Apple's Back-to-School Sale Includes Free Beats

The Store that rarely offers discounts today launched its annual Back-to-School Sale.

This year, consumers who purchase any MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, or Mac Pro can choose from a free pair of BeatsX Earphones (valued at $149.95), Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones (valued at  $199.95), or Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones (valued at $299.95).

Consumers who purchase a 10.5-inch or 12.9-inch iPad Pro will get a free pair of BeatsX Earphones. Alternatively, they can purchase the Powerbeats3 for an extra $50 or the Beats Solo3 for an extra $150.

The 9.7-inch iPad , iPad mini 4, and Mac mini models do not quality for the Beats promo. Likewise, refurb Macs do not qualify.

Apple's Back-to-School Sale is one of the most anticipated sales of the year because excluding Black Friday, it's the only time you'll see Apple offer sitewide discounts. 

That said, this is one of the latest and least exciting back-to-school promos we've seen from Apple. The sale, which has been offered every summer since 2006, has started as early as May 25 and as late as July 23. In previous years, the promo itself has been more aggressive bundling $100 store credits instead of headphones, which students may or may not need.

In addition to the freebies, qualified buyers will get discounted pricing on Mac computers. After discount, the MacBook starts at $1,249 ($50 off), MacBook Air from $849 ($150 off), MacBook Pro from $1,249 ($50 off), iMac from $1,049 ($50 off), Mac Pro from $2,799 ($200 off), and the Mac Mini from $479 ($20 off). Tablet discounts include the iPad Pro from $629 ($20 off), iPad from $309 ($20 off), and iPad mini 4 from $379 ($20 off).

The dollar-off discounts are applicable to students, parents of students, and school faculty only. However, we suggest making your Mac purchases at other Apple resellers like Best Buy or Target, which offer significantly better dollar-off discounts, sometimes beating Apple's education pricing by as much as $100.

Apple's Back-to-School Sale ends September 25.