Every year, while the rest of the retail world is slashing prices on big-ticket items to lure customers into their stores, Apple holds a four-day Shopping Event that offers gift cards on purchases in place of actual discounts. Not only are you not actually saving money—in most cases, you can find better savings than the gift cards Apple offers.
On Thursday, Apple announced the terms of the 2023 sale, and it’s a little better than last year. As usual, the newest products are excluded, including the M3 MacBooks, iMac, and iPhone 15, but for the first time the newest Apple Watch is part of the offer. Here’s every product that’s part of the event with the corresponding gift card:
Products | 2023 offer | 2022 offer |
---|---|---|
iPhone 14 | $75 | $50 (iPhone 13) |
iPhone 13 | $50 | $50 (iPhone 12) |
iPhone SE | $25 | $50 |
Apple Watch Series 9 | $50 | N/A |
Apple Watch SE | $50 | $50 |
iPad Pro | $100 | N/A |
iPad Air | $75 | $50 |
iPad (10th gen) | $50 | N/A |
iPad mini | $50 | $50 |
15-inch MacBook Air | $200 | N/A |
13-inch MacBook Air (M2) | $175 | $150 |
13-inch MacBook Air (M1) | $150 | $150 |
Mac mini | $100 | $100 |
AirPods Max | $75 | $75 |
AirPods (2nd- or 3rd-gen) | $25 | $25 |
Apple TV 4K | $25 | N/A |
HomePod | $50 | N/A |
Magic Keyboard | $50 | $25 |
Smart Keyboard Folio | $25 | $25 |
Apple Pencil (2nd-gen) | $25 | $25 |
As you can see, many items are actually a little better than last year’s prices, particularly $50 back when you buy an Apple Watch Series 9. However, most of the biggest discounts in 2022—$250 off the MacBook Pro and $150 off the iMac—aren’t offered this year due to the recent updates. And oddly, Apple is offering $25 less when you buy an iPhone SE this year even though the phone is a year older and didn’t receive an update in 2023.
Apple’s shopping event will begin on Friday, November 24, and end on Monday, November 27. You can get these offers at the online store or by visiting an Apple Store during those days.