A pple has dropped education pricing for end users to match the steeper discounts offered to schools and other educational institutions. Apple has in the past offered a small discount to home users and teachers, and then deeper discounts for the schools themselves. From a ZDNet article:
Over the weekend, Apple lowered the price it charges educators and higher education students to the same price it charges schools and colleges, a drop of up to 15 percent on some models.
"This pricing action supports Appleis efforts to grow market share among individual purchasers, especially (college) students," an Apple executive wrote in a memo to Apple Campus Resellers. Apple has long offered discounts to college students and teachers, but in the past such discounts have been less than those offered to schools.
The move offers a particularly good deal on Appleis notebooks, because it can be combined with promotions that give education buyers a $200 rebate when purchasing a PowerBook or iBook with an iPod as well as a rebate that gives another $100 off with an HP printer.
[...]
"We have simplified our education pricing to make it easier for more education customers to experience the innovative digital lifestyle of a Mac at home," an Apple representative said in a statement provided to CNET News.com. "Higher education faculty, staff and students as well as K-12 educators can now purchase many Apple products for personal use at published institutional prices."
There more information in the full story at ZDNetis Web site, including comments on Appleis education market share.