I’m logging off for tonight, but I’ve done a final sweep, and the deals linked above are still live for now. Just a note that there are some great Cyber Monday deals coming to an end on other things to include Disney Plus and Hulu for $2.99! and big deals on creative software including Adobe Creative Cloud.
Goodnight, and I hope you manage to get the deal you were looking for!
2024-12-03T00:53:04.643Z
(Image credit: Ian Evenden)
OK, I take everything back that I said about MacBook deals still being in stock! Amazon appears to have suddenly had a stock blackout. That might mean it’s updating its site, changing prices after Cyber Monday. Anyway, the good news is that B&H Photo’s Cyber Monday MacBook deals are all still live, and matching or almost matching the best prices that Amazon was offering. That includes $230 off this year’s 13-inch MacBook Air with the M3 chip (but there’s only stock left on the 8GB configuration.
2024-12-03T00:18:11.497Z
Stock seems to be holding up on most of the remaining Apple Cyber Monday deals with the exception of iPads. Amazon’s record-low price on the standard iPad has gone completely, and the $100 saving on this year’s M2 iPad Airs is out of stock in several colours and configurations.
Chances are that not all of these deals will end at midnight. In fact, it’s now past midnight in the UK, and most of the Apple deals we’ve been tracking are still live. that said, some of the MacBook deals in the US are specifically labelled as Cyber Monday deals, which makes it more likely that the price will go up at the end of the day.
2024-12-02T23:41:59.803Z
Get AirPods Pro 2 for $154, 38% off
Possibly my favourite deal of the whole event is this amazing 38% off AirPods Pro. I use the AirPods 4 daily, and while I don’t rate the sound super-highly, I appreciate the integration with my phone (they read out my messages!). The Pro solve the sound problem as they are glorious, and keep the brilliant bits.
The price is obviously usually a problem (hence why I don’t have any), but this deal almost completely cleans up the issue. Get the AirPods Pro at Amazon for $154 – a record-low and total bargain if you ask me.
(Image credit: Apple / Future)
2024-12-02T23:29:19.053Z
So when would your next chance be to get a deal if you don’t take up any of the above? There are some deals on Boxing Day. I wouldn’t have thought they will be as good as these ones (they usually aren’t) and after that it’s the New Year sales (again, not as good). SO I do think it’s a good time to grab any deals you’re interested in.
2024-12-02T23:14:41.848Z
Past events are more exciting than this one…. but the prices are the same
I’ve been covering these sales events for six years now and a lot has changed.
In the past, flash deals would be popping up every 20 minutes, causing us all to leap on each other fighting over who gets to cover the deal with a QUICK! headline. But nowadays, things are more sedate. Black Friday now lasts for a month, with deals appearing super early and not really changing much. Actually, they often aren’t lower than we’ve seen earlier in the year anyway so aren’t really remarkable. There tends to be a base price a product reaches a few times in the year, before pinging up and falling a bit and then a bit more.
It makes sales events less frantic but also less exciting.
That base price has been reached though, and even surpassed by a few products. Like the MacBook Air M2, which is $749 at BH Photo. That is actually the lowest we ever see MacBooks go for.
(Image credit: Apple)
2024-12-02T23:04:37.324Z
Do you always need the latest tech?
I would say no, not necessarily. Apple is upgrading its ranges so often that a model even two iterations ago is not old tech. So even if you need power, it’s likely you don’t need to buy the newest models. In fact, the MacBook M1 Pro Max is still holds strong power-wise. And it has better battery life. Sure, if you’re a 3D artist working for Pixar you’ll need the M4 Pro Max, but for every other type of user you might be okay with an older model.
And it’s the same pattern across ranges. iPad users rarely use all the power of the newest models – for streaming and browsing you certainly don’t need it. And the Air M2 is more than good enough for digital art. It’s not clear cut, is what I’m saying. So do your research before spending all of your money.
(Image credit: Apple)
2024-12-02T22:55:40.233Z
(Image credit: Future)
So what about iPads? We have a piece on how to choose an iPad too, and I think it’s actually easier than with MacBooks despite the fact that there are more models to choose from.
There are six iPads in total if you count the two sizes of the M2 iPad Airs and the M2 iPad Pros. I think the clearest way to think about it is to consider what you’ll use your iPad for. Which one of these people are you?
Case 1: You want a tablet for browsing, social media watching films, and maybe doing a bit of work on the go, like replying to emails. Go for the standard 10th Gen iPad. The bad news is that the great deal we saw at Amazon over the weekend has sold out. B&H Photo has a smaller saving of $30 off.
Case 2: You want to also do a bit of creative work, perhaps some light photo editing or drawing and digital art in an app like Procreate. Go for this year’s M2 iPad Air and get an Apple Pencil Pro 2. Amazon has $100 off.
