On May 8, Apple officially added the entire Apple Watch series to its education discount program.
Eligible college students, teachers, and staff can purchase Apple Watches at a special education discount price through Apple’s online education store or at Apple Store retail locations worldwide, starting at 2699 yuan. This is the first time Apple Watch has offered a special discount for the education sector since its release in 2015.
The Apple Watch education purchasing page shows that this education discount covers three main models: Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch SE 3, and Apple Watch Ultra 3. Among them, the Apple Watch Series 11 education discount starts at 2699 yuan, which is 300 yuan cheaper than the original price; the Apple Watch SE 3 education discount starts at 1799 yuan, which is 200 yuan cheaper than the original price; and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 education discount starts at 5799 yuan, which is 700 yuan cheaper than the original price.
All three products support up to 3 months of 0% interest-free installment payments, further reducing the threshold for purchase. The education discount is open to college students, new students, and faculty and staff, and users can complete student verification through Alipay to enjoy the corresponding price.
Eligible college students, new students, teachers, and staff can enjoy the discount in the following ways: online verification, visit Apple’s online education store, select Apple Watch products, complete identity verification through Alipay, and place an order directly at the education discount price, supporting up to 3 months of interest-free installment payments.
In-store purchases can be made by visiting any Apple Store retail location, showing a valid student ID, teacher ID, or educational qualification certificate, and having it verified by staff to enjoy the education discount price.
Previously, Apple’s education discount was limited to Mac, iPad, Apple Pencil, and specified accessories. The addition of Apple Watch marks the first time Apple has included wearable devices in its education discount program, completing its education ecosystem coverage from computers to tablets to watches.
According to reports, Apple Watch education discounts are not only available in the Chinese market but also in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Among them, the Chinese market has partnered with Alipay to complete student identity verification, while some markets have partnered with UNiDAYS for verification.
In terms of pricing, different markets have slightly different discounts. For example, in the Australian market, the Apple Watch Series 11 education discount starts at 609 Australian dollars, which is 70 Australian dollars cheaper than the original price; the Apple Watch SE 3 starts at 369 Australian dollars, down from 399 Australian dollars; and the Apple Watch Ultra 3 starts at 1259 Australian dollars, down from 1399 Australian dollars.
On April 30, Apple released its Q2 2026 financial report (as of March 28), with total revenue of $111.184 billion, up approximately 16.6% year-over-year; net income was $29.578 billion, up approximately 19.4% year-over-year.
From a business perspective, the wearables, home, and accessories segment generated revenue of $7.9 billion, exceeding market expectations of $7.7 billion, up 5% year-over-year. Although this segment’s growth rate is not as high as that of the iPhone (up 22% year-over-year) and services (up 16% year-over-year), the market potential of Apple Watch as a core wearable device is being reevaluated.
By region, all regions achieved double-digit growth. In Q2, Apple’s revenue in the United States was $45.093 billion, up approximately 11.85% year-over-year; revenue in the Greater China region was $20.497 billion, up approximately 28.09% year-over-year.
After Apple’s financial report was released, several institutions raised their target prices: Wells Fargo raised its target price by $10, Morgan Stanley by $15, and Barclays by $5. Emarketer analyst Jacob Bern said that the financial report results show that Apple is continuing to address the global memory chip shortage, demonstrating its supply chain resilience.
After the financial report was released, Apple’s stock price rose 3.4% in after-hours trading, and the next day’s closing price was $248.91, with a year-to-date gain of 12%, and its market value once again exceeded $4 trillion. As of the close of trading on May 7, Apple’s stock price was $287.44 per share.
