Best Buy offers $50 off Apple Watch Ultra 2, among many other bargains. Photo: Apple
While Best Buy offers great deals on MacBooks, iMacs, Macs mini and iPads in its Apple Sales Event for the holidays, you can also score good deals on iPhones, Apple Watches and AirPods. See the selection below, or check out the whole sale here.
Gifting an Apple Watch for the holidays? We'll help you find the perfect pick. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Apple Watch is almost an essential for any iPhone owner these days, so it makes the perfect gift for anyone who doesn’t already own one. It’s also one of the more affordable Apple devices you can buy with a range of options to choose from that start at just $249 (or even less if you shop around).
In this buying guide, we’ll help you choose the right Apple Watch for you or for someone else, help you find the best prices, and highlight some of the best Apple Watch accessories you can get.
The head of iPhone's product design is leaving Apple. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Tang Tan, the vice president of product design for Apple’s iPhone and Apple Watch, is leaving in February 2024. He reportedly made “critical decisions about Apple’s most important products.”
Following his departure, Apple will reshuffle and split up the hardware design team to manage Tang’s responsibilities.
This charger is perfect for travelers with multiple Apple gadgets. Photo: mophie
This week’s Cult of Mac giveaway prize is a mophie 3-in-1 MagSafe travel charger that retails for $149.95. The compact charger is perfect for anyone with a busy schedule who’s on the go. You can charge multiple devices simultaneously at maximum speed with this great fold-up Apple accessory.
The 3-in-1 charger can juice up an iPhone, an Apple Watch and AirPods all at once. It comes with a handy travel pouch to keep everything securely together, plus a USB-C cable and a wall adapter. Enter below for your chance to win — we’re giving away three of these excellent travel chargers.
Twelve South's Butterfly 2-in-1 MagSafe charger couldn't be much more portable. Photo: Twelve South
Twelve South’s new 2-in-1 Butterfly MagSafe Charger folds into a tiny footprint, fast-charges MagSafe iPhones and Apple Watches, and can serve as a kickstand for your handset, as well.
The cool gadget, which you can get directly from Twelve South or Apple, looks like a winner and is priced as such, at a steep $129.95.
This magnetic wireless charging stand powers up four Apple devices at once. Photo: SwitchEasy
If you haven’t tried a multi-device charging stand, you’re missing out. There’s nothing like the convenience of plopping your Apple devices — iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods — in one place like a side table or night stand to top them off.
Score Cyber Monday savings on Elago, Mifa, Laut and many more. Photo: Adel/ Cult of Mac
Cyber Monday at the Cult of Mac store is a massive event you won’t want to miss. We’ve got deals on all kinds of accessories for all your Apple gear.
Get ready for incredible discounts, with savings of up to 75% on selected brands including Elago, Elkson, Mifa, Rilee & Lo, Laut, and many others. Don’t miss out on these fantastic offers!
Check out these amazing Cyber Monday discounts on some popular Apple products. Photo: Rajesh
Did you miss buying your favorite Apple gear or accessory during Black Friday? Do not worry, as Cyber Monday is here. This is probably your last chance to get a new MacBook, iPad, or Apple Watch at its lowest price before the holidays.
You can get the recently launched M3 MacBook Pro with a 10-core GPU for just $1,449 ($150 off). You can score even bigger discounts of up to $250 on the 15-inch MacBook Air. The Apple Pencil 2 is also down to its new lifetime low price of $79.99 after a massive $49 off.
While Apple is running its own shopping event for Cyber Monday, you should look at deals from third-party retailers, as they are offering bigger discounts. However, as always, these prices could change at any time and/or the products could sell out.
There are some great deals to be had on Apple gear and accessories during the 2023 Black Friday sales. Photo: Midjourney/Cult of Mac
Update: Black Friday might be over but the deals certainly are not. Many of the best deals on Apple products are still live and you can score some hefty discounts on them this shopping season. In fact, some of these deals disappeared for a while on Black Friday — like the iPad (9th gen) for just $229 (save $100) — then reappeared at some point!
