait on Apple’s Back to School promotion – at least for a bit.
Apple rarely does official deals but its Back to School promo is a long-running tradition. Students and teachers can get the education discount on Mac, iPad, and AppleCare all the time, but in the summer, Apple does a limited-time promotion with an extra incentive.
This year and last it’s been an extra $159 off in the form of free AirPods (with the wired charging case). You can pay extra to get AirPods with the wireless charging case or AirPods Pro. That’s down a bit from 2019 when Apple did $199 off via free Beats headphones.
Notably, this year Apple’s Back to School promo started three weeks earlier than the usual second week of July window and there’s more to consider this time around before buying a new Mac.
Why should you wait on Apple’s Back to School promotion?
TL;DR
If you absolutely need a new MacBook right now, go for it. But if you just need it for next school year, it could pay off to wait a bit. All-new 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models are expected to arrive in the months ahead. Meanwhile, Apple’s Back to School promotion runs all the way until September 27.
MacBook Air, iMac, iPad Pro
Alright, a bit more explanation. If you’re thinking of picking up the M1 MacBook Air, it probably won’t work to wait for the next hardware update if you need a new machine for school starting in the fall. The most recent we’ve heard is that the next-gen MacBook Air could launch as early as the end of this year.
And if you’re going to pick up an iMac or an iPad Pro, those make sense to grab now as they were both just updated this spring.
New MacBook Pro
However, if you’re considering the MacBook Pro, that’s a different story. The next-gen MacBook Pro models are expected to bring major changes like the return of MagSafe, HDMI, SD card reader, a more powerful Apple Silicon chip, up to 64GB RAM, and larger 14-inch screen size alongside a 16-inch version, and flatter sides more like the iPad Pro design.
Bloomberg reported that the new MacBook Pro models could arrive “as soon as this summer” which officially starts on June 20.
- Bloomberg: Redesigned MacBook Pro coming as soon as this summer, up to 64GB RAM and 10-core chip
- Kuo details 2021 MacBook Pro: new design with squared-off sides, MagSafe connector and IO return, Touch Bar removed
- [Update: Image] Apple ransomware leak corroborates 2021 MacBook Pro ports: HDMI, MagSafe, SD card slot
But even if they don’t arrive this month, Apple’s Back to School promotion runs until September 27, so you’ve got three months to see what happens.
There’s always the chance – particularly with the global chip shortage – that the new MacBook Pros get pushed back beyond the next three months, but since Apple’s promotion runs to the end of September, there’s almost zero risk to wait and watch what happens.
The free AirPods part of the deal does include the fine print “while supplies last” so there’s the outside possibility that Apple could sell out of them before launching the next-gen models (and those likely wouldn’t be eligible for the Back to School promo). But that might be a minor concern if making sure you get the new MacBook Pro is a priority.
- Apple AirPods 3 not launching until Q3, says Ming-Chi Kuo
- Bloomberg: Apple ‘readying’ new third-gen AirPods, fitness-tracking AirPods Pro in 2022
Especially if you’ll hold onto your new Mac for multiple years, I think waiting to see if the major MacBook Pro update lands before October is definitely worth it.
What Mac are you planning to pick for school this year? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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