Apple's 2015 back-to-school promotion is the lamest ever: "Free" Beats headphones

[Eug]

Free Beats headphones if you buy a Mac. "Worth" US$199.95 or CAD$219.95.

https://www.apple.com/promo/pdf/Back_to_School_2015_Terms_Conditions_US.pdf

https://www.apple.com/ca/promo/pdf/Back_to_School_2015_Terms_Conditions_CAEN.pdf

Note that you have to buy it up front, and then pay tax if applicable, and then Apple will give you back the retail price not including tax.

In Canada, I'd rather just not get them, because I wouldn't want to pay the ~CAD$30 tax. I don't like having to sell relatively low dollar items on Kijiji. Not worth the hassle. That they're Beats makes it even worse.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Lame.

Although so were the "free printer" promos they used to run.

Weren't they giving away iPad Minis a couple years back or am I hallucinating?

 

[cronos]

Lame.

Although so were the "free printer" promos they used to run.

Weren't they giving away iPad Minis a couple years back or am I hallucinating?

The 'free printer' promo wasn't lame because it is *in addition* to a free iPod Touch. The iPod Touch comes with the Mac, but the printer is a rebate, so you had to pay for it first. I know this for sure because I took advantage of it back in 2009.

I don't think Apple has ever offered a free iPad (Mini or otherwise) in the BTS promo. After the free iPod I believe it has always been just iTunes credit.

Edit: This one is super lame though. The damn thing isn't even wireless (you can add $100 to get the wireless version :\).

 

[Eug]

Don't know about the U.S., but in Canada the free iPod was a rebate.

I liked the free iPod over the iTunes credit by a long shot, but I'd take a $100 iTunes credit over the $220 Beats headphones any day.

I never bothered with the free printer.

I too do not recall there ever being a free iPad offered.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

The 'free printer' promo wasn't lame because it is *in addition* to a free iPod Touch. The iPod Touch comes with the Mac, but the printer is a rebate, so you had to pay for it first. I know this for sure because I took advantage of it back in 2009.

I don't think Apple has ever offered a free iPad (Mini or otherwise) in the BTS promo. After the free iPod I believe it has always been just iTunes credit.

Edit: This one is super lame though. The damn thing isn't even wireless (you can add $100 to get the wireless version :\).

I must have been thinking of the iPod Touch.

The free printer deals I remember in college were back like 15 years ago now, a bit of a different beast.

 

[Printer Bandit]

I love me a free printer.

 

[Eug]

Actually last year in Canada it was a $100 Apple Store gift card, not an iTunes gift card. For many people, they'd prefer that.

As for the free printers, they're the low end inkjets with expensive ink cartridges that don't last long. Or at least whenever I've checked, that's what they've been.

 

[cronos]

Actually last year in Canada it was a $100 Apple Store gift card, not an iTunes gift card. For many people, they'd prefer that.

As for the free printers, they're the low end inkjets with expensive ink cartridges that don't last long. Or at least whenever I've checked, that's what they've been.

So this is basically nostalgia at this point, and irrelevant for today, but when I took advantage of this 'free printer promo' in 2009, the rule was I could get any printer, and up to $100 will be returned in the form of a rebate check.

I went to the Apple Store to buy my MBP, got the iPod Touch straight up for free, and I could choose any printer I wanted that they had available in stock. So I paid for the printer, and afterward I submitted a rebate form. The one I chose was like $89.99 or something, so with tax I received a rebate for the full amount I spent of $95 or so. If I had chosen a $150 printer, for instance, then I would have gotten a rebate for $100.

 

[Eug]

Might be different in Canada then. I seem to remember it was specific printers, although I could be wrong since we have never bothered to take that free printer deal.

It seems the iPod touch deal in Canada was different though since as far as I can remember, we've always had to pay the tax on the iPod touch.

No tax for the iTunes gift card or the Apple Store gift card deals in Canada though.

 

[Kaido]

I think this is the earmark of having Cook in charge. He makes a great COO, but not such a great visionary in terms of awesome new products & really attractive deals to lure you in. I used to plan my schedule around Apple announcements because it was like Christmas for adults! I haven't been excited about much from them since Steve passed away. Why haven't they beefed up the AppleTV, added games, and knocked Roku out of the water? Why haven't they released their own smarthome hub or killed off Sonos with Airlay? Carplay has proven to be a disappointment due to the limitations & the iWatch is pretty meh.

Rumor is they're working on a self-driving car. I kind of wonder if it's to hit back from their embarrassment about how bad Apple Maps is/was - cars that constantly drive up & down roads to update maps, Streetviews, construction, traffic, and so on. I guess they could do their own self-driving cars for people moving, but it just seems like such an odd niche for them to go into, but then again, they do have the money for it...

 

[Rottie]

I wonder if Apple offered free Canon Pixma Pro-1 printer?

 

[Eug]

I guess the good news is that the Beats Solo 2 is rated way, way, way better than the Beats Solo 1.