Best Prime Day Apple deals: Early discounts on iPads, MacBooks, watches, AirPods and more

Apple products are great, but they don’t often go on sale. That’s why sales seasons like Prime Day in October are worth taking advantage of. It’s a rare opportunity to buy an iPad, MacBook, AirPods or any of Apple’s technologies at a discounted price. At the time of writing, there are currently no iPhone deals, but CNET’s team of shopping experts continues to scour the internet to make sure you don’t miss anything.

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Prime Day doesn’t officially start until October 8 and runs through October 9, but you don’t have to wait: discounts are already available on all types of products, including Apple’s latest laptops, smartwatches and more. Want to save more and protect your Prime Day purchases? Apply for the Prime visa. Once approved, you can instantly earn a $150 Amazon gift card, plus access to helpful shopping protections and up to 5% cash back on all purchases for Prime members.

We’re constantly rounding up the latest Apple deals worth adding to your cart, so don’t forget to check back often for more information.

The best early Prime Day deals on Apple products

Here are the top Apple deals to watch:

Here’s a more detailed look at all current Apple sales, including the items highlighted above.

Early Apple AirPods Prime Day deals

If you have an iPhone, iPad, or MacBook (or all three), AirPods are some of the best earbuds you can buy. They offer excellent sound quality and great features like active noise cancellation and transparency mode, and they are the most convenient Bluetooth earbuds for Apple users as they pair and connect seamlessly with all your devices. All you have to do is put them in your ears and use the device you want to connect them to. The earbuds should connect immediately, almost like magic.

Apple’s latest generation of AirPods Pro come with a USB-C charging case, improved ANC, and more. You can look forward to long battery life and many more of the best wireless earbuds Apple sells today.

Early Apple Watch deals

The Apple Watch is the smartwatch option for iPhone users and there are several models to choose from these days, from the latest Apple Watch Series 10 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to the affordable Apple Watch SE.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is the newest model in the lineup and has only been available for purchase for about a week. That doesn’t stop Amazon from offering some discounts, with up to $37 off depending on the model you choose. Apple Watch prices are extremely volatile, so check the price you pay before ordering.

Early Apple iPad Prime Day deals

The iPad has grown enormously in recent years and is now much more than just a screen on which you watch Netflix. It is even a laptop replacement for many people. Now you can get an iPad Air, iPad Mini or a standard iPad at a discount, so choose the one that suits you best.

The M4 iPad Pro is the most powerful tablet Apple has ever made, and this 13-inch model also happens to be the thinnest model the company has ever released. It comes with a beautiful OLED display and Face ID support, all-day battery life, super-fast Wi-Fi, and much more.

Early Apple MacBook Prime Day deals

If you’re looking for a new laptop for work or school, there are some sweet Prime Day savings available on Apple laptops already. Whether it’s a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, you get a fast and portable machine at a discount.

With a 14-inch Liquid Retina XDR display and the fast M3 Pro chip, this MacBook Pro can handle almost anything you can think of. It comes with 18GB of RAM and a fast 512GB SSD. Right now you can save an impressive $300 on it.

Early Apple Accessories Prime Day Deals

Apple accessories aren’t always the cheapest around, but they can be some of the best. Fans of Apple’s trackpads and keyboards should definitely take a look below, while the Apple Studio Display is worth considering with a $250 discount right now.

If you often lose your keys or can never quite remember where that wallet went, a Bluetooth item tracker can be a real lifesaver. The Apple AirTag is one of the best taggers out there, and right now you can pack four of them for $80.

If you only need one, you can purchase one Apple AirTag for $25 with a $4 savings available.

Does Apple offer Prime Day sales?

It’s important to note that while the Apple Store doesn’t have a sale on Prime Day in October (and rarely offers discounts outside of educational promotions), it is possible to find deals on Apple devices and accessories at authorized retailers, including Amazon. The best deals usually accompany major events like Amazon Prime Day or a major holiday, and there are plenty of competing anti-Prime Day sales where you can find discounted Apple products, including Best Buy and Walmart, making it an excellent moment is to shop for Apple sales across devices. If you want to spend less, try forgoing the latest releases. You’ll find bigger discounts on previous generation models or refurbished units.

How does CNET select October’s best Prime Day deals?

Our team of expert shoppers and deal hunters have been helping buyers understand which big sales and deals are legitimately good and which are more routine for years. That includes Black Friday, Prime Day, Memorial Day and countless other shopping events. We’ve gotten really good at weeding out scams and superficial deals on all kinds of tech, so you only see the best deals, including Apple deals.

At CNET we look for real discounts, quality ratings and remaining sales time when choosing a deal to show you.

• Real discounts mean exactly that. We look at the price history of that product to ensure that no manufacturer is inflating prices to make the discount appear more substantial than it is.
• Quality ratings are important for any product, but especially for deeply discounted items. Upgrading your technology can be a big investment, and the discount isn’t worth it if you don’t get enough mileage out of it.
• The remaining sales time is a large part of our control process. If a deal is likely to be short-lived or limited to remaining stock, we will let you know in advance. So you won’t be disappointed if you come back later and find the deal has been discontinued.

When do Prime Day Apple deals end?

Prime Day officially comes to an end on October 9, so there’s still plenty of time to take advantage of the discounts on offer. We expect more to come as we work our way through the sales event as well.