We finally have an exciting Amazon Prime Day sale for Apple fans. If you've been meaning to pick up the latest (or slightly-older) Apple products at bargain prices, this is a good time to pull the trigger. Base MacBooks, iPads, and AirPods are all either at all-time low prices, or quite near it. Here are some of the best Apple deals I've found for October Prime Day, including MacBooks, iPads, AirPods, and Apple Watches.
M2 MacBook Air, 13-inch ($749, $250 off): Lifehacker Tech Editor Jake Peterson covered this sweet deal in-depth yesterday, and for a good reason. You're getting a laptop that used to sell for $1,199 when it was new, for just $749. This is now the best cheap MacBook to get, with a 13.6-inch Liquid Retinal Display, 8GB RAM, Apple's excellent M2 chip, a modern design to match the MacBook Pros, and most importantly, an HD FaceTime camera! This is currently the best deal in Apple tech, a crown the M1 MacBook Air wore for years.
M3 MacBook Air, 13-inch ($849, $250 off): If you can spare the extra $100 over the M2 MacBook Air, you can fetch the latest M3 MacBook Air (down from $1,099). This has the best combination of fast performance, battery life, screen, and portability of any MacBook out there.
M3 MacBook Pro, 14-inch ($1,299, $300 off): This is Apple's latest base-model MacBook Pro, with the company's best screen, its fast M3 processor, Pro-level speakers, and fan system. That fan gives this machine an edge over the M3 MacBook Air, since it can actively cool the M3 chip when things get too hot. You can get it for $1,299 instead of the usual $1,599 sticker price.
iPad (9th Generation), 10.2-inch ($199, $130 off): If you don't mind the older screen, and the physical Home Button, you can get the 2021 iPad for a ridiculously cheap price of just $199, down from $329. Yes, it's not the fastest tablet in the world, but the A13 Bionic Chip coupled with the Retina Display are enough for watching content or browsing the web. Slap a thick case on it, and it's a great kid-friendly tablet.
iPad Air, 11-inch (M2) ($547, $50 off): The latest iPad Air, with the ridiculously fast M2 chip is discounted to $547 (from $599). This is not a big discount, but it's the lowest price that I've seen yet for the latest iPad Air on Amazon. As it sits right now, the iPad Air is the best over-all iPad for everyone, while the iPad Pros have become overkill for most users. Even for creatives, the iPad Air offers all the power, screen quality, and accessory ecosystem that they need.
iPad mini, 6th Generation ($349, $150 off): Rumor has it Apple is planning to ship an update to the iPad mini before the end of the year. That said, if you want one for a discount, you can snag the iPad mini for $349, instead of the $499 sticker price. This is the lowest that the iPad mini has been discounted so far.
AirPods Pro 2 ($169, $80.01 off): If you want the best wireless audio that Apple has to offer, the AirPods Pro 2 are the ones to go for. You get the H2 chip, USB-C charging, and stellar noise cancellation and Transparency Mode. These earbuds are down from $249 to just $168.99 for the Prime Day sale.
Unfortunately, this is the only great deal on AirPods this October Prime Day. The latest AirPods 4 without noise cancellation are discounted by only $10, to $119. The older version of the AirPods Max, with Lightning port instead of USB-C, are available for $394.99 from $549, but these headphones are frequently found for $399. My advice for over-the-ear headphones? Go for something from Sennheiser or Sony instead.
Apple Watch SE, 2nd Generation ($199, $79.01 off): The 44mm version (the bigger one) of the Apple Watch SE is discounted to just $199, a great price point for this Apple Watch. It has the same processor as the Series 8, but lacks the always-on display and latest health features. On the flip side, it has great battery life to make up for it. The smaller, 40mm model is down to just $170.
Apple Watch Series 9 45 mm ($329, $100 off): If you're okay getting last year's model, you can save a cool $100 on the listing price. The larger version of the Series 9 (which is still pretty great), is down to just $329 (from $429). It still has a fast processor, all-day battery life, and always-on display.
