Tech / Technology

The best Apple deals for October 2023: AirPods, iPads, and more

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Prime Day may have been two weeks ago, but you can still grab second-gen AirPods Pro at their Prime Day price of $189 or the iPad Air for its Prime Day price of $499.99. Plus, check out more of the best Apple deals as of Oct. 31.
Apple iPad Air

UPDATE: Oct. 31, 2023, 12:00 p.m. EDT We’ve updated this post with the best deals from across the Apple universe leading into Black Friday season. Here are our top picks:

Best Apple deals this week:
Best Mac deal

2022 MacBook Air (M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD)

$899 at B&H
(Save $200)

space gray m2 macbook air

Best iPad deal

2021 iPad (WiFi, 64GB)

$249 at Amazon and Walmart
(Save $80)

a silver 2021 10.2 in ipad

Best iPhone deal

iPhone 14 Plus at Verizon

$0 on a new line with select unlimited plans
(Save up to $799)

black iphone 14 plus

Best Apple Watch deal

Apple Watch SE (40mm, GPS + cellular)

$269 at Best Buy
(Save $30)

Apple Watch in pink.

Best AirPods deal

AirPods Pro

$189 at Walmart
(Save $60)

second generation airpods pro

Apple may have an iron grasp on the general population, but when it comes down to it, their products look good, work well, and stay cutting-edge — so of course, people love ’em. Whether you build your calendar around Apple events or you just want solid tech no matter the brand, Apple’s got you covered. Sure, they’re a little notorious for their high prices, but we’ve rounded up the best deals on iPads, AirPods, MacBooks, and more to help you save where you can. Check them out below.

Mac and MacBook deals


space gray m2 macbook air

Credit: Apple


Our pick: 2022 MacBook Air (M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD)

$899 at B&H (save $200)

Why we like it

Check out our full review of the M2 MacBook Air.

$899 is no longer a particularly uncommon price to see this M2 MacBook Air at, yet we’re no less excited when we see it return to this all-time low price. That’s because for under $1,000 you get impressive M2 power, a 13.6-inch display (trust us, you’ll notice the difference from a 13.3-inch display), and a keyboard that Mashable’s Alex Perry described as “kingly.” Whether you’re a student, looking for a work-from-home workhorse, or looking for an everyday laptop to replace your old, dusty MacBook, we’re willing to bet you’ll be more than happy with the M2 Air.

More Mac and MacBook deals

MacBook Air

MacBook Pro

iPad deals


a gray 2021 10.2-in ipad

Credit: Apple


Our pick: 2021 iPad (WiFi, 64GB)

$249 at Amazon and Walmart

Why we like it

Prime Day brought the ninth-generation iPad back down to its $249 low, and Amazon and Walmart have kept it there for two weeks after the sale’s conclusion. Though this isn’t the iPad for you if you’re planning on doing a bunch of gaming or art, for many people this budget-friendly tablet will be more than enough for note-taking and video streaming.

More iPad deals

iPad (10th gen)

iPad (9th gen)

iPad Air

SEE ALSO:

Are we getting new iPads this year? Probably, but they may disappoint you.

iPhone deals


black iphone 14 plus

Credit: Apple


Our pick: iPhone 14 Plus at Verizon

$0 when you open a new line on select unlimited plans (save $799)

Why we like it

The iPhone 15 may be the shiniest new Apple toy, and while the deals on the phone certainly aren’t bad, they are contingent upon you having a decent trade-in. If you feel any doubt in your trade-in power, going for this Verizon deal on the 14 Plus requires none — only that you open a new line on select unlimited plans. Still some hoops, but far fewer to get an $800 phone basically for free.

More iPhone deals

Apple Watch deals


Apple Watch SE

Credit: Apple


Our pick: Apple Watch SE (40mm, GPS + cellular)

$269 at Best Buy (save $30)

Why we like it

The Apple Watch SE is a great option for those who don’t necessarily need all of the pricey bells and whistles that come with other Apple Watch models. You’ll get all the must-have features you need like health tracking, crash detection, Smart Stack, and emergency SOS options. Also, it’s $30 off at Best Buy, and we’ll never turn down a discount on the already-most-affordable Apple Watch.

