On Monday, December 1, World AIDS Day, Apple will donate a portion of every sale at Apple’s retail and online stores to the Global Fund to fight AIDS.
“Apple isn’t just in the fight to end AIDS. They are setting a new bar for business, giving $75 million and counting to the Global Fund as part of their partnership with (RED),” said Bono, co-founder of (RED), in a statement. “I couldn’t be prouder to work with them.”
“Apple is a proud supporter of (RED) because we believe the gift of life is the most important gift anyone can give,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “For eight years, our customers have been helping fight AIDS in Africa by funding life-saving treatments which are having a profoundly positive impact. This year we are launching our biggest fundraising push yet with the participation of Apple’s retail and online stores, and some of the brightest minds in the App Store are lending their talents to the effort as well.”
Apple and App Store developers have and are continuing to generate donations for (RED) in several ways over a two-week period:
• From Monday, November 24 through Sunday, December 7, the App Store’s Apps for (RED) campaign feature 25 fan-favorite apps with exclusive new content. Every time a customer purchases a participating (PRODUCT) RED app or an exclusive In-App Purchase, all proceeds will go to the Global Fund.
• On Friday, November 28, Apple customers in the US received a special edition (RED) iTunes gift card with the purchase of select Apple products. For each gift card distributed, Apple also donated a percentage to the Global Fund.
• On Monday, December 1, as mentioned above, Apple will donate a portion of every sale at Apple’s retail and online stores to the Global Fund to fight AIDS.
More information about Apple’s World AIDS Day 2014 campaign, including Apps for (RED), is available at www.apple.com/red.
Source: Apple Inc.
MDN wrote:
• On Friday, November 28, Apple customers in the US received a special edition (RED) iTunes gift card with the purchase of select Apple products. For each gift card distributed, Apple also donated a percentage to the Global Fund.
Note that in Britain, there were no such gift cards at all on Black Friday. Lucky chaps, and chapesses, that we are, we got to make an involuntary contribution to the charity of Apple’s choosing, with not a single penny of ‘lagniappe’ for ourselves. The result: Apple gets to appear as the Great Philanthopist at their UK customers’ expense.
Of course, if I had bought my new Mac Mini and accessories at Amazon.co.uk, I would have had a Black Friday discount of about £35, but from Apple—nothing! nada! sweet Fanny Adams!
Go figure!
How do you figure that any UK customer made an involuntary contribution to anything? Not a single customer paid a pound or penny more for anything than they would have without the promotion. They got 100 pounds worth of stuff for 100 pounds in money. There was no customer contribution involved, voluntary or otherwise. What Apple and its business partners chose to do with THEIR revenue after they received it did not burden their customers a whit.
So, how do you figure that Apple did anything at their customers’ expense? I suppose you figure that you are entitled to a discount. I’m curious. Why do you think that you are a more deserving recipient for lagniappe from the Great Philanthropist than the effort to stem the spread of HIV from mothers to children in Africa?