There are lots of great Apple deals to be had on Black Friday 2023 — just not from Apple itself. Apple is usually pretty stingy when it comes to Black Friday (Tim Cook loves his margins!). This year, you can get an Apple gift card worth up to $200 when you splash out on select products, but the latest and greatest — iPhone 15, M3 MacBook Pros, iMac, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 — are not included.
However, there are great savings on Apple products from third-party retailers like Best Buy, B&H Photo, Target and Walmart. All these stores offer significant discounts on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPads, iPhones and more. Here are the best deals on Apple gear we’ve found.
Get the new Apple Pencil cover for just $10.49. Photo: Elago
Elago’s awesome accessories for iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods are now available at 30% off through the Cult of Mac Store. All you need to do is add Elago products to your cart and 30% discount will automatically be added.
The product was already a hit, Mophie just made it a little better. Photo: Mophie
mophie added fast charging for Apple Watch and a more sustainable design to its popular folding 3-in-1 MagSafe travel charger, the company said Wednesday.
So now the well-loved travel accessory gives you fast MagSafe charging for iPhone and quicker charging for your wearable.
Apple Watch Series 9 gets an irresistible $50 discount. Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
The Apple Watch Series 9 is down to its lowest price ahead of Black Friday. Amazon has knocked $50 off most of the smartwatch’s variants, bringing its price down to a new low of $349.
You can score a similar $50 off the Apple Watch Series 9 with cellular connectivity.
iPhone and other Apple devices may have much better batteries within a couple of years. Photo: PBKreviews
Apple is developing greatly improved batteries for its future devices, according to a new report. It appears the iPhone-maker wants to create a custom process in-house and own it — rather than outsourcing — just like it did with Apple silicon chips.
If a recent watchOS update cut your Apple Watch battery life, there's good news. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Many Apple Watch wearers suffered from shortened battery lives after upgrading to watchOS 10, but the problem will be taken care of soon with a software patch, according to an internal Apple document.
While not affecting everyone with an Apple Watch, this a clearly a significant problem, considering the number of complaints about it online.
Here's your chance to bag great deals on Apple accessories. Photo: Woot!
Amazon bargain site Woot! launched an Apple accessories sale with something for almost everyone — and deals as good as 90% off certain iPhone cases and 61% off an Apple Thunderbolt 3 Pro cable.
A light-based pulse oximeter measure blood oxygen. Photo: Graham Bower
Bans on Apple Watch imports and sales could take effect the day after Christmas unless President Joe Biden steps in, after the International Trade Commission ruled Thursday that Apple infringed on medical technology patents held by Masimo Corp. and its sibling company, Cercacor Laboratories.
So unless the president vetoes the bans or Apple somehow strikes a deal in a fight that has dragged on for years — neither seems likely — most Apple Watches could go off the market because some of their components violate patents.
Bands built to be as strong as Apple Watch Ultra itself. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
You can give your new Apple Watch Ultra a quick and easy makeover by slapping on a brand-new band. There are plenty of awesome, rugged-looking options to choose from that go great with Apple’s most robust smartwatch.
We rounded up the best Apple Watch Ultra bands in this buying guide to make your shopping easier.
We love the iPhone 15 Pro's Action button just as it is, but hey ... upgrade away! Image: Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: An iOS 17 update supposedly will stop the iPhone 15 Pro’s Action button from triggering in your pocket, at least in certain circumstances. Is this really a problem that needs fixing?
Also on The CultCast:
When it comes to upcoming Macs and Apple Watch, this week’s no news sounds like very bad news indeed.
Apple’s Vision Pro headset seems to be straining the necks of some pencil-necked geeks.
For this week’s Under Review segment, I’ve got a unique-looking charger and Erfon and Griffin bring very different sorts of cameras to the podcast’s version of show and tell.
