Apple Back to School Deal Includes $100 Gift Card

Apple kicked off its annual back to school promotion on Thursday. This year, however, Apple is skipping its usual free iPod offer in favor of a US$100 gift card for the company’s app and music stores.

The back to school promotional site states:

When you buy a new qualifying Mac with Apple education pricing from June 16, 2011, through September 20, 2011, you’ll get a $100 Back to School Card to use on the Mac App Store, the App Store, the iTunes Store, and the iBookstore.

Apple’s back to school deals for 2011

Macs that qualify for the back to school deal include the Mac Pro, iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and MacBook. The Mac mini is not included in the promotion.

While a new iPod is a nice incentive for a back to school Mac purchase, offering a gift card for apps most likely costs Apple less. Assuming students and educators use the gift card to buy apps for school, the deal could save them some money, too.