More Apple Watch deals

Series 9

Series 8

Ultra

More Apple Watch deals

Apple accessories deals


second generation airpods pro

Credit: Apple


Our pick: AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

$189 at Walmart (save $60)

Why we like it

Read our full review of the second-generation AirPods Pro.

The AirPods Pro are some of the best noise-canceling buds in the business, and Walmart’s randomly decided to bring them back to their Prime Day (and record-low) pricing this week. At the time of writing, these buds are sold out at Amazon. Mashable Senior Editor Stan Schroeder wrote in his review that these AirPods are “the first pair of earbuds I’d actually consider taking on an airplane (instead of my much larger and clunkier over-ear headphones).”

More deals on Apple accessories

Tech / Technology

How to preorder new Apple Macbook Pro M3

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As of Oct. 31, Apple’s new line of MacBook Pros are up for preorder. Here’s where to get your hands on the M3 model.
Person using new Apple MacBook Pro

As of Oct. 31, Apple’s new line of MacBook Pros are up for preorder. Here’s where to get your hands on the entry-level MacBook Pro M3 model, which just got a price cut and a brand-new processing chip.

Here’s where to preorder the new M3 Apple MacBook Pro:
Apple

New Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 chip)

starting at $1,599

Apple MacBook Pro

Amazon

New Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 chip)

starting at $1,599

Apple MacBook Pro with black screen

Best Buy

New Apple MacBook Pro (14-inch, M3 chip)

starting at $1,599

Closed apple macbook pro

Another Apple Event is in the books, and with it came the announcement of a new line of MacBook Pros featuring three versions of the company’s new M3 chip. On Nov. 7, we’ll see the official release of these laptops, including the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with the baseline M3 chip (which also just got a price cut), as well as the 14- and 16-inch MacBooks Pros with either the M3 Pro or M3 Max chip. (Those last two come in a fun new color, too.)

But let’s focus on that base MacBook, because not only is it better than the last iteration, but it’s also cheaper ($400 cheaper). You can preorder one right now starting at $1,599, and it’ll ship out when the new MacBooks go live on Nov. 7.

SEE ALSO:

The new 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro is here — and it killed the 13-inch MacBook Pro

So, what’s new in this highly anticipated refresh? For starters, there’s that M3 chip — it’s 15 percent faster than the previous M2 chip, which means you’ll get a far speedier and more responsive experience on the new MacBook Pro, as well as within all of your go-to programs like Final Cut Pro, Adobe Suite, and more. It has a 14.2-inch mini-LED display, which isn’t the Liquid Retina display, but it’s still better than the M2 MacBook’s non-mini-LED screen. All-in-all, you’ll still get decently high luminance without killing your battery life (up to 1600 nits for HDR content). We haven’t tested the device ourselves yet, but Apple claims that the new MacBook Pro M3 will have a 22-hour-long battery life, so stay tuned.

If you’re ready to upgrade, preorders for the new line of MacBook Pros are already up on Apple’s website, Amazon, and Best Buy starting at $1,599.

Tech / Technology

How to preorder the new M3 Apple iMac, starting at $1,299

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The new 24-inch M3 Apple iMac is available for preorder at Amazon, the Apple Store, and Best Buy ahead of its Nov. 7 release.
two smiling kids and a woman working at a pink apple imac on a wooden desk

As of Oct. 31, the new 24-inch Apple iMac (Apple M3) is available for preorder at Amazon, the Apple Store, and Best Buy ahead of its Nov. 7 release. It starts at $1,299 for 256GB of storage, 8GB RAM, and an 8-core GPU.

