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Apple Ends $100 Printer Rebate Program for New Mac Purchases

Tuesday January 17, 2012 12:29 pm PST by Eric Slivka
Since at least 2004, Apple has offered a rebate program that has typically offered users a $100 rebate when they purchase a new Mac and an eligible printer directly from Apple. The program was typically offered as a three-month program that was consistently renewed upon expiration, although in recent years the company shifted toward a perpetual program while reserving the right to discontinue it at any time.


It now appears that Apple has discontinued the program entirely, as retail sources have indicated to both MacRumors and 9to5Mac that Apple has ended the program as of today. From a notice to staff members:
Printer Rebates Ending on January 17

Effective Tuesday, January 17, the printer rebate will no longer be offered.

Monday, January 16 will be the last day customers can get a rebate on a qualifying printer when purchased with a Mac. Customers will have 90 days from the date of purchase to submit rebate claims. An additional 30 days will be given to correct invalid claims.

The Apple Retail Store and the Apple Online Store will continue to sell printers, albeit without a rebate offer.

U.S. and CA only: Wednesday, May 16 is the last day the online Apple Rebate Tool will be available to submit rebates. Customers should submit their claims according to the terms of the promotion.
Apple previously offered a number of rebate programs on various products, but with the discontinuation of the printer rebate program, it appears that the company has eliminated rebates entirely. iWork and MobileMe rebates disappeared in April 2011, and the company had previously offered rebates on the products such as Mac OS X and iLife combination purchases, Mac OS and Microsoft Office combination purchases, and others. Apple previous Back to School rebate program has also been replaced with an iTunes Store/Mac App Store gift card.


Apple continues to offer several printers as optional add-ons when configuring a new Mac in the online store, specifically promoting AirPrint-compatible models, but the printers are being offered at regular retail prices with no promotional rebates or other discounts.
[ 95 comments ]


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Dwalls90
88 months ago
Am I the only one that finds it slightly odd that this comes on the eve of the Apple "Print"/Education Announcement?
Rating: 16 Votes
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DTphonehome
88 months ago
Ha, I remember listing a half dozen printers on eBay at one point, all acquired through this promotion. They never did sell for very much… Apple's prices were quite inflated, so the $100 rebate was more like $40. Usually not worth the effort of selling it. A nice bonus though if you intended to use it.
Rating: 15 Votes
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ArtOfWarfare
88 months ago
This is just a part of Apple's wider efforts to stop the biggest competitor to the iPad: printed paper.
Rating: 14 Votes
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djrod
88 months ago
Now do the rebate to the Macs just like when the Mini lost the Superdrive
Rating: 11 Votes
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nutjob
88 months ago

Throwing out a random association, I wonder if the cancellation of all these rebate programs is to set the stage for initiation of dividends as Apple's profit redistribution mechanism? ie. giving back to shareholders instead of customers. Although many people are part of both groups of course.


Be assured, the $100 rebate was making Apple money. It would have stopped the program because it stopped making money on it.
Rating: 10 Votes
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Master Atrus
88 months ago
Well ...

Well I must say that I'm not overly surprised, but still sad ... it is how I helped pay for my Mac - buying the printer and then selling it for $40 or $80. :D
Rating: 8 Votes
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paulrbeers
88 months ago
I'm not saying people weren't taking advantage of this, but I've never in my life bought a printer with a computer (whether PC or Mac). The "bundled" printers were always over priced to begin with (thus making the rebate really worth half as much) and they generally were complete crap. I bought a laser printer all-in-one 6 years ago and have never needed to "upgrade" to a crappy ink-jet. And yes, I know some people would turn around and sell them, but for what profit? If you could buy said printer for $150 at **insert office supply store here*** instead of $200 at Apple, the best you are going to get is may be $125 on Craigslist, thus making your total profit $25. Never seemed worth it to me.
Rating: 8 Votes
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dfnj123
88 months ago

Geez, ever hear of the print screen button? :D:p


It was most likely an internal memo sent to Apple retail stores... really wouldn't be a wise decision to take a screenshot of a confidential document, and email it to yourself on a work computer...
Rating: 8 Votes
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thejadedmonkey
88 months ago
I guess Apple must really be hurting for money :rolleyes:
Rating: 8 Votes
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Mal
88 months ago

Geez, ever hear of the print screen button? :D:p


You're on a Mac forum. No such thing as a Print Screen button (that's a Windows function).

jW
Rating: 8 Votes

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