Angela Ahrendts Promises Details on Apple's 'Back to School' Situation Next Week

As we noted earlier this week, Apple has yet to launch its annual "Back to School" promotion that in recent years has launched in early July and offered educational customers free $50-$100 Apple Store or iTunes/App Store gift cards with the purchase of a Mac or iOS device, in addition to the usual educational discount available on some products.

With the usual timeframe having come and gone and no signs of an imminent launch for the promotion, many have speculated Apple has decided to end the long-running program.

ahrendts_back_to_school
According to Consomac.fr [Google Translation], however, Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts in her latest video message to store employees this week revealed that she will "share a little bit more insight" on the Back to School situation with them in next week's video.

I'm sure many of you are thinking also 'but is there anything else for Back to School'? Well, I need you to wait until next week's video and I'll share a little bit more insight with you then.

Ahrendts' comment does not confirm that the usual Back to School promotion will be launching in the near future, but the report notes her "enthusiastic tone" suggests the company will be offering something for customers.

Ahrendts is in Tokyo this week and recorded her weekly message from there, but the reason for her trip is unknown.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
kohler toilet sensor

Kohler Launches $600 iPhone-Connected Toilet Camera That Monitors Your Health Through Waste Analysis

Monday October 20, 2025 1:42 pm PDT by
Kohler is expanding its line of bathroom products with Dekoda, an iPhone-connected device that's designed to be attached to a toilet rim (via The Verge). The device's included "sensors" point into the toilet bowl, allowing it to analyze what goes on in the bathroom. According to Kohler, Dekoda is a health tracker that can monitor gut health and hydration, as well as detect the presence of...

Top Rated Comments

Quu Avatar
134 months ago
Feels like she's making a lot of mistakes since taking over. The watch online only at launch, macbook online only at launch, no lines outside stores that many fans enjoy for new products, delayed back to school program etc
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WelshDog Avatar
134 months ago
Feels like she's making a lot of mistakes since taking over. The watch online only at launch, macbook online only at launch, no lines outside stores that many fans enjoy for new products, delayed back to school program etc
I don't think any of those things could be characterized as mistakes.
And most of the things you listed don't sound like decisions she would have made. She doesn't work in a vacuum. Any big change she plans to make has to be run by Tim and the gang.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AreanFSL Avatar
134 months ago
I suspect that the promotion might be 12 months of Apple Music or something like that. It's probably just taking some extra time to get the deals in place with the record companies.
That would be one sad promotion.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DanielSw Avatar
134 months ago
She sends weekly videos to the apple store employees?
If I was working at the store I'd find that really odd/patronising.
Doesn't seem very 'Apple like'
I think your comments are really odd. How else can she stay in touch with her thousands of employees? Patronizing? No way.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Simplicated Avatar
134 months ago
Why is that? That's a $120 value. That means it's worth more than the $100 Apple Store gift cards of the past.
Because with the gift card they used to give you, you could purchase anything to your heart's content. A $120 Apple Music subscription is great, but not everybody wants to be forced to be subscribed to it.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dagamer34 Avatar
134 months ago
Feels like she's making a lot of mistakes since taking over. The watch online only at launch, macbook online only at launch, no lines outside stores that many fans enjoy for new products, delayed back to school program etc
1) Honestly, anyone who's used 3rd party apps on the Watch knows that they aren't worth using because of the lag communicating the extension with the Watch itself. Fortunately, that's mostly fixed with watchOS 2 coming in the Fall.
2) MacBook launch - no longer an issue, no one will care or remember it
3) Lines - the lines were cute in the beginning, but I think they've become unruly and honestly make no sense in a world where pre-ordering items has been possible (i.e. forever). Sure, fans can camp outside if they want, but since the average person needs to work to make a living during the day, pre-orders should and *need* to be the preferred way to buy new Apple products.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)