15 Best Apple Black Friday Deals (2024): MacBooks, iPads, AirPods

if it was you Having recently set your sights on an expensive MacBook, now is the time to click the purchase button. Apple Black Friday deals are already here, and several WIRED-approved gadgets are on sale — from iPads and MacBooks to Apple Watches and AirPods. All of these deals come from third-party sellers like Amazon and Best Buy; Apple doesn’t have any sales of its own, and the only special promotion you’ll find on the site is the opportunity to receive a gift card worth up to $200 with the purchase of an eligible product.

Updated November 29th: It’s Black Friday! We have added new offers and corrected the prices.

Recommended WIRED Offerings

MacBook deals

For most people, this is our favorite MacBook (7/10, WIRED recommends). It has a solid 13.6-inch LCD screen, a 1080p webcam and an M3 chip, which provides a noticeable increase in performance compared to the older M1 chip. It handles everyday tasks easily, but can also keep up with some photo and video editing.

If you want a MacBook that’s more powerful than the M3 in the MacBook Air, this is the next step up. Unlike its predecessor, it has three USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4 in addition to an HDMI port, an SD card slot, a headphone jack and a MagSafe charging port. Apple has also increased the storage of the base model to 16 GB (previously 8 GB ). This sale is for the model with the base M4 chip, which is a decent improvement over the aforementioned MacBook Air. But you can also configure it with an M4 Pro or M4 Max for more performance – both are on sale.

For ultimate performance, there’s the 16-inch MacBook Pro (7/10, WIRED Review). In addition to a mini-LED screen, a 120Hz refresh rate, a 1080p webcam and a six-speaker sound system, it also features new USB ports that support Thunderbolt 5 (120Gbps) for faster data transfers. You have the choice between an M4 Pro or M4 Max chip. We tested the M4 Pro, which was only slightly faster than last year’s M3 Max chip. But it’s a good choice if you want a MacBook Pro that can handle anything you throw at it.

Apple recently launched the M4-based versions of the MacBook Pro, but the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 (9/10, WIRED recommends) remains a great option. It has a bright mini-LED display and a built-in 1080p webcam. You also get a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling. As usual, it has plenty of ports, including two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, an HDMI port, a MagSafe charging port, an SD card slot and a high-impedance headphone jack. We recommend it if you don’t want to spend more than $2,000 on a MacBook Pro.

The brand new iMac with M4 (9/10, WIRED recommends) isn’t all that different from the M3 version, but it does come with a few upgrades. There’s a 12-megapixel webcam with Center Stage support, a nano-texture display for a better viewing experience, and all peripherals now (finally) have USB-C ports. Thanks to the new M4 chip, it also delivers great performance. It’s the top choice in our guide to the best all-in-one computers. If you clip the coupon button on Amazon, you’ll save an additional $50.

iPad deals

If you’ve been waiting for Apple’s new iPad Mini (8/10, WIRED recommends) to go on sale, wait no longer. The changes to the latest model are mostly internal. It’s equipped with an A17 Pro chip (the same one in the iPhone 15 Pro) that can handle both graphically demanding games and supports Apple Intelligence (the company’s suite of artificial intelligence features with iOS 18.1). It’s also compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro, so you don’t need an iPad Pro to enjoy the improved stylus. Its small size also makes it great for traveling, whether you use it to read e-books or play games.

The iPad (10th Gen) (7/10, WIRED Review) is our favorite iPad that we can recommend to most people. It features an A14 Bionic chip (which you’ll also find in the iPhone 12) that never felt sluggish during testing. It also features a modern design with narrow bezels around a large 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display (IPS LCD), Touch ID integrated into the power button, a USB-C port for charging and a 12-megapixel -Front camera is located in the middle of the iPad.

Apple’s latest iPad Pro tablet (6/10, WIRED Review) has several new features. It has a larger and brighter display, an improved OLED screen and the front camera has a landscape mode. Under the hood is the latest M4 chip, which delivers fast performance. It’s also compatible with several new accessories, including Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil Pro, and Smart Folio Case. However, we still recommend the 2022 M2-powered iPad Pro. So it’s a great alternative if you want to save even more money.

AirPods deals

These are our favorite AirPods (8/10, WIRED recommends). They have a number of great features including Adaptive Transparency Mode (which combines noise cancellation and transparency to adjust the sound), Find My support in case you lose it, Conversation Recognition (which reduces the music and background noise during conversations ), and an IP54 sweat and dust resistance rating. The sound quality is above average with clear highs, rich bass and excellent noise cancellation. You’ll also get access to Apple’s new hearing aid features designed for people with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Last September, Apple finally updated the AirPods Max (8/10, WIRED recommends) with USB-C. Aside from the new port, the rest of the features remain the same as the Lightning version (these are also on offer). However, you can choose from some new colors including orange, purple, blue, starlight and midnight. These over-ear headphones are equipped with a massive soundstage, rich bass and excellent noise cancellation. It also features excellent build quality with a mesh headband and (replaceable) fabric earcups.

Not into AirPods? The Beats Studio Buds+ are our favorite alternative for Apple users. They have all the essential features including active noise cancellation, transparency mode and spatial audio. They’re comfortable to wear and easy to use, complete with physical buttons on the outside of each bud. They are characterized by an excellent battery life – 36 hours in combination with the charging case. You can also choose from a variety of colors including silver, ivory, black and transparent.

Apple Watch deals

The Series 10 (8/10, WIRED recommends) is the newest Apple Watch in the lineup. It has a larger screen than any Apple Watch before, but is also thinner, lighter and supports fast charging. The smartwatch runs the latest WatchOS 11 operating system, so you have features like Training Load, which shows how your workouts are affecting your fitness over time, and Vitals, which let you check your baseline every morning. However, it is important to note that there is no blood oxygen sensor included.

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 (8/10, WIRED recommends) is our smartwatch recommendation for anyone who primarily does outdoor sports. It offers fast performance thanks to the S9 chip and an ultra-wideband chip for improved precision search. It also comes with dual-frequency GPS, a backtrack feature for creating virtual breadcrumb trails in the Compass app (via the action button), and access to offline maps (which you’ll need to download to your iPhone). Oh, and you don’t have to charge it every day.

Apple accessories deals

Photo: Apple

The second-generation Apple Pencil features pressure sensitivity, handwriting support, tilt sensitivity, and double-tap (which allows you to quickly switch between tools by double-tapping the pen). It also supports wireless pairing and wireless charging, so you can magnetically attach it to the top edge of the iPad and start charging. It works with the iPad Mini (6th generation), iPad Air (4th generation and above), iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and above), and 12.9-inch (3rd generation and above). However, it is not compatible with the new iPad Air (M2) or iPad Pro (M4).

The first generation Apple Pencil has been around for years and is still very good, provided you have a compatible iPad. It has features like pressure sensitivity (the lines become thicker as you press harder on the display), tilt sensitivity (for shading), and handwriting support in apps and search fields. Supported iPads work with the base model iPad (6th generation and later), iPad Mini (5th generation), iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st and 2nd generation), and iPad Pro 10 .5-inch. This price is often met, but it is still a good deal. With the current lineup, that means only the 10th generation iPad is compatible.