Apple's Back to School promo gets you free AirPods with iPad, Mac purchases

Apple AirPods on iPhone (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Apple's Back to School promotion is live.
Students can get free AirPods with select Mac and iPad purchases.

Apple's Back to School promotion is now live with students able to bag a free pair of AirPods when they buy specific Mac and iPad devices.

Running from now through September 27, the new promotion will give students free AirPods, but they can also pay extra and upgrade to AirPods Pro if that's their bag. That's cost $90, while AirPods with Wireless Charging Case will cost $40. Regardless of how you slice it, you're saving $159 which isn't something to be sniffed at.

Anyone who is a student or a member of faculty in the United States can take advantage of the special education Apple Store (opens in new tab), too. The revived Back to School promo was first spotted by MacRumors.

Apple Store Back To School (Image credit: iMore)

Eligible iPads include the iPad Pro and iPad Air lineups, while those on the hunt for a Mac can choose between iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro devices – and customized builds are also part of the deal.

Students will also get 20% off AppleCare+ when they make their purchases as well, while trade-in options will also bring down the price of the Mac or iPad being bought. Each purchase will qualify for free three months of Apple Arcade and Apple TV+ to sweeten the deal yet further.

Not a student but still keen to pick up that gorgeous new M1 iMac? There are still some great iMac deals worth considering.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.