Deals: 16GB M3 MacBook Pro all-time low, rare offers on official Apple Watch bands, iPad Air from $320, and more

Your Friday edition of the best Apple deals has now arrived with notable price drops on MacBooks, iPads, AirTags, Apple Watch straps, and more. Firstly, new all-time lows have now arrived on M3 MacBook Pro configs with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD joined by ongoing back to school offers on M3 MacBook Air from $849. A new Best Buy weekend Apple event is also ushering in some rare deals on official Apple Watch Ultra and Series model bands alongside discounts on M1 iPad Air, AirTags back at the Prime Day price, and more. Head below for a closer look at today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

Best Back to School Apple deals – M3 MacBook Air $799, iPads from $300, AirPods, more from $23

Apple’s M3 MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM now starts at $1,599, or 1TB model at $1,699 low (Up to $300 off)

With the new M4 MacBook Pros slated to land this fall, we are now seeing a fantastic price drops on the current M3 models that will remain a compelling option well into the future if you ask me. After seeing a new low land on the entry-level 14-inch model with 8GB of RAM at $1,299 yesterday, Amazon has now dropped the price on the elevated variant with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD down to $1,699 shipped in both colorways. This is a regularly $1,999 machine that is now seeing  straight up $300 price drop to deliver the lowest price we have tracked on Amazon.  This deal is also matched at Best Buy as part of its weekend Apple sale event. 

For further comparison, the only other option we can find for less to land an M3 MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM is this B&H listing that has this model with a 512GB internal SSD down at $1,599 from the usual $1,799. While this is only a $200 price drop on a machine with the half the storage, it is still a notable option to save another $100 for folks that seriously favor the RAM over the storage capacity. 

Big-time M3 MacBook Air deals still flying! 13-inch $149 off from $850, 15-inch 16GB $249 off

• 13-inch MacBook Air M2 8GB/256GB $799 (Reg. $999)
• 13-inch MacBook Air M3 8GB/256GB $850 (Reg. $1,099)
• 13-inch MacBook Air M3 8GB/512GB $1,050 (Reg. $1,299)
• 13-inch MacBook Air M3 16GB/512GB $1,250 (Reg. $1,499)
• 15-inch MacBook Air M3 8GB/256GB $1,050 (Reg. $1,299) | All-time low
• 15-inch MacBook Air M3 8GB/512GB $1,250 (Reg. $1,499) | All-time low
• 15-inch MacBook Air M3 16GB/512GB $1,450 (Reg. $1,699) | All-time low

Official Apple Watch Series/Ultra bands now start from $41: Nike Sport, Alpine, Trail, Ocean, more

There’s no denying how pricey Apple’s Ultra watch bands are, never mind the wearable itself (it is currently $99 off though). So any time we catch some price drops on the official Apple Watch Series models or Ultra straps, we bring them front and center for folks that must have the first-party accessories. They can be a great way to add some new life to your wearable and you can now score 15% offvarious Series and Ultra styles at both Amazon and Best Buy (there’s a much larger selection of discounted options at Best Buy right now) starting from $41, this includes the Trail Loop, Ocean Band, Alpine, Sport Loop, the Nike Sport Band, and more. Head below for a closer look at some top picks. 

• Apple Watch Ultra 49mm Alpine Loop $84 (Reg. $99)
• Apple Watch Ultra 49mm Trail Loop $84 (Reg. $99)
• Apple Watch Ultra 49mm Ocean Band $84 (Reg. $99)
• Apple Watch 45mm Nike Sport Band $41.50 (Reg. $49)
• Apple Watch 45mm Nike Sport Loop Starlight/Pink $41.50 (Reg. $49)
• Apple Watch 45mm Sport Band Midnight $41.50 (Reg. $49)

Bring home Apple’s previous-gen M1 iPad Air today down at $399, or refurb at $320

Walmart is stepping in today with another one of its deep deals on a previous-generation piece of kit for folks who don’t need the latest and greatest with the Apple 10.9-inch iPad Air 5th Gen down at $399 shipped. It’s certainly not the new M2 iPad Air, but we are talking about an originally $599 iPad seeing one of its best price drops we have tracked all time. The next best price is the Best Buy Geek Squad refurbished listing down at $319.99. We recently detailed some deals on ultra-affordable previous-generation Apple tablets alongside the iPad 10 and current-generation iPad mini starting from $229, and now you can add this 2022 iPad Air to the list as a more capable option with arguably the best form-factor of the bunch – this model on sale here today was basically my personal favorite iPad and a beloved model across the internet for the most part. 

