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Buyer's Guide: Discounts on MacBook Air, iPad Air 2, Apple Accessories, and More

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As we head into the middle of August, there are some recent deals available as retailers try to lure customers into their stores during the back to school shopping period. Best Buy is continuing to discount its entire line of iPad Air 2 models, and there are good deals on Apple's lightweight, affordable MacBook Air.

iMac and Retina MacBook Pro sales are less impressive, so it may be best to wait a week or two to see if better discounts arise if you're in search of one of those machines.

Apple's Back to School promotion is still going on both in stores and online, with Apple offering a free pair of Beats Solo2 headphones with the purchase of an eligible Mac. Eligible Macs include the iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook, and Mac Pro.

As always, we've rounded up discounts on some useful Apple accessories and we've found plenty of deals on apps and games this week.

iPad Air 2

Best Buy is still discounting its selection of iPad Air 2 models this week, dropping prices from $75 to $100. The biggest discount is on the 128GB Cellular iPad Air 2 in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray, available for $729.99, the lowest price we've seen on that particular model.

ipad-air-2-group
The 16GB Wi-Fi only model is available for $449, the 64GB Wi-Fi model is available for $524.99, and the 128GB Wi-Fi model is available for $599.99, $100 off.

B&H Photo is offering a discount on some of its iPad Air 2 models, dropping prices by $30 to $75. The biggest discount is on the site's 64GB Cellular iPad Air 2 models, which are available for $654.99. The discount is available on all colors, including Silver, Gold, and Space Gray.

iPad Air

Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H Photo have discounts on a bit of remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad Air models, as listed below.

- iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) - $539.99
- iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) - $580.99

iPad mini 3

Discounts on the iPad mini 3 aren't great this week, and with an update imminent in the next month or two, it's a bad time to buy. If you must get an iPad mini 3, though, there are a couple deals.

Amazon has some modest discounts on some models of the iPad mini 3. The WiFi only 16GB iPad mini 3 in Silver is available for $333.49 instead of $399, and the 16GB Space Gray WiFi only model is available for $375.

ipadmini3
B&H Photo is also offering some discounts on various iPad mini 3 models, dropping the price by up to $100. The 16GB WiFi + Cellular iPad mini 3 in silver is available for $429, the lowest price we've seen, and the 128GB version is available for $639. The 128GB WiFi only iPad mini 3 in Silver is priced at $549, a $50 discount.

Discounts for each model and color vary, but most models are being offered at a lower price than you'll find at the Apple Store, and buying from B&H, you won't have to pay sales tax unless you're in New York.

iPad mini 2

Amazon has discounts on a few current iPad mini 2 models. The 16GB Verizon Cellular version in Silver is available for $388, while the 16GB Verizon Cellular version in Space Gray is available for $302.58.

Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Amazon have remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad mini 2 models, which are a good deal if you're looking for an iPad mini. Compared to the iPad mini 3, the iPad mini 2 only lacks Touch ID.

- iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) - $549.99
- iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) - $538.99
- iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) - $629.99
- iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) - $429

iMac

- 2013 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,199.99, $100 off
- 2013 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $1,399, $100 off
- 2013 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) (Amazon) (B&H Photo) - $1,679.99, $120 off
- 2013 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) - $1,794.99, $204 off
- 2014 27-inch 3.5GHz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (B&H Photo) - $2,099.99, $200 off
- 2015 3.3GHz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (Amazon) (Best Buy) - $1,849.99, $100 off

retina-imac-27

Mac mini

- 1.4GHz/4GB/500GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $464.99, $34 off
- 2.6GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $664, $35 off
- 2.8GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $938, $60 off

MacBook Air

- 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) - 799.99, $100 off (Lowest Price Ever)
- 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) - $999, $100 off (Lowest Price Ever)
- 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) - $899, $100 off
- 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB (Best Buy) (B&H PHoto) - $1,099, $100 off
- 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Adorama) - $798, $300 off (Lowest Price Ever)
- 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) - $849, $150 off
- 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Adorama) - $999, $200 off

macbook_air_yosemite_roundup

Retina MacBook Pro

- 2015 13-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/128GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) - $1,199, $100 off
- 2015 13-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB (Best Buy) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $1,399, $100 off
- 2015 13-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/512GB (Best Buy) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $1,699.99 $100 off
- 2015 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,815, $180 off
- 2015 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $2,349, $150 off
- 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (Adorama) - $1,229, $259 off
- 2014 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (B&H Photo) - $1,449 $350 off
- 2014 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (B&H Photo) - $1,979 $520 off

macbook_pro_13_15_late_2013

Apps

There are also quite a few iOS apps that are on sale at discounted prices or available for free for a limited time. We'll highlight a few here, but make sure to check out our sister site AppShopper for a complete list.

War game Frontline: Road to Moscow is available for $0.99, down from $2.99. Fighting game The Executive is available for $1.99, down from $4.99. Puzzle game Furdemption - A Quest for Wings is available for $0.99, down from $2.99.

