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Apple is continuing its war on boxes. In July, Apple ended physical distribution to Apple Retail Stores and resellers of a number of software titles that it sells digitally on the Mac App Store. Now, ZDNet reports the company is discontinuing physical boxed software to educational resellers too:
Apple confirmed today that, with limited exception, they will cease to ship boxed software to campus resellers. This includes Mac OS X Snow Leopard, iLife, iWork, Apple Remote Desktop, and Aperture, among others.
We have a limited supply of copies of each in stock in the store, so consider this a “last call” for anyone who would like a hard copy before they are gone. Particularly anyone who would like to get Snow Leopard, as we just received our final shipment of that version of the OS.
The only products that will remain as boxed software offerings are Logic Express and Logic Studio.
For information on Apple Volume Purchasing Program for software, we’ve posted a page on our website that describes how departmental users can take advantage of purchasing volume licensing.
This is especially significant because Apple doesn't offer educational discounts on the Mac App Store like it does through educational resellers and the Apple Online Store. The educational discount on Apple software is typically 10% off.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)Apple is really progressing with ditching optical media :) I'm in full support.
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No, to buy Lion you need to connect to the Mac App Store.
No you don't. You can also buy the usb stick with lion on it. ;)
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I don't get it why some people actually embrace the no more boxed software move from Apple. You can already buy everything you want on the app store, the fact that there is also a physical way to purchase it doesn't hurt you in any way! But some of us don't like to use the app store for various reasons, so it would be good to have the choice to do both.
Seriously, what's wrong with choices for everybody? Are some people really offended by someone else not liking their way of doing things but preferring another?
Apple is really progressing with ditching optical media :) I'm in full support.
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No, to buy Lion you need to connect to the Mac App Store.
I think he was refering to the point that is you have leopard and want to upgrade to Lion, you need to buy snow leopard first, which you need to access the app store now to do, but you don't get the appstore on 10.5 therefore you can't upgrade to Lion at all
Yes! No more boxes! Educational institutions should get used to the whole download license method. Who want's to be in charge of keeping an inventory of all the software for a department? That was a pain when I had to do that in College in our Film/Video Department. Going digital will be beneficial to everyone. Especially where most departments upgrade every year or two, think of all that waste, storage space, inventory cataloging!
As the person who has mostly been in charge of getting all the Apple quotes on my college campus for years now, the Mac App Store is absolute crap.
First of all, there's no tax exempt status at the moment. Also, if your order quantity is under 20, it's a huge pain in the ass.
The Art dept. needed a license for Apple Remote Desktop last month. The boxed copy was $400 or so, I believe, whereas the MAS download was $80.
First we had to have IT create an E-Mail address for the Art Dept's iTunes account, then create an Apple ID. Then I had to go over there with a college credit card and purchase it for them, then de-link the credit card from that Apple ID. Then we had to wait for the receipt to generate, have it forwarded to us and then forward it to an Apple E-Mail address for a refund for the tax, as we're a public college and tax exempt. Then Apple has to process our refund request and then sends a PAPER CHECK of the tax refund.
Meanwhile, if the Art Dept. wants a second copy of Apple Remote Desktop, can I just buy them another license? Nope. I have to create a second Apple ID for them. This process continues for any additional licenses, unless you get 20 or more in a single order, where then you just get voucher codes to redeem like iTunes gift cards.
This is the most poorly designed, non-corporate and Education focused thing I've seen them do in a long time.
All they needed to do was copy the way Edu purchases are done for iOS, but they didn't.