Where to preorder the new M3 Apple iMac:
Amazon

Apple iMac (Apple M3)

Starting at $1,299

a pink m3 apple imac

Apple Store

Apple iMac (Apple M3)

Starting at $1,299

a green m3 apple imac

Best Buy

Apple iMac (Apple M3)

Starting at $1,299

a blue m3 apple imac

Apple lightly refreshed its all-in-one desktop computer for the first time in more than two years at its primetime “Scary Fast” October event Monday — and you can preorder it now before it launches in early November.

The latest 24-inch iMac features the company’s all-new M3 chip with an 8-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU, which it’s hyping as “up to 2x faster” than the 2021 model’s M1 chip. (The standard, non-Pro/Max M3 chip is the same silicone powering Apple’s new entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro, for the record.) It also comes with support for WiFi 6E and up to a chunky 24GB of RAM.

SEE ALSO:

Apple event October 2023: Every single MacBook Pro, iMac announced

That’s the extent of the new iMac’s upgrades over its predecessor, which sported the same 4.5K Retina display, 1080p webcam, six-speaker setup, slim profile, and rainbow of color options: pink, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and silver (though they look a little punchier and less pastel). It even had the same starting price of $1,299, which got you an identical base configuration with an 8-core GPU, 8GB of memory, and 256GB of storage.

all colors of the m3 apple imac


Credit: Apple

It’s a very subtle update, but that may not be a bad thing: The 2021 24-inch iMac won a Mashable Choice Award for its sleek form factor and peppy performance, with former Mashable tech reporter Brenda Stolyar deeming it “the ideal at-home iMac.” This is basically the same computer, but even peppier.

That said, the M3 model will probably appeal most to users who are still clinging to older PCs like the Intel-based iMacs: It doesn’t seem like a big enough jump from the M1 version to warrant an immediate next-gen upgrade.

The new iMac is available for preorder via Amazon, the Apple Store, and Best Buy at the time of writing and formally arrives on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Tech / Technology

Best Sony earbuds deal: The Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds are just $249.99 at Amazon

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As of Oct. 31, you can get the Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation at Amazon for just $249.99. That’s a discount of $50, or 17% — and their lowest price ever.
a person with french braided hair sits on a chair in a row of chairs while holding a phone in the left hand and using a sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds in the left ear

SAVE 17%: The Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds are down to $249.99 at Amazon, marked down from $299.99. That’s a savings of $50 and the lowest price we’ve ever seen.


a pair of Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds on a white background

Credit: Sony


Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds (black)

$249.99 at Amazon (save $50)

Even though Prime Day 2 is long gone and Black Friday is just around the corner, we’re still seeing record-low prices pop up in between sale seasons. If you’re starting your holiday shopping early and someone on your list needs wireless earbuds, a great pair from Sony with active noise cancellation is on sale for their lowest price ever today.

As of Oct. 31, you can get the Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds at Amazon for just $249.99. That’s a discount of $50, or 17%. Note that only the black colorway is at this discounted price.

SEE ALSO:

The best wireless earbuds for every situation

The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds use Bluetooth connectivity and offer top-of-the-line noise cancellation. Sony uses six microphones for better noise cancellation while the earbud tips are made of a foam material designed to feel soft while insulating the earbud’s sound. Sync your Sony WF-1000XM5 to the Headphones Connect app and you can control the volume of background sounds or change the settings to focus on voices, which is a useful feature if you’re wearing the buds while walking or riding public transport. The nifty speak-to-chat feature will pause the music when you start talking so you can have easier conversations on the go.

A full charge gives you eight hours of listening time, and get a full 24 hours of charge with the included case. Plus, a three-minute quick charge earns you an extra hour of playtime. The earbuds are also water resistant so a run in the rain won’t do any harm — unless you’re running hills and wind up with sore quad muscles.

For some green bonus points, these earbuds are made of recycled plastic materials and have 100% paper packaging materials.

Get a head start on the holiday shopping season with the lowest price ever on the Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds at Amazon for just $249.99.