Apple. had just fixed a loophole on its website that allowed anyone in the United States to buy Macs, iPads at discounts which were reserved for students, teachers, and others from the education sector. However, the company seems to have reversed the decision. Simply put, Apple has reverted back to the old version of the website that does not insist a customer must prove that they are indeed a student, or buying for a student, to avail the “Education” or “Student” discount.
Apple’s official website is also its virtual storefront and a popular one at that. The website offers “discounted education pricing”. Basically, the company offers about a 10 percent discount on the list price. The offer is applicable for enrolled or newly accepted college or university students, teachers, and faculty at a school for any grade level.
Until recently, Apple would not require its customers in the US to verify their educational status to avail themselves the discounts. Interestingly, for customers in other countries such as UK and India, Apple Store insists on verification. The Apple Store required customers in other regions of the world to verify their status via UNiDAYS authentication system.
Apple didn’t even mandate that a US customer needed to have a .edu email address in order to avail the discount. The company merely conducted random checks, and if it found out the customer’s claims about being a member of the education fraternity were false, it would just charge the difference to their credit card.
Just this week, Apple finally fixed the loophole, only to reportedly reintroduce the same within 72 hours. Buyers can once again purchase slightly discounted Macs, iPads, and other Apple products from the company’s US education website, without needing to verify that they are currently a student or a teacher.
Apple hasn’t offered any explanation about the double-reversal of policy pertaining to student discounts. However, it appears some educators and school staff members in the US may have complained about troubles they faced while trying to verify their status through UNiDAYS.
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