Case 3: You want a tablet that can potentially stand in for a laptop when you travel, allowing you to use more demanding creative software for things like video editing. Go for the powerful M4 iPad Pro (pictured above) – I’d say ideally the 13-inch version since the extra space can make all the difference if you’re software with lots of panels and tools. Amazon has $200 off, which is the biggest discount on record.
2024-12-02T22:39:30.295Z
(Image credit: Future)
How to choose a MacBook
So, you’ve whittled down to the type of Apple product you want. And now you need to work out which model. This is not an easy task, we know, because there are so many iterations of iPads and MacBooks in particular.
Let’s start with MacBook.
Apple makes two types of MacBook, the Pro and the Air.
The Pro is, as you’d imagine, a professional-level laptop. It’s beefy, can be very powerful indeed, comes in 14- and 16-inch sizes and has a higher price tag.
The Air is slim, light, still packs a punch but isn’t for heavy creative tasks. It still has a lovely screen (not quite as stunning).
You need to choose between those first.
And then you should work out which chip you want.
The newest is the M4 chip, which was released this year. Last year was the M3, before that the M2 and the first of Apple’s silicon was the M1.
For the Air, that’s as much information as you need, but the Pro gets more complicated.
The Pro also comes with a basic chip, then a Pro chip and the most powerful is the Max chip.
We recommend different chip levels for different creative pros.
Our digital art editor, Ian, loves the Apple Pencil 2. In fact he uses it every day for sketching and general art creation. The line up is a bit confusing now, because there are four, yes FOUR Pencil options. Of course, the Apple Pencil 1 came first followed by the 2. And this year two new Pencils have launched – the USB-C (the most basic Pencil) and, importantly for creatives, the Pro (hurrah!).
There are different feature sets on all, but the Pro has the addition of the Barrel Roll function, which our writer Natalie got to try out when she went to Apple HQ recently. She used it with Procreate and finally gets the hype.
If you’d like to peruse the differences between the models, see our Apple Pencil comparison guide.
Apple’s ecosystem is like no other. It’s so beautifully joined up – making it super easy to work across devices, pair accessories etc. I say this as a positive but actually it’s a millstone because I can NEVER BREAK FREE. My phone (iPhone 14) has been due an upgrade for a long time now, but I don’t want to pay the prices of the new iPhone 16.. and I’d quite like to try out the Samsung S24 Ultra. But I look around at my MacBook, iPad, Apple Watch, Pencil and AirPods and I think well, no, I obviously can’t not have an iPhone.
So I went SIM-only.
Great story I know. But the point is, this blog is the place to upgrade your kit all at once for less. iPhone deals are trickier, but we will get to them.
(Image credit: Apple)
2024-12-02T22:07:35.531Z
(Image credit: Apple)
Apple Watch SE is 40% off
But you don’t need to spend hundreds (or thousands) to get some new Apple tech today. I’m currently wearing the Apple Watch SE, the most basic, and certainly not the newest in the range of Apple Watches. It does absolutely everything I need it to (and probably a bit more). I track fitness, rudely check my messages when in conversation with others, and take advantage of not having to carry my phone with me absolutely everywhere I go.
I bought this at full price, but you can get it at 40% off at Amazon right now – for just $149. I honestly think this is the deal of the century if you don’t want to check your sleep patterns too thoroughly (it actually does do that a bit but it’s the thing about an Apple Watch I’ve never understood. Surely you can’t make it help you sleep – it’s either not in your control (thanks children) or your watch is just going to stress you out over it.
If it’s iPads you want, you’re best to go to Amazon though. The Cyber Monday overlord has got lowest ever prices on the new iPad Pro M4. It’s a pricey pick but it’s ideal for those with a heavy creative workflow, such as video editors or even 3D artists. The screen is gorgeous, and we were shocked by the power when we tried it out.
BH Photo wins MacBook deal prices at the last moment
What is it you’re in the market for today? We’ve actually seen record low prices across Apple’s range, with all the big retailers getting in on the action.
If you want a MacBook now, a lot of the offers at Amazon have SOLD OUT or risen in price. BUT our favourite underdog, BH Photo has a lot of doorbusting prices on MacBooks! Seriously, they’re matching the lowest price ever for most models right now, which is brilliant given there’s slim pickings elsewhere.
Why hello there! It’s getting late here in the UK and I thought, what better way to finish Cyber Monday off than a brand new blog that will consolidate ALL the knowledge I’ve taken on over the last few days. I know everything there is to know about all the Apple kit, the price highs and lows and what’s around now to buy.
If you’re in the US you obviously have quite a bit of shopping time left. So sit tight and I’ll explain all.
