Educational iPads no cheaper than other models

Apple may be intentionally pushing educational iPad orders to the side in favor of general consumers, a complaint received by MacNN suggests. The reader notes that on March 15th, he placed an order through the Apple online store's educational section, consisting of a 32GB iPad, a case and a VGA connector. While the latter two have been assigned a specific shipping date, the iPad has been given only a general "April" timeframe. In an initial phone call, an Apple representative claimed that only 16GB iPads were shipping at that point.

A second call was met with the response that April 3rd -- the official iPad launch date -- was a merely an estimate, and that the ordered tablet would not arrive then. A third call, made just today, is said to have generated yet another explanation, with the reasoning that Apple is trying to fill consumer orders first before turning to education. There is no special educational discount for the iPad, the reader remarks.

The final claim may be closer to the truth, as Apple is already enforcing strict policies when it comes to iPad orders. All orders are limited to two units at a time, even though some businesses may be willing to buy in bulk. Apple is also allegedly facing a supply crunch, which could explain reserving tablets for its biggest and most outspoken demographics.

by MacNN Staff