Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Deals

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Student? Buy an iPad or Mac today and Apple will throw in some free AirPods

By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s time to think about what to buy for your return to school and Apple has just provided some fantastic offers courtesy of its ‘Back to School’ student sale. Right now, if you buy an iPad or Mac for college with the educational pricing discount, you also get a free pair of AirPods and 20% off AppleCare+, along with discounts on accessories. If you’re thinking about buying some new tech for the school year, this is the ideal time. Not sure whether to go with an iPad or Mac? Read on to find out more.

Both Macs and iPads are pretty great. Ultimately, whichever you go with, you’ll be happy. However, there are some key advantages to both.

Generally, an iPad is best for students who want to type up notes while on the move. You can pair it with a Smart Keyboard and easily catch up on writing notes or doing research while you’re between classes. All iPads are slim and lightweight so they’re easy to toss into your bag, plus they have great battery life. You won’t miss out on entertainment either as the broad range of available apps ensures you can check out the latest streaming hits on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video.

More Apple

An iMac or MacBook is a better fit for students who need to complete more intense tasks on their setup. Do you need to edit a video in Final Cut Pro X for instance? Or maybe your studies require you to tweak pictures in Photoshop on a regular basis? While the iPad offers some cut-down versions of these apps, you need a Mac to get the best out of these editing opportunities. Anything processor-intensive tends to fare far better with a Mac setup than a tablet like the iPad.

Whatever you choose, you’ll be happy – even more so with free AirPods. There’s also a year of free Apple TV+ and three months of free Apple Music up for grabs, along with 20% off AppleCare+, which is a huge help if you run into any issues with your system. Via the student discount scheme, you can grab the latest MacBook Air from $900, or the latest iPad Air from $480.

The free AirPods offer and the reductions on AppleCare+ only last until September 29. That’s enough time to consider your options and see whether a Mac or iPad is best for you but you want to spend the summer enjoying your new tech, right? Grab the deal now if you know what’s the right fit for you.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jennifer Allen
Jennifer Allen
Deals Writer
Jennifer Allen is a technology writer with over 10 years of experience. She primarily writes about the best deals coverage…
Best AirPods Pro deals: Get Apple’s flagship earbuds for $125
The Apple Airpods Pro in their charging case.

The AirPods Pro are Apple’s premium in-ear AirPods offering. These headphones can compete with plenty of the best wireless headphones on the market, and currently the AirPods Pro make for some pretty impressive headphone deals. You can find some older refurbished AirPods Pro models that will save you a few bucks on a purchase, but the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C are Apple’s most recent release and they’re seeing a significant price drop that makes them one of the best Apple deals and best AirPods deals you can shop. Read onward for all of the details on that, as well as the rest of the best AirPods Pro deals going on. If you’d like some other options for a new set of headphones check out what’s available among the best Beats headphone deals, best Sony headphone deals, and best Bose headphone deals.
Apple AirPods Pro (refurbished) — from $125, was $220

While there’s a newer model of AirPods Pro available, the first generation Apple AirPods Pro can still hold their own against some of the best wireless earbuds. Made for a slightly more premium user than something like the Apple AirPods 3, the AirPods Pro have higher end features, including active noise cancellation and a transparency mode, which allows you to hear and interact with the world around you while you have the headphones on. Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking is another impressive feature. This makes watching movies and other content a truly immersive experience. This refurbished model of the Apple AirPods Pro comes with free 30-day returns and a 1-year warranty.

Read more
Apple’s new iPad Air isn’t even out yet and it’s already discounted
An official photo of the 2024 iPad Air.

We love iPad deals at any time, but how about an iPad deal on a recently announced model? That’s what’s going on right now at Amazon with the Apple iPad Air 11-inch M2 -- reduced by $29 when it hasn’t even been launched yet. Normally priced at $599, you can buy it -- or should we say, pre-order it -- for $570 today. That’s how new it is. If you’re keen to buy a new iPad for less, read on while we take you through what to expect.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad Air 11-inch M2
Only recently announced, the Apple iPad Air 11-inch M2 is sure to be something special. We’ve compared the iPad Air (2024) with the iPad Air (2022) to see why it’s so great. Effectively, the killer feature here is that it has the Apple M2 chip we’ve seen in more recent MacBooks compared to the older M1 chipset. That makes it a great option for power users who want all the power possible from one of the best tablets.

Read more
This 13-inch MacBook Air deal cuts the price by $150
The screen of the MacBook Air M2.

For those who are on the hunt for MacBook deals, you may want to check out Best Buy's bargain for the 13.6-inch Apple MacBook Air M2. The model with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM is down to $849, following a $150 discount on its original price of $999. We don't think this offer will last long though, so if you want to take advantage of it, there should be no hesitation on your end -- add it to your cart and proceed with the checkout process as soon as you can.

Why you should buy the 13.6-inch Apple MacBook Air M2
The 13.6-inch Apple MacBook Air M2 isn't the latest model of the laptop, but it's still featured in our list of the best MacBooks as the MacBook for everyone. That's because with its reduced price -- which is even lower with Best Buy's discount -- the machine is a relatively budget-friendly option for those who are planning to switch to a MacBook or to upgrade from an older model to enjoy Apple's own silicon. The Apple M2 processor, combined with an eight-core CPU, eight-core GPU, and 8GB of RAM, provides incredible performance that will be able to handle even the most demanding tasks for work or school.

Read more