Apple has long offered discounted Macs, iPads, and other hardware for students and teachers, and it is now adding a discount for its popular multimedia editing software.
Education customers can buy a bundle that includes Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X for $199, a significant savings given they usually cost $299 and $199, respectively, if bought separately. In addition to Apple's flagship audio- and video-editing suites, the bundle also includes three other apps for media producers: Motion 5, Compressor 4, and MainStage 3.
While many higher-education institutions have multiple licenses of Apple's creative software for their own computer labs, personal copies can come in handy for video students prone to late-night editing sessions at home. If you decide to buy the bundle, Apple will verify your education status and then email you codes to redeem on the Mac App Store, a process that could take a few days.
As for the quality of the product you're getting, it's been the subject of intense debate among professionals ever since Apple radically changed up Final Cut Pro back in 2011, nixing pro-level features that were in previous versions like multi-cam editing, XML importing, and external monitor support. Most of those features have since made their way back into the app, which recently earned a PCMag Editors' Choice Award.
Logic Pro X, Apple's audio-editing suite, also received dramatic changes a few years ago, but its feature set makes it a bargain compared to its competitors like Pro Tools and Avid, even at the full $199 purchase price.