WVC OnTheHub
Working with Adobe, WVC launched wvc.onthehub.com in Winter Quarter of 2014,
a site with discounts on third-party software applications and suites. Among
them are Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Office 365, Parallels, SPSS, and
EndNote.
Microsoft
Microsoft has devoted a section of their online store to students, with 10% off hardware, $80 for a 4-year subscription to their cloud-based Office 365 suite, and $70 for a Windows 8 Pro Upgrade.
Open Access alternatives: Don’t want to buy Microsoft Office? LibreOffice is our favorite alternative, while Evernote can take the place of OneNote, and Prezi is a more dynamic option for presentations than PowerPoint. As for Microsoft Windows, Linux Ubuntu can do the job just as well and is free.
Apple
Apple offers up to $200 off on hardware like the iMac and the Macbook Air in their Store for Education, though even with the discount applied, Apple products are more expensive than those from their competitors. You can save more by buying your Apple devices refurbished from a source like RefurbMe or from Apple themselves.
Amazon
Amazon gives students 50% off on their subscription to Amazon Prime, which qualifies students for free two day shipping and access to the Amazon streaming video database.
Adobe
Adobe Student and Teacher editions of their popular design and development applications can be up to 80% off of retail price. This section of their online shop is devoted to Student and Teacher discounts.
Open Access alternatives: For a replacement to Photoshop we like GIMP, which runs on Mac/Windows/Linux machines and is surprisingly powerful. In place of Adobe Dreamweaver, try Kompozer paired with FileZilla, or one of the many web based options like Weebly, WiX, WordPress, or Google Sites.
Other Manufacturers
HP, Dell, and Sony all have similar shops for education, all offering discounted prices on hardware.
3rd Party Shops
Some online stores that cater to students offer discounts for a wider range of hardware and software. Academic Superstore and JourneyEd are two examples, the former offering virus protection software, language learning software, and even cheaper offerings on Adobe products than can be found in the Adobe Student and Teacher online store. While their selection is limited and changes from day to day, Dealfisher may have just the hardware you’re looking for, at a hugely discounted price. |