Apple Launches Improved Employee Hardware Discount Program for Mac and iPad

Back in January, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced to employees that the company would begin a new hardware discount program in June, offering employees $500 off a Mac (excluding the Mac mini) or $250 off an iPad.

In line with that schedule, 9to5Mac reports that the new program has now gone live. As had been previously claimed, the discount is available to employees who have worked at Apple for at least 90 days, can be used once every three years, and can be stacked upon existing 25% employee discounts on hardware.

apple retail staff overhead
Unfortunately for those Apple employees looking to apply the discount to the new Retina MacBook Pro, the model is not included in the program and is not even available through the employee purchasing portal. This is typical for new Apple products, and with supplies remaining tight for consumers it may be some time before availability loosens up enough for Apple to add it to the employee purchasing program.

The enhanced hardware purchase program comes as Apple's retail store staff has begun seeing salary increases of as much as 25% depending on market and performance. Those raises are set to go into effect in mid-July.

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. In his Powe...
Apple Logo Black

Apple's Next Launch is 'Imminent'

Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models. "All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pros Reportedly Launching Alongside macOS 26.3

Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

Apple Changes How You Order a Mac

Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...

Top Rated Comments

Daalseth Avatar
178 months ago
"Unfortunately for those Apple employees looking to apply the discount to the new Retina MacBook Pro, the model is not included in the program ..."

That's just lame.
Apple is nowhere without their employees so everything should be included. :(

Not having enough stock is just BS.
No it's completely understandable. I just checked the AppleStore and they are out to 3-4 weeks delivery. That means that they can't keep up with demand. It makes perfect sense they would hold off opening it to Employees for a month or two until the surge passes. The employee discount will still be there.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
drewc1138 Avatar
178 months ago
So does that mean that employees could get an iPad 2 for $50? That's a sweet deal.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
awer25 Avatar
178 months ago
Seeking friend. Requirements: Works at Apple and hasn't yet used $500 or 25% discount. PM me if interested ;)
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jessea Avatar
178 months ago

Thats just lame.
Apple is nowhere without their employees so everything should be included. :(

Not having enough stock is just BS.

But Apple is really nowhere without their customers. :)

They're doing the smart move: serve customers first, then serve employees after stock is consistently available.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bunkyoh1 Avatar
178 months ago
iPad 2 = $399

iPad staff discount = $250

399 - 250 is not $50 the last time I checked....





I knew they should have put the calculator app on the iPad ;) :p

399*.75-250=$49.25

I knew the public education system was failing ;)
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
baller1308 Avatar
178 months ago
Damn, increased wages and increased discounts, good time to be an Apple Employee.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)