Everyone knows that Apple doesn’t do sales or discounts very often. And why would they? Apple has unique, innovative products at fair prices – and if people want it, then they buy it. It’s been an incredibly successful formula for Apple and has built them into one of the biggest companies in the world. But what many people don’t know is that Apple offers discounted education pricing. And until 17th April there is also an additional $100 Gift voucher on offer!

Who Can Get Apple Education Pricing?

You qualify for the Apple education discount if you are a university or TAFE student. But it’s not just for higher education students – you also qualify if you are a teacher, administrator, staff member of any grade level.

If there is some flexibility too as parents can purchase on behalf of their child who is a student currently attending, accepted or applied for admission into an Australian university or TAFE.

What Does The Education Pricing Offer?

If you are a student or teacher that fits into one of the above categories, you qualify for special pricing on Apple computers, software, and select third party products. Quantity limits do apply like one desktop and/or one notebook per academic year. But that’s fair enough as not many of us need more than one new computer per year!

The savings are good too, for example you can:

• save up to $120 off a MacBook Pro
• save up to $50 off a MacBook Air
• save up to $50 off an iMac

Special Offer Of $100 Gift Voucher

To add to the value of the Apple education discount, there is also a further offer available at the moment where you can get an additional $100 Gift voucher. When you buy a qualifying new Mac with Apple education pricing before 17th April 2012, you’ll get a free $100 Back to Uni Gift Card to use on the Mac App Store, the App Store, the iTunes Store and the iBookstore.

We recommend buying online from the Apple store as a fast, easy and convenient way to claim the education discount and get your new Apple products – and $100 gift voucher for a limited time!

Click here to visit the Apple Store

Edit: And it’s over as quickly as it begun. Hope you all picked up a few bargains. Apple’s next sale should be on Friday November 23, 2012. We’ll remind you about it as we get closer to the date!

It might be unbelievable, but it’s already been a year since Apple’s last Black Friday Sale! Today is ‘Black Friday’ again, and it’s the only day of the year you’ll find discounts on a whole range of Apple products at the Apple Store. There’s discounts on iPads, iPods, Macbook Pros, Macbook Airs, iMacs and a whole range of accessories. It’s the perfect time to pick up a great deal for Christmas, or just get that one thing you’ve had your eye on for a while.

So what are you waiting for, click here for some bargains!

Black Friday is a tradition in the United States, where many retailers have massive sales on the day after Thanksgiving (which is the 4th Thursday in November). It really kicks off the holiday shopping season in the States, with masses of people crowding into shopping centres and stores.

In Australia, it’s not such a big thing. We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, so there’s nothing special about the day after the 4th Friday in November. I’m not aware of anyone else holding special sales today. But Apple, as an American company, is trying to bring the tradition to Australia. Who knows, maybe it will take off here, and we can get some great deals from all sorts of retailers as we head into the last 4 weeks before Christmas. I certainly won’t complain  about a sale!

So head on over the the Apple Store, and grab yourself a bargain!

So you want to get an iPhone 4S and you know you don’t want to buy it outright. You need to consider the mobile plan access fee, any handset repayments as well as the amount of included calls, SMS and data. We’ve compiled the following comparison to help you compare iPhone 4S plans so you can work out the best deal for you. If you would like to sort and filter iPhone plan options then please visit the compare iPhone plans page.

Vodafone iPhone 4S 16GB

Vodafone iPhone 4S 32GB

Vodafone iPhone 4S 64GB

Virgin iPhone 4S 16GB

Plan	Handset	Included Calls/SMS	Included Data	Total Min Commitment
Big Plan $29	$19 per mth	$450	250MB	$1152	More Details
Big Plan $39	$15 per mth	$650	500MB	$1296	More Details
Fair Go $29	$17 per mth	$180	250MB	$1104	More Details
Fair Go $39	$13 per mth	$300	500MB	$1248	More Details
Fair Go $49	$8 per mth	$400	2GB	$1368	More Details
Fair Go $59	$5 per mth	$700	3GB	$1536	More Details
Topless $89	$0	Unlimited	4GB	$2136	More Details

Virgin iPhone 4S 32GB

Plan	Handset	Included Calls/SMS	Included Data	Total Min Commitment
Big Plan $29	$23 per mth	$450	250MB	$1248	More Details
Big Plan $39	$19 per mth	$650	500MB	$1392	More Details
Fair Go $29	$21 per mth	$180	250MB	$1200	More Details
Fair Go $39	$17 per mth	$300	500MB	$1344	More Details
Fair Go $49	$13 per mth	$400	2GB	$1488	More Details
Fair Go $59	$10 per mth	$700	3GB	$1656	More Details
Topless $89	$0	Unlimited	4GB	$2136	More Details

