Kevin Tofel

[Commentary] Apple’s iPad line now qualifies for educational discounts for the first time. The company has long discounted its Mac computers for educators and students, but the tablet, which debuted in 2010, was never part of that promotion.

Both the full-sized iPad and iPad mini qualify for $20 to $30 price cuts for eligible purchases according to Mac Rumors.

I have to wonder: Has Apple decided to stem the growing tide of Chromebooks in schools with this pricing promotion?

The growing number of Chromebooks making their way into the classroom, combined with iPad sales that are still rising overall but at a slower rate, make Apple’s decision to reduce iPad prices intriguing. Let’s see if Apple puts even more emphasis on education at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC); if so, that would be telling.

Amazon’s smartphone could be an AT&T exclusive and come with a feature called “Prime Data”.

The leaked information was published on the Boy Genius Report, which also provided some of the reported first looks of Amazon’s handset, expected to launch in September.

What is Prime Data? That’s a good question, but if you think about Amazon’s business model, you can get an idea of what it might be. The company has long subsidized products in order to boost engagement on its shopping and services sites, hoping to spur more sales.

The data feature would likely be some amount of mobile broadband included with the phone each month at no charge. It’s possible that Amazon could even add more data to a monthly account based on product purchases or Amazon Instant Video rentals.