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Did Apple cancel its big annual back-to-school sale?

Apple has been holding its annual back-to-school sale for over a decade, but there's been no mention of any sale so far this summer. 

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Richard Vogel/AP/File
Shoppers walk by the Apple Store along the the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif.

Apple's back-to-school sale has been around for over a decade, and traditionally it starts in June or early July, then winds down in September. This year, however, it seems the Apple Store is breaking its tradition altogether; there's been no mention of the sale at all.

The back-to-school sale is not to be confused with the everyday educational pricing that Apple offers. Typically the sale will offer additional Apple Store gift cards on top of those discounts, for students and teachers.

The Timing Has Varied in the Past

To be fair, Apple has been known to experiment with the debut of this sale. For instance, from 2006 to 2012 the sale debuted in May or June, whereas in 2013 and 2014, the promos kicked off in early July. But from what we can tell, this is the latest we've gone without the sale debuting.

Likewise, the discounts have also changed throughout the years. In 2011, Apple switched from offering Mac buyers a $199 rebate on the 8GB iPod touch, to offering a $100 App Store gift card instead — a move that elicited criticism from customers who were accustomed to receiving the more valuable bargain. Apple apparently took it to heart because in 2012, it began bundling a $100 Apple Store credit (instead of the more restrictive App Store credit) with its back-to-school promo.

Back-to-School Sale Still Happened Down Under

If it's any consolation, earlier this year Apple did celebrate its back-to-school promo in Australia and New Zealand, as reported by 9to5Mac. While that gives us some hope that we may see something State-side, it's still too early to tell. We've reached out to Apple for comment and will update our story if necessary.

You Probably Shouldn't Shop Apple's Sale Anyway

Despite the fact that Apple has curiously neglected to roll out its annual sale, we've always been wary of the promotion. While we're sure it has benefited many students and educators in the past, we've consistently been able to find better deals on Mac products from Apple resellers likeAmazon, MacMall, and Best Buy. Best Buy in particular has been known to undercut Apple's back-to-school sales by as much as $200.

This article first appeared in DealNews. 

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