Best Buy weekend Apple event: MacBook Pro $500 off, M2 iPad Pro up to $800 off, more

Best Buy has now kicked off another one of its weekend sales and this time it’s all Apple. These Best Buy weekend events hit outside of its Daily Deals and the ongoing back to school sale to highlight a range of products and we are talking 100% Apple gear here, ranging from up to $500 in savings on MacBook Pro models alongside price matches on many of the MacBook Air deals we featured in our back to school roundup from Amazon, the return of $100 price drops on Apple Watch Series 9, Beats, Mac mini, and even HomePod. Head below for a closer look. 

• M3 Pro 16-inch MacBook Pro $1,999 (Reg. $2,499)
• M3 14-inch MacBook Pro $1,299 (Reg. $1,599)
• Apple AirTag (4-Pack) $75 (Reg. $99)
• Apple Watch Series 9 GPS 41mm $299 (Reg. $399)
• Various official Apple Watch bands 15% off
• HomePod mini $80 (Reg. $99)
• And even more…

More of today’s best iPhone, iPad, and Mac accessories:

• Score four Matter-ready smart plugs at $6 apiece (Amazon low, 34% off)
• UGREEN’s Apple Pencil alternative is only $12.50 (New low, 37% off)
• LISEN’s collapsible 3-in-1 15W MagSafe charging station hits new $28.50 low (Reg. $45)
• Huge 53% discount knocks FlexiSpot’s OC2 ergonomic office chair to $70 (Reg. $150)
• Elgato’s new Stream Deck Neo is back to its lowest price at $85 (15% off)
• Baseus’ 9-in-1 USB-C dual 4K monitor docking station now down at $30

Now finally shipping and available for purchase: Nomad Tracking Card follow-up – definitely the most useful MagSafe Find My gadget I have

Nomad’s new Find My Tracking Card features wireless charging – it even sticks to MagSafe charging pads – and sells for $40. 

Apple’s official iPhone 15 Pro/Max MagSafe Clear Cases just hit new $29 Amazon all-time lows (41% off)

Amazon is now offering Apple’s official iPhone 15 Pro Clear Case with MagSafe down at $28.98 shipped. You’ll also find this price live on the 15 Pro Max and 15 Plus models as well. This is a regularly $49 case that is now $3 under our previous mention to deliver the lowest price we can find. The iPhone 15 Pro model, for example, still regularly fetches the full $49 at Amazon with today’s deal landing as the lowest price we have ever tracked there since they released alongside Apple’s latest handsets last September. 

While we are still tracking some of the official Apple silicone cases in various colors down at $28 (you’ll find some highlights right here and even more on the official Apple Amazon storefront), it’s time for some see-through clear action to show off your iPhone’s true colors. 

Apple Watch Ultra 2 returns to Prime Day price at $99 off – Ocean Band, Alpine Loop, and Trail models

We quickly saw the Apple Watch Ultra 2 drop down to $699.99 shipped for Amazon Prime Day, and now that deal is back once again. Regularly $799, you will now find various band options marked down by $99 to bring back this year’s Prime offer. This includes the Ocean Band model, Alpine Loop options, and Trail Loop configurations. While we have seen a few fleeting deals on select colorways and bands go for less in the past, but it is not often with this sort of selection all sitting at the $700 shipped discounted price tag. 

Score an OG Apple Watch Ultra at $360 off the original price, now $440 for today only

Apple’s AirPods Max in all colors just dropped back down to $400 shipped (Reg. $549)

Apple’s flagship over-ear headphones quickly fell to the $395 all-time low last month during the Prime Day festivities, and today’s deal is basically just as good. Regularly $549, you can land a set in any one of the five color options down at $399.99 shipped. That’s $149 off and the lowest price we can find. We did see the pink set only fall to $383 in a limited-time Lightning sale a few days after Prime Day, but this is otherwise within $5 of the best we have tracked there. 

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Support American Forests with every purchase of Caudabe’s new Eucalyptus iPhone 15 cases

Anker’s debuts new 250W Prime Charging Station with onboard status/clock display [Launch Deal]

Anker debuts another 240W 8-in-1 Prime Charging Station with display and Wi-Fi iPhone control [Launch Deal]

Don’t care about the latest and greatest? Grab an iPad today from $229

The Apple back to school deals are flying right now on MacBooks and more. But we thought we would touch down this morning to highlight some of the more affordable iPad offers that are floating around. While these aren’t really going to be for folks looking to land the latest and greatest that’s for sure, those looking to pick up a quick and affordable model for the kids, road trips, or for folks that simply don’t care about all of the latest tech might take an interest here with deals starting from $229 shipped on Amazon right now. You’ll find the regularly iPad 9th Gen marked down to $229 shipped from the usual $329, the latest iPad mini starting at $379.99 from the usual $499 and the latest iPad 10th Gen starting from $299 (recently saw an official price drop to $349).

• iPad 9th Gen $229 (Reg. $329)
• iPad 10th Gen $299 (Reg. $349+)
• iPad mini $380 (Reg. $499)

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