17 Best Apple Deals: iPads, MacBooks, Apple Watches and AirPods
Don’t worry if you skipped the Cyber Monday madness. Some of the company’s best gear is on sale right now….
Apple devices are expensive, and they rarely go on sale—at the Apple store anyway. Third-party sellers like Best Buy and Amazon do offer discounts from time to time, including right now. We’ve found a number of Apple devices on sale at discounted prices, including iPads, MacBooks, Apple Watches, and other accessories. Most of these deals match or are better than what we saw on Cyber Monday, but many of them will end on Thursday.
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iPad Deals
If you need help figuring out which iPad is the right one for you, check out our Best iPad guide.
Apple recently updated its most basic iPad (7/10, WIRED Review) with slim bezels, Apple’’ A14 chip, and a USB-C port. Like on the iPad Air, the Touch ID sensor is integrated into the power button that sits on the top edge of the slate. The rear camera has been upgraded to 12 megapixels instead of 8. But, perhaps most importantly, the 12-MP selfie camera has been moved to the center of the iPad (in landscape mode), so you’ll no longer have to uncomfortably stare to the side during video calls. The bad news is Apple jacked the price up $120 over previous models. This deal is better than what we saw on Cyber Monday and makes the slate more approachable.
The 10th-generation iPad above is the most expensive entry-level iPad Apple has ever made. That is why we still think this ninth-generation model (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best iPad for most people. Not only is it affordable, especially with this discount, but it also packs a 12-MP rear camera with support for Center Stage to keep you in the frame during video calls. There’s a physical Touch ID–enabled Home Button (for those who prefer it), a True Tone display that adjusts the screen’s color temperature depending on the lighting around you, and 64 GB of storage. It’s also the only iPad in the company’s lineup with a headphone jack.
This isn’t a huge sale, but the iPad Air (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite upgrade over the base model. You get the same M1 processor as a 2020 Macbook Air, a 10.9-inch LCD screen, slim bezels, a USB-C port, and Touch ID built into the top power button. It packs support for the second-generation Apple Pencil and the Smart and Magic Keyboard.
The iPad Mini (8/10, WIRED Recommends) makes an excellent travel companion. It’s small enough to slip into my tote or backpack, and the 8.3-inch display is great for reading ebooks or watching movies. Equipped with an A15 Bionic processor (the same one powering last year’s iPhone 13), it’s fast enough to handle both taxing apps and games. With second-generation Apple Pencil support, you can also use it as a notebook or sketchpad. It dipped to this price for Cyber Monday, but it’s still a solid deal.
This is the 2021 iPad Pro model with the company’s M1 processor. The new sixth-generation iPad Pro (7/10, WIRED Review) announced last month is a very incremental update; save yourself some cash and grab this version instead.
Apple’s stylus rarely goes on sale, though it most recently dipped to $89 during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. As small as it is, this is the next best discount we’ve seen. It works with every iPad in Apple’s current lineup except the 9th-gen iPad.
Best MacBooks
Read our Best MacBook guide for more help in choosing the right MacBook for your needs.
Apple introduced a new design with its latest MacBook Air (7/10, WIRED Recommends), which is also powered by the new M2 chipset. It has plenty of power for most everyday tasks, solid battery life, and a 1080p webcam. You also get a MagSafe connector so the laptop won’t fly off if you trip on the cable. It’s pricier than its predecessor, but this discount helps remedy that. Just remember that the chipset doesn’t let you connect this machine to more than one external display.
Even though the M1-powered MacBook Air (9/10, WIRED Recommends) came out in 2020, it’s still one of the most powerful laptops you can buy for this price. It’s our favorite budget MacBook to recommend. It has great performance, battery life (it’ll easily last you a full workday), and an improved keyboard (that won’t break). It’s also slim and lightweight, which makes it great for travel.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends) from 2021 was the first from Apple to re-introduce the idea that laptops should have plenty of ports (including a MagSafe charging port)—what a concept. It also offers a 1080p webcam and a stunning 14.2-inch display with ProMotion (which has a refresh rate of 120 Hz). The M1 Pro under the hood offers excellent performance and can handle almost any demanding project you toss at it. (It’s confusing, but the M1 Pro is more powerful than the M2.)
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is similar to the 14-inch model, but with a bigger screen. This thing is huge and somewhat difficult to travel with, but the extra screen room can be nice, especially for apps with a lot going on—perfect for video editors. This model was $100 cheaper for Cyber Monday, but if you missed that this is still a decent deal.
Apple Watch, and Headphone Deals
Read our Best Apple Watch and Best Wireless Earbuds guides for more.
We recommend the second-generation Apple Watch SE to most people—especially if you don’t need the complex capabilities of the Series 8 like the ECG sensor, temperature sensor, or the ability to check your blood oxygen. But it’s more than capable of tracking your health and fitness, and with the latest S8 chip, you’ll also get Crash Detection and the redesigned Compass app. It’s compatible with WatchOS 9 too, which means you won’t miss out on any of the latest software features. The larger 44-mm version is also on sale for $269 ($20 off).
The Apple Watch (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite Apple Watch in the lineup. It offers a blood oxygen level sensor, ECG reader, and heart rate monitor. Apple also introduced a wrist-based temperature-sensing feature that tracks your skin temperature. This can be super useful for tracking your period and fertility. This deal was $30 better during Cyber Monday, but if you missed that, you can still save a few bucks.
We saw this price dip $10 lower during Cyber Monday, but this is still a nice deal for Apple’s newest high-end smartwatch (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It has the best battery life you’ll find on an Apple Watch, mostly because it’s much bigger than the standard Series 8. There’s a loud siren in case you’re lost in the woods, and a spare Action Button to trigger specific and configurable actions.
This deal was $29 cheaper during Cyber Monday. The second-gen AirPods Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) come with upgrades like improved noise canceling and better battery life—you’ll get six hours with the buds and 24 hours in the case, which will certainly get you through a full workday. The charging case also comes with new features too, like the ability to sync it with Apple’s Find My app (which will emit a beeping sound to help you locate them), and the option to charge it on an Apple Watch puck. Read our Best Wireless Earbuds guide for more.
Accessory Deals
Our Best iPhone 14 Cases and Best MagSafe Accessories guides can help.
We’ve seen this dip a few dollars lower, but this is still a small discount on Apple’s official wireless charger for iPhone models with MagSafe (iPhone 12 and newer). It charges fast (15 watts) because it aligns precisely with the spot that allows for the best power transfer. But with an annoyingly short 3-foot cable, it’s tough to use your phone while it’s charging unless you’re right next to where it’s plugged in.
The MagSafe Duo is a great choice if you have both an iPhone and an Apple Watch, with respective spots for both. It folds in half too, which makes it really easy to travel with. It’s just far too expensive for what it does, but this deal makes it a bit easier on the wallet.
This keyboard will fit the 11-inch iPad Pro (first, second, third, and fourth generation) and iPad Air (fourth and fifth generation). This slim keyboard doesn’t offer any tactile feedback on the keys, but many people love this keyboard for the fact that it’s silent.
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