The last week of July is when parents of college-age kids decide what computer to buy.
How do I know this?
Because it’s July 29, and Apple, which knows how to sell high tech to youth, is going after the college market like a rich fraternity recruiting a new crop of pledges. A fraternity with a $164.5 billion endowment.
The class of ’19 campaign has several parts:
- The MacBook Pro with a “Retina screen” that popped up on Apple online store today. It starts at $1,299, which tells you what tax bracket Apple is targeting.
- The traditional $100 Apple Store gift card for customers who buy a Mac for college.
- A 30-second TV ad for the MacBook Air (starts at $899) that celebrates the youthful art of the computer sticker. Posted on YouTube last week, it’s gone semi-viral (360,000 views to date).
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Below: “Stickers”
http://youtu.be/5DHYe4dhjXw
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Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter at @philiped. Read his Apple (AAPL) coverage at fortune.com/ped or subscribe via his RSS feed.