Virgin iPhone 4S 64GB

Plan	Handset	Included Calls/SMS	Included Data	Total Min Commitment
Big Plan $29	$28 per mth	$450	250MB	$1368	More Details
Big Plan $39	$24 per mth	$650	500MB	$1512	More Details
Fair Go $29	$26 per mth	$180	250MB	$1320	More Details
Fair Go $39	$22 per mth	$300	500MB	$1464	More Details
Fair Go $49	$18 per mth	$400	2GB	$1608	More Details
Fair Go $59	$15 per mth	$700	3GB	$1776	More Details
Topless $89	$3 per mth	Unlimited	4GB	$2208	More Details

Optus iPhone 4S 16GB

Plan	Handset	Included Calls/SMS	Included Data	Total Min Commitment
$19 Optus Cap for iPhone	$22 per mth	$70	100MB	$984	More Details
$29 Optus Cap for iPhone	$18 per mth	$180	200MB	$1128	More Details
$49 Optus Cap	$10 per mth	$550	1.5GB	$1656	More Details
$59 Optus Cap	$0	$750	2GB	$1896	More Details
$79 Optus Cap	$0	$900	3GB	$2376	More Details
$99 Timeless Extreme	$0	Unlimited	5GB	$2856	More Details
$129 Timeless Extreme	$0	Unlimited	6GB	$3096	More Details

Optus iPhone 4S 32GB

Plan	Handset	Included Calls/SMS	Included Data	Total Min Commitment
$19 Optus Cap for iPhone	$27 per mth	$70	100MB	$1104	More Details
$29 Optus Cap for iPhone	$23 per mth	$180	200MB	$1248	More Details
$49 Optus Cap	$15 per mth	$550	1.5GB	$1776	More Details
$59 Optus Cap	$6 per mth	$750	2GB	$2040	More Details
$79 Optus Cap	$0	$900	3GB	$2376	More Details
$99 Timeless Extreme	$0	Unlimited	5GB	$2856	More Details
$129 Timeless Extreme	$0	Unlimited	6GB	$3096	More Details

Optus iPhone 4S 64GB

Plan	Handset	Included Calls/SMS	Included Data	Total Min Commitment
$19 Optus Cap for iPhone	$31 per mth	$70	100MB	$1200	More Details
$29 Optus Cap for iPhone	$27 per mth	$180	200MB	$1344	More Details
$49 Optus Cap	$19 per mth	$550	1.5GB	$1872	More Details
$59 Optus Cap	$11 per mth	$750	2GB	$2160	More Details
$79 Optus Cap	$7 per mth	$900	3GB	$2544	More Details
$99 Timeless	$0	Unlimited	5GB	$2856	More Details
$129 Timeless	$0	Unlimited	6GB	$3096	More Details

iPhone Plan Highlights

The Apple iPhone 4S has gone on sale today in Australia. If you’re considering buying the iPhone 4S outright or getting it on a plan, you might like to check out the following links:

• the new iPhone 4S features
• prices for buying the iPhone 4S outright
• Vodafone iPhone 4S plans
• Optus iPhone 4S plans
• Telstra iPhone 4S plans

Steve Jobs was today found dead at his home in Cupertino. He was just 56 years old.

Several weeks ago, Jobs resigned from his position as CEO at Apple due to his health issues, but retained a position on the board. His health issues have been ongoing for some time, and although we knew this day would come, I don’t think many people expected it to be so soon.

Debate about the future of Apple and the products that Jobs helped to create may continue for months or even years, but today is a day to remember the genius of Steve Jobs. Whether or not you own Apple products, no one can deny the influence Jobs has had in the technology industry through his life, and especially in the last 10 years. The iPod, iPhone and iPad have revolutionised the way that many people have lived, and have also had countless influence on other companies and their products. Jobs’ attention to details and demand for user-friendly, simple but powerful and functional products has brought us some of the most usable devices yet conceived. This has raised the bar for all other companies and their devices, and changed the technology landscape forever.

Steve Jobs, we salute you!

As expected, Apple revealed the new iPhone last night. Not all of the rumours panned out, but this is certainly the next generation iPhone. It is not called the iPhone 5 though, it’s called the iPhone 4S. (Both names were rumoured)

Introducing the iPhone 4S

From the outside, it doesn’t look like too much has changed for the iPhone 4S. It weighs just 3 grams more than the iPhone 4, and the physical dimensions are identical. The screen is also the same as the famed 3.5 inch ‘retina display’ of the iPhone 4. But, that’s where the similarities end – on the inside, everything is different!

