Filed under: Odds and ends, Leopard
Apple raises Leopard Academic price
One of the many benefits to working in Higher Ed (as I do), or being a student (other than all that book learnin') is Academically Priced software. Many software vendors offer up their products that significantly lower prices for people in the academic circle. Apple has long done this, but it seems they have adjusted their pricing. Tiger cost a mere $79 with the academic discount, but sadly that steep discount it gone.
Numerous readers have emailed us the new academic price for Leopard: $116. That's right, if you're a student Apple understands you have a budget and will gladly knock $13 off the sticker price.
While this price increase is bound to make some folks grumble, Leopard is a pretty sweet deal even at full price.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in.
Update: See this post for the latest news. It boils down to this: the price is higher on Apple's EDU store, but will probably still be cheap in your school's bookstore.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
TJ said 1:15PM on 10-16-2007
This is pretty upsetting, and it seems like Apple's been forgetting about their large academic base...or beginning to take more advantage of them. Based on this price, there's no way I'm going to be buying Leopard any time soon.
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Al said 12:12PM on 10-16-2007
I'll be buying Leopard for $20 from my university. It pays to be at a school that participates in AMP.
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Greg said 12:13PM on 10-16-2007
If your school buys it the price is $69. I'm going to have my IT department purchase it.
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serenity said 12:14PM on 10-16-2007
Quite disappointing, I've been touting the 50% rebate for quite a while, but it's rather 10% now, at least in Sweden. :(
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Jose said 12:16PM on 10-16-2007
Consequences; students won't buy leopard. Period.
I was honestly considering pre-ordering it.. but now I won't ... it's a joke.
Even worse in Europe.. where Leopard costs 129 euros.. exactly 185 dollars!! if that isn't a joke tell me what is
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fraggle said 12:17PM on 10-16-2007
Loads of ambition and zero spare cash. Its exactly on the contary to the kind of customers they want. They prefer people with too much money and too much lazy to be creative. people who think great tools will do all the work for them. I'm thinking of somebody like whoever did the Tuaw back ground wallaper that visually attacks me evertime I log on. ;)
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prateeko said 12:19PM on 10-16-2007
Uhh, does Apple know how quickly it's base is expanding in academic communities, and this is how they repay us, by acting like Microsoft?
I mean, they offer no upgrade disc and yet charge so much. It's not quite fair considering OS X revisions come more frequently than Windows updates...
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Quix said 12:20PM on 10-16-2007
Lame. Isn't it a *plus* for Apple to have as many students using its new OS as possible?
Apple's recent disregard for its customers is alarming.
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Jeff said 12:25PM on 10-16-2007
I was actually expecting something like this. Apple has been backing out of their academic pricing for some time. iLife and iWork used to be around $50 for students and now it is $71.
Here is one possibility though for those if us in school: the Apple Student Developer membership is $99 and should include a copy of Leopard when it is released. $30 off retail.
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Rob Roark said 12:23PM on 10-16-2007
Nice move, if you raise the price for the one group most likely and willing to pirate your stuff, you're bound to profit!
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Quix said 12:24PM on 10-16-2007
"It's not quite fair considering OS X revisions come more frequently than Windows updates..."
Aren't more frequent updates a good thing? And keep in mind even the *upgrade* pricing for the Leopard-equivalent version of Vista is more than the full retail price of Leopard. No, Vista Home Basic ≠ Leopard.
Microsoft software is far more expensive than Apple software, yet you never hear anyone wailing about that. Strange.
That said, the sudden jump in student pricing for Apple stuff is still lame.
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wsnoble said 12:28PM on 10-16-2007
13 bucks does sound a little low (wish apple could do better), but it also sounds like there are still some discounted edu options, given the above posts.
Maybe the post could be modified to let those edu folks know what the best way to go is, to avoid the $13 option?
I just looked online @ the prices for somebody else's ultimate OS... and even @ full $ - $13 it still seems like a good deal based on the price of the other one :-)
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Greg G said 12:30PM on 10-16-2007
Yeah, I'll buy it through my school now I guess.
Wtf, Apple? I wanted to buy 2 >=|
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Johnny Thrash said 12:31PM on 10-16-2007
Everyone complaining about the price... just think... it could come in 15 different variations at 15 different prices ... Leopard Home, Leopard Professional, Leopard Granparents Edition, Leopard Deluxe, Leopard Ultimate...
You could switch to Windows, but you'd pay a lot more.
Leopard is def worth the price.
I'm sorry that some of you won't be able to buy due to budgets... but it could be worse... a lot worse.
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TJ said 12:33PM on 10-16-2007
Interestingly, at MIT, I can get Vista Enterprise and XP Professional for free...and yet I still would have to pay the $116 for Leopard. Seems a bit unfair, especially when the school's recommending OS X.
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wuzzle said 3:20PM on 10-16-2007
Granted its not nice when one's expectations are not met, but it could always be worse. You could be paying $399 for Vista Ultimate. ;)
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cashmonee said 12:39PM on 10-16-2007
What is up with Apple? They are really into screwing their customers these days. As others have said, this is no surprise. They took away discounts for iPods, reduced discounts on iLife and iWork, and the discounts for the low end computers are basically zilch.
Many people have said that Leopard is not ready for prime time, which already had me on the fence. This just pushes me off.
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Johnny Thrash said 12:35PM on 10-16-2007
Correction: Yes, I misspelled Grandparents and didn't notice til too late.
And by it being worse, I mean that it could be much more costly.
I think the normal price is a steal. If you can't afford it, start making your Christmas wish list and send them to "Santa."
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cleveland said 2:05PM on 10-16-2007
One thing that is a good question here is will you be able to get it in in the retail stores for that cost? they just started offering the software discount in-store on iLife and iWork and that use to be online only. maybe these price increase (to the "average" -10% student discount) is a blessing in disguise? by making it more readily available.
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scott said 12:36PM on 10-16-2007
Don't they know that Students are the demographic most likely to pirate software? I don't have the space in my budget for this new price and now will likely just do my upgrade when the computer lab I work for on campus has the disks laying around.
Apple, your recent policies are showing you to be foolish. Instead of getting my 70 bucks, you'll be getting nothing from me, maybe those who pay your exorbitant prices will make up for it but you're still losing my loyalty.
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