O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: teachers

  • Apple’s U.S. education storefront now requires proof of active status in order to obtain discounts

    Apple’s U.S. education storefront now requires proof of active status in order to obtain discounts

    Apple has begun requiring that customers within the United States verify that they’re currently active students, teachers, or staff members at educational institutions in order to access educational discounts on products.

    As the store was accessible to all, some customers may have used it even if they weren’t an education customer, which likely led Apple to implement tighter rules for its U.S. store.

    The change now requires that these customers verify their eligibility for education discounts through UNiDAYS. UNiDAYS is a website specialized in providing education customers with discounts for products and services by confirming their enrollment in an educational institution. 

    Apple had previously implemented the same approach to its educational stores in other countries, such as India and the United Kingdom. At present, Apple’s Canadian education store remains open, with customers able to purchase discounted products without the need to verify eligibility through UNiDAYS. 

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via MacRumors and Reddit

  • Apple boosts free iCloud storage tier from 5GB to 200GB for students and teachers

    This qualifies as both nifty and helpful.

    Over at Apple’s education event, the company has announced that teachers and students will receive 200GB of free iCloud storage, a forty-fold increase over the 5GB typically offered for the free tier of iCloud.

    “iCloud safely stores students’ documents and creative projects, keeping them up to date, secure and accessible from any device,” the company said in a statement after the event. “And starting today, any teacher or student with a Managed Apple ID has access to 200GB of free iCloud storage.”

    (more…)

  • Apple has no plans to live stream education event on March 27th

    It looks like Apple won’t be offering a live stream of its March 27th education-focused event set to take place at Lane Tech High School in Chicago.

    On Friday, the company updated the Events app on the Apple TV to add an image of the invitation for the upcoming event and to note that a video will be uploaded later in the day following the conclusion of the event.

    (more…)

  • Apple revises iTunes EULA, allows Educational accounts to users under 13

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    Your students will be able to open Educational accounts under Apple’s revised iTunes End User License Agreement.

    Per Macworld, Apple on Thursday altered its iTunes Terms and Conditions to permit children under the age of 13 to operate individual iTunes accounts created at the request of an “approved educational institution.”

    Previously, Apple restricted iTunes accounts to children aged 13 or older, but the company announced it would be changing its policy with the release of iOS 7.

    The new terms are as follows:
    “These App and Book Services are only available for individuals aged 13 years or older, unless you are under 13 years old and your Apple ID was provided to you as a result of a request by an approved educational institution. If you are 13 or older but under the age of 18, you should review this Agreement with your parent or guardian to make sure that you and your parent or guardian understand it.”

    With Apple’s new educational policies, schools will have a program to facilitate Apple obtaining “verifiable parental consent for personal Apple IDs for students under age 13.” In addition, Apple also plans to introduce better tools for teachers.

    iOS 7, which is expected to be released to the public in the fall, offers new Mobile Device Management options allowing teachers to set up managed apps, configure accessibility options, and restrict changes to accounts. Teachers will be able to lock student iPads to a particular app as well, to ensure that students are “on the same activity at the same time.”

    The new operating system will also bring an App Store Volume Purchase Program designed to allow educational institutions to assign apps to users while maintaining ownership and control over app licenses.

    Apple’s policy shift comes as the company continues its push for iPads in educational institutions. Apple has been involved in several large deals in recent months and won a US$30 million contract from the L.A. Unified School District in June that will see the district purchasing iPads for every student in its 47 schools. Apple also met with the Turkish President earlier this year about a potential US$4.5 billion deal that would provide Turkish schoolchildren with as many as 15 million tablets.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • Apple nukes $100 rebate with purchase of qualifying printer, future incentive programs in question

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    You know, it was kind of nice having a nifty incentive/rebate to look forward to.

    Per ” target=”_blank”>AppleInsider, Apple’s promotion that offered a US$100 rebate to customers who purchased a Mac and qualifying printer has been discontinued with no alternative incentives announced.

    In a change to its promotion information webpage on Tuesday, Apple announced that the long-standing printer rebate program has been cancelled, leaving the company without any rebates or incentives for new computer buyers.

    The Cupertino, Calif., company has traditionally offered some sort of incentive when customers buy a new Mac, such as the US$100 instant rebate when purchasing a computer and printer. While the programs were usually “limited time only” affairs, Apple’s latest printer rebate was a perpetual offer that stipulated the company could end it at any time.

    Apple has advertised a US$100 printer rebate sporadically from 2001 alongside numerous other discounts and promotions for both hardware and software.

    The company is also known for its educational rebates and discounts, including the annual back-to-school promotion which has offered free iPods to gift cards.

    Currently, Apple offers discounts for students and teachers through its Education Store or at Apple Store locations and campuses though the program is more of an institution rather than form of incentive.

    It is unclear whether Apple is slowly phasing out incentives as the company’s online store usually has some type of discount.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.