Powering the iPhone 4S is a brand-new and much improved dual core Apple A5 processor. Apple claim this chip has up to seven times improvement over the (single core) A4 chip in the iPhone 4. This what powers your apps, runs your games, and makes everything on the phone run fast and act quickly. So expect the traditional Apple ‘polish’ to be even more refined, and don’t ever expect this phone to lag, stutter or skip a beat.

Also all new, Apple touts the iPhone 4S as a true ‘World Phone’, which can operate on both GSM (as we using here in Australia) and CDMA networks. As far as we’re aware, this is a first for a smartphone, and it could be a game changer for travellers and business-people. However, there is an indication that handsets bought outright and unlocked will not be useable on a CDMA network (such as Sprint or Verizon in the US). It is not yet clear if phone’s bought on a contract with a GSM network (such as Vodafone or Optus in Australia) can be unlocked to work on a CDMA network in the US.

The Camera

Increasingly important in smart phones these days is the camera. There is a large group which is devoted to ‘iPhone photography’. This group also includes professionals, who will use an iPhone when the situation means they can’t take their bulky DSLR along. The camera in the iPhone 4S sports an 8 mega pixel backside illuminated sensor, which is supposedly developed by Sony. The all-new lens features a max. aperture of f/2.4, with 5 lens elements and a hybrid IR filter. There is of course also the LED flash and Autofocus included. All of this adds up to a much improved camera, with very high resolution and great low light performance.

Along with improved still shots, the camera will also provide much improved video. the iPhone 4s is now capable of recording full HD 1080p video at 30 frames per second, upgraded from 720p in the iPhone 4. There is also the front-facing camera, capable of VGA resolution, primarily for use with Apple’s Facetime and other video calls.

Siri

The iPhone 4s also introduces a new apple technology called ‘Siri’. Siri is a voice controlled virtual assistant – tap the microphone icon and ask Siri to get whatever information you need. Siri technology will recognise your voice, understand what you are asking for, and fetch you the information you need, or perform a task for you. This includes things like looking up the weather, getting directions, searching the internet, setting an alarm, making a new calendar entry or even writing a text message. The accuracy is reported to improve over time as Siri becomes accustomed to your voice. As well as English, Siri also understands French and German. No doubt more languages will be incorporated over time. Unfortunately, it does not look like Siri will be available for the iPhone 4 (or other previous versions) at this stage.

Availability

The iPhone 4S will be available to preorder from the Apple store starting this Friday, October 7th, with delivery beginning the next week on October 14th. Prices start at $799 for a 16GB model. Also available are 32GB ($899) and 64GB ($999) models, all in both black and white. We also expect Vodafone, Virgin and Optus to sell all versions of the iPhone 4S on various priced contracts. They haven’t release any details yet, but come back in the next few days, or sign up for our e-mail newsletter, to get all the details and to find the best deals for your new iPhone 4S.

iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS prices

With the new model iPhone being released, this is also a perfect time to buy an older model iPhone, as the prices drop. An 8GB iPhone 4 will be available for just $679 and an 8GB iPhone 3GS will now cost just $449. It looks like all larger capacity (16GB and 32GB) iPhone 4 models will be discontinued, and available only as long as stocks last. We’ll keep you up to date with this situation. The 8GB iPhone 4 is available in both black and white, and will ship with IOS 5 pre-installed. An upgrade to IOS 5 will be available to download for the iPhone 3GS.

IOS 5

The iPhone 4S will also feature Apple’s brand new mobile operating system, IOS 5. This brings with it a whole slew of new features and improvements – over 200! IOS 5 will also be available as an update for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS owners, but performance and some features may be limited due to the age and lower performance of the older hardware.

Apple is notoriously tight-lipped about new products before they are released, but the iPhone 5 is proving to be even more mysterious than previous versions. There are almost no credible rumours about the devices size, shape or any other specs. Even the name is still a mystery, with both ‘iPhone 5′ and ‘iPhone 4S as the likely candidates. The one detail that may now be known, is the announcement date. This is now tipped to be October 4th – just under two weeks away. Apple are normally very good at making new products available in stores soon after announcement, so you can expect to have a shiny new iPhone in your hands before the end of October.

This will also be the first iPhone which is not introduced by Steve Jobs. Steve retired several months ago due to his declining health, handing the CEO role on to Tim Cook. It is expected that Tim Cook will make the announcement for the new iPhone, so it will be interesting to see if he has same flair that Steve Jobs has had for years. Steve certainly put a lot of faith in him, so I think we can continue to expect great things out of Apple!

