On July 16, Apple's official website launched the 2026 back-to-school season event, which will continue until August 27. The event covered eight markets in mainland China, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Notably, the MacBook Neo was excluded from the event in all participating countries, and iPad mini, entry-level iPad, and all desktop Mac products were also excluded. This year, Apple changed the giveaway mechanism to an “849 yuan promotional discount limit.” Consumers can choose to buy a four-pack of AirTags for 0 yuan; consumers can also choose AirPods or Apple Pencil Pro, but they need to make up for the difference in price. This also means that completely free AirPods will no longer be offered during this year's back-to-school season event. Consumers will need a minimum supplement of 150 yuan to choose the AirPods 4, while if they choose the AirPods Pro 3, they will need to make up 1,050 yuan. Many netizens complained about this, believing that Apple's back-to-school season promotions were “shrinking.” On July 16, Apple customer service was contacted on this matter. The other party said that there is currently no relevant notice, that the feedback has been recorded, and that the service will be improved and optimized in the future.

On July 16, Apple's official website launched the 2026 back-to-school season event, which will continue until August 27. The event covered eight markets in mainland China, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Notably, the MacBook Neo was excluded from the event in all participating countries, and iPad mini, entry-level iPad, and all desktop Mac products were also excluded. This year, Apple changed the giveaway mechanism to an “849 yuan promotional discount limit.” Consumers can choose to buy a four-pack of AirTags for 0 yuan; consumers can also choose AirPods or Apple Pencil Pro, but they need to make up for the difference in price. This also means that completely free AirPods will no longer be offered during this year's back-to-school season event. Consumers will need a minimum supplement of 150 yuan to choose the AirPods 4, while if they choose the AirPods Pro 3, they will need to make up 1,050 yuan. Many netizens complained about this, believing that Apple's back-to-school season promotions were “shrinking.” On July 16, Apple customer service was contacted on this matter. The other party said that there is currently no relevant notice, that the feedback has been recorded, and that the service will be improved and optimized in the future.