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
The Apple Watch Ultra has one standout feature that alone is worth the price of admission. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
Although I go for almost daily bike rides for exercise, I used to always forget to record the rides on my Apple Watch. I’d always record the rides on my bike computer. But when it came to the watch, I’d never remember until halfway through the workout, if at all.
That’s until I got the Apple Watch Ultra, which boasts a bright orange Action button that I set to start an Outdoor Cycle workout.
Now, I remember every time, and it’s because of the button. It’s the strangest thing, and I have no explanation. But the act of hitting a physical button makes me remember.
The versatile Action button — which you can set to turn on the watch’s flashlight, start the stopwatch or run a shortcut, among other things — is reason enough to get the Apple Watch Ultra, which I’ve been wearing since its launch last year. But there’s another great reason. Actually, two.
These are the Prime Big Deal Days you don't want to miss. Image: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
Did you miss buying your favorite Apple gear or accessory during Prime Day earlier in the year? Worry not, as Amazon is back with its Prime Big Deal Days, offering hefty discounts on a hoard of Apple products and accessories.
There are great deals on MacBooks, AirPods, Apple Watches, iPads and other Apple accessories that make your favorite products much more affordable.
Make Apple Watch even greater. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Got a new Apple Watch? The spending doesn’t stop there. It’s time to pick up some awesome Apple Watch accessories that will make using your device even better.
You’ll want a charging stand to enjoy Nightstand mode (and maybe even StandBy on your iPhone), a portable battery for top-ups on the go, a screen protector to keep your display free from scratches, and more. We rounded up the best options for you, so all you have to do is grab your wallet.
These are the best bands for Apple Watch in any situation. Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
One of the best things about Apple Watch is the insanely wide range of awesome bands to go with it. If, like me, you’re addicted to buying bands for your Apple Watch, we’ve rounded up some of the best you can buy today to help you out.
All our picks work with Apple Watch Series 9, as well as previous versions of the device. Just be sure to pick the right size.
Take $30 off the normal price of this tiny wireless Apple Watch charger. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
If you’re a daily wearer of the Apple Watch, you know how awesome it is to carry so much connectivity and intel on your wrist. You’re also well aware of the frustrations that can arise from a battery that’s entering the danger zone. But this keychain Apple Watch charger can turn that around.
For a limited time, you can purchase this Apple Watch battery booster for just $16.97 (regularly $49) with no coupon necessary. That’s more than 60% off a product that will keep your smartwatch powered up no matter where the journey takes you.
Hear our first hands-on impressions of iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. Photo: Nicola Fioravanti/Unsplash License/Modified by Cult of Mac
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After nearly a week with Apple’s new hardware, we’re serving up our first hands-on impressions. Is the iPhone 15 Pro Max too big — and/or too hot — to handle? Is Apple Watch Ultra 2 worth the upgrade? What about Apple Watch Series 9?
And seriously, Apple … you call that pink?
Also on The CultCast:
Griffin runs us through some of the coolest new features in macOS Sonoma.
OMG we’ve already got iPhone 16 rumors.
And we wrap up with a couple of big fat bummers from our favorite source of Apple insider info and tech haikus.
Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.
★★★★☆
Apple Watch Series 9 is a fine watch, but some of its best features won’t come until later. Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Apple Watch Series 9 is the biggest year-over-year leap in recent years. It has not one, not two, but a whopping four new features, most powered by its updated chip. Apps load faster, voice dictation is near instant and the display gets both brighter in the sun and dimmer in darkness.
A couple of the best features I haven’t been able to test — double tap promises to make tapping the screen with your nose obsolete; improved connectivity with your phone will make it easier to find, if paired with a new iPhone. And with this release, Apple dips their toe into more sustainable manufacturing practices.
The Apple Watch Series 9 a good product. In the end, with big releases like this so few and far between, I can’t help but wonder if it’s close to reaching its potential.