If you’re as excited at we are about the announcement and release of the new iPhone, then sign up to our announcement list below!

One of the most anticipated tech releases of the year is the forthcoming release of a new model of Apple iPhone. We’re not sure of the name of the new iPhone, so until we do find out we’re calling it the iPhone 5.

If you’d like to be kept up to date with all the latest information about the iPhone 5 please join our email list below. We prefer to keep to the factual information like confirmed release dates, confirmed iPhone 5 plans, pricing and confirmed new features.

By signing up for our updates service on the iPhone 5 you are not committing to pay any money. We’ll keep you informed of when the phone is being released, where you can get it from and for what price. We’ll also let you know if official preorder services become available from the mobile phone companies.

We look forward to counting down the release of the iPhone 5 with you!

I still remember when the iPad was announced just over a year ago – most people were very excited about this new Apple device. But there were a few people like me, who were all very ‘meh‘ about it all. It was not something I could see myself using. I was about to quit my job, so I would no longer have an hour or more on the bus every day. That was the one place I could really see myself using it if I had one – to watch movies, check e-mail or catch up on other web content while I was on the bus.

A friend of mine said something interesting the other day (and I hope he doesn’t mind me quoting him)

It’s good if you look at it as a device to consume content rather than to create content

And that, I think, is the point I had come to realise (a little less eloquently) that has changed my point of view. Each morning my life has a pretty standard routine. My son wakes up, I get up with him, he has some milk and then watches a little bit of TV while he finishes waking up. While he’s watching TV, I read e-mails that have come in over night and catch up on recent online news and activity at a couple of forums. Very rarely do I respond to any e-mails, or do any lengthy typing in the mornings, I am mostly consuming content. And an iPad would be perfect for that. Easier to hold, faster to put away, harder for my boy to close the lid of when he wants my attention.

It would in no way be able to replace my laptop – I wouldn’t want to be typing posts like this on the touch screen, and there’s a lot of things that would be impossible to do in the iPad. But when I think about what those things are, they are generally about generating content and doing work. And while there is a place for iPads in workplaces, it is not as a generator of significant content.

The more I think about it, the more examples I come up with of ways to use an iPad as a content consumer that are a lot more practical than a laptop.

• Reviewing photos on the go
• Keeping up to date with weather and news while travelling
• Keeping in touch with friends and family via video chat
• Reading books while out and about

There are literally hundreds of things where an iPad is more practical than a laptop. What do you use yours for?

Buy your iPad online now at the Apple Store!

At the time of writing, Apple has both black and white versions of the iPhone 4 in stock. One of the benefits of getting an iPhone from Optus is that they have a really large range of available plans starting for $19 per month plus the cost of the iPhone. Here are some of the current headline Optus iPhone deals:

iPhone 4 16 GB on Optus

This phone is currently available in both black and white. The most popular Optus plan for the iPhone 4 16GB is the $59 Cap on a 24 month plan with $5 per month in handset repayments (minimum of $1,536 over 24 months). This plan includes $750 of included value – see the Optus website for full details – as well as 2GB of data allowance. This data is not eaten up by social networking usage as there is also free unlimited data for Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and FourSquare. Optus also provides free unlimited SMS and MMS to standard Australian mobiles on the $59 Cap plan.

Check for full details at www.Optus.com.au

iPhone 4 32GB on Optus

The white is currently sold out, but it’s always worth checking the latest stock levels to see what is available. The most popular plan for the 32GB version is the $79 Cap with an additional $7 per month for the handset (minimum of $2,064 over 24 months). This plans includes $900 of included value - see the Optus website for full details – as well as 3GB of data allowance. Just like the $59 Cap mentioned above there is free Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace and FourSquare data access. Once again there is also free unlimited SMS and MMS to standard Australian mobiles.

The 32GB iPhone is also available on lower plans including the $49 Cap plus $19 per month for the handset or the $59 Cap plus $13 per month for the handset.

Check for full details at www.Optus.com.au

iPhone 3G 8GB on Optus

Surprisingly there are still new iPhone 3G mobiles still available new. Optus is selling it for $5 per month on the $49 Cap with $550 of included value and 1.5GB of data. Unlimited access to Facebook and other social networking sites also applies. This plan currently comes with 2 months free access fee.

This mobile has no upfront cost or ongoing payments on the $59 Cap for 24 months.

Check for full details at www.Optus.com.au

Please note that all information is accurate at the time of writing, but that things move quickly in the telecommunications industry. Prices may change and stock availability will change. Always check the full terms and conditions of any deal on the Optus website.

Visit Optus.com.au >>