Apple could soon launch its annual Back to School promotion for university students in the United States and Canada, based on ads that have been popping up on social networks.
On Instagram, Apple is promoting Macs to college and university students. The ad in question depicts a Back to School image with the following text: "Buy Mac for university or college with education savings. Plus get a gift card for up to $200." The screenshot of the ad is from a Canadian user, and that price point suggests we will see the same $150 discount in the United States that Apple provided last year.
Clicking on the ad redirects to Apple's education website, but there is as of yet no mention of the back to school sale. Last year's back to school sale began on Tuesday, June 4, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in his latest Power On newsletter that the 2024 sale will not begin until later in the month.
Apple's back to school sales provide students with a free Apple gift card when purchasing a Mac or an iPad. Last year, Apple offered U.S. students up to $150 when purchasing a Mac and up to $100 when purchasing an iPad.
Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more.
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by Juli Clover
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro.
The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items.
The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting.
The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport.
To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need:
An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later
Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on
An Apple Account ...
Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen.
Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose.
Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by Juli Clover
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information.
Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen.
Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...
Before someone says it's too soon, past start dates for their back-to-school promo
2023 = June 5 2022 = June 24 2021 = June 17 2020 = June 15 2019 = July 9 2018 = July 12 2017 = July 12 2016 = June 2 2015 = July 23 2014 = July 1 2013 = July 2 2012 = June 11 2011 = June 16 2010 = May 25 2009 = May 27 2008 = June 3 2007 = June 5
Clicking on the ad redirects to Apple's education website, but there is as of yet no mention of the back to school sale. Last year's back to school sale began on Tuesday, June 4...
Last year, June 4 fell on a Sunday. Tueday was June 6.
Back-to-school 2023 promo started on Monday, June 5, 2023 ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/wwdc-2023-recap-everything-apple-announced-today.2391760/page-2?post=32220441#post-32220441').
Besides today, the last time June 4 fell on a Tuesday was in 2019.
Floridians: This might be usable in conjunction with Florida's tax-free back to school sales tax holiday. https://floridarevenue.com/backtoschool/ . Computers and tablets up to $1500 are covered, so that's an additional 6% or more (7.5% for me) off the price depending on where you live and what you buy. It runs July 29 through August 11, and Apple's back to school promotion will probably overlap it on both ends.