Simulation game Farming Simulator 14 is available for $0.99, down from $2.99. Note taking app Notability is available for $2.99, down from $5.99. Journaling app Day One is available for $1.99, down from $4.99.

Platformer Heroki is available for $1.99, down from $4.99. Writing app iA Writer Pro is available for $4.99, down from $9.99. Hybrid building platformer Terarria is available for $1.99, down from $4.99.

Endless runner Time Surfer was named Apple's App of the Week, so it will be free to download until next Thursday when a new app is picked.

Apple Accessories

Speck is offering 20 percent off select iPad and MacBook cases with the promo code LUNCHBREAK through 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time on August 16.

specksale
Best Buy is selling Mophie cases for iPhone 5/5s for $20 to $30 off. Best Buy has the Belkin WeMo LED Lighting Starter Set for $49.99, down from $99.99.

belkinwemo
Groupon has the iPM Dock for Apple Watch and iPhone for $24.99, down from $49.99. Groupon is selling MagSafe 2 Power Adapters for the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air for $44.99 to $49.99, down from $79.

ipmapplewatchdock
The Spigen Rugged Armor Watch Case and Night Stand is available from StackSocial for $21.99, down from $34.99. MegaMacs is selling the Apple Bluetooth keyboard for $29.99, down from $69. LivingSocial has the Otterbox Defender for iPhone 5/5s for $9.99, down from $49.95.

spigenapplewatchstuff
Woot is selling Beats Solo HD headphones for $108.99, down from $199. The Beats Pill 2.0 Bluetooth Speaker is available for $60 off from Best Buy, dropping the price to $139.99.

beatsbydresolo2
MacMall is still offering MacRumors readers 20 percent off AppleCare for iPad with the purchase of any iPad or iPad Air 2, using the coupon code MWBCJMACRUMORS.

Groupon's also hosting an ongoing Apple Event, discounting a huge range of additional Apple accessories ranging from the Apple TV, iPads, and iPhones to cases and keyboards. It's worth checking out the deals each week.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

Top Rated Comments

jclo Avatar
147 months ago
I second the iPad Air 2 sale for $100 off at Target. Got mine this week. I guess MacRumors has a partnership with Best Buy or something to not mention this. On the other hand, I understand not mentioning Target's iPad mini 2 sale since the ship has sailed with that one - they are no longer available to ship and all stores in a 50 mile radius of the major metropolitan area I live in are sold out. MacRumors also never mentions MicroCenter, which usually has significant deals on Apple products all year long.
Sorry guys, missed the Target deal. This is pretty much a one-person operation, so sometimes things go under the radar. For those of you who read this every week, feel free to email me whenever you see awesome deals and I'll make sure to include them. juli@macrumors.com

I don't typically check Target every week because their deals used to be few and far between, but they seem to be picking up recently so I'll try to catch them next time.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
147 months ago
Heads up that Target also has iPad Air 2 16 gig models on sale for 100 dollars off. And if you can find a store that still has one, they'll sell you an iPad Mini 2 16 gig model for 224 dollars.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Agent OrangeZ Avatar
147 months ago
I disagree with the notion that MicroCenter is regional. They are located in nearly every large US population center http://www.microcenter.com/site/stores/default.aspx. If it were "regional" it would be located in one region of the US -- say, in the South only or in the Northeast only. It is nationwide, with stores in all regions of the United States -- Northeast, South, Midwest, and West. I would argue posting info on MicroCenter would be of benefit to the majority of forum users here. Why would anyone be "alienatied" by it when B&H photo has a total of one retail location? Also, Best Buy has changed the movers coupon and it is no longer for 10% off, but instead for $5 off of a purchase of $50 or more.
B&H Photo has a web store than will ship to anywhere in the country... and tax free in most places. Microcenter's website lists all of the sales as "In store only." I live in the 6th largest city in America and we do not have Microcenter. Yes it would alienate readers to cover sales that are not nationally available. And finally... this is not a "deals site." This is an Apple rumors site, and the sheer fact that they take the time to bring ANY SALES to our attention is good. If you want a larger scope of deals, I suggest just visiting a deals themed website.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Agent OrangeZ Avatar
147 months ago
I second the iPad Air 2 sale for $100 off at Target. Got mine this week. I guess MacRumors has a partnership with Best Buy or something to not mention this. On the other hand, I understand not mentioning Target's iPad mini 2 sale since the ship has sailed with that one - they are no longer available to ship and all stores in a 50 mile radius of the major metropolitan area I live in are sold out. MacRumors also never mentions MicroCenter, which usually has significant deals on Apple products all year long.
I get the whole Target thing. They should mention them. They are a national brand... but Microcenter... no... it is a regional player... so it would alienate a lot of the readership... same with Fry's Electronics. I will also say that people should not forget the USPS Best Buy 10% movers coupon and the Best Buy $50 off student coupons that can be used in conjunction with these deals.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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