Dive Brief:

• Apple is adding the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display to its education discount program for teachers and students.
• The discounts are the first for tablets in the program, and the iPad Air will run $469 after its $30 discount, while the mini will cost $379 following a $20 discount.
• The tablets previously came with a $50 gift card as part of the tech giant's annual "Back to School" promo.

Dive Insight:

With the iPad currently holding a 94% marketshare among tablets used in schools, this move makes sense. While the $50 gift card previously offered was likely enticing, the direct price cut is probably even moreso — and it's also a move that shows Apple wants to edge out potential competition and hang on to its dominance in the space.

As for how the discount is applied, as one Apple Insider commenter pointed out, the move is especially beneficial to schools going for 1:1 rollouts since buying the 10-pack of iPads, with AppleCare or not, now applies the discount to each iPad in the pack, amounting to $200-300 in savings per 10 devices.