Apple generates a lot of news, and it can be hard to keep up. If your mind was on other things this week, our Saturday-morning roundup of Apple-related headlines will bring you up to date.
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A surfeit of deals
Apple Breakfast is usually a haven of positivity but readers will, I hope, forgive a degree of weariness this Saturday morning. It has been a trying week.
As we predicted in previous instalments of this column, the Black Friday deals this year were a little underwhelming. Stock shortages afflicted all of the late-2021 iPhone models, for example, and it was tough to get significantly below RRP on any of Apple’s smartphones. Cupertino’s gift card promotion, usually the object of derision (you get vouchers for your next purchase rather than saving anything on this one), was an uncharacteristically appealing option for once.
There were bright spots among the gloom. Retailers managed to pull off significant discounts on various AirPods models – one would imagine these weren’t affected so badly by the semiconductor shortage – and there were some solid offers on the iPads. At least some readers, we hope, have managed to a pick up a bargain or two thanks to our advice; if so, it has all been worth it.
And the good news is that there will be more opportunities, starting with Cyber Monday in a couple of days. What was once (in this country at least) an unknown event has blossomed into a day, a week and latterly an effectively month-long promotion – and its proximity to Christmas means pretty soon we’ll be looking at deals from October to January. Which is an exciting prospect… as long as you’re not the schmuck who has to write about it.
News in brief
Apple has finally agreed to let staff discuss their pay, and to address workplace issues in the way that feels most comfortable to them. This shouldn’t really be news, as this is stipulated in US law. But there have been question marks recently over Apple’s willingness to listen to aggrieved staff members, some of whom said they did not feel heard at an all-hands meeting in September.
Apple and Amazon have been heavily fined for ‘price fixing’ in Italy.
There might be a reason why running the ARM version of Windows on a Mac, while technically possible, is a bit of a tricky one right now: a contract that Microsoft once signed with Qualcomm states that the ARM version of Windows should exclusively run on Qualcomm chips. Luckily the contract should end soon so hopefully that will make running ARM Windows on a Mac easier.
What will be Apple’s most important product in ten years, asks Samuel Nyberg.
Some celebrities – or “celebrities”, since we haven’t heard of them, being extremely old – have started a bizarre trend for wired headphones. AirPods are now too widespread to be cool, according to the cool kids.
Apple’s right to repair programme is a privilege for a lucky few, reckons the Macalope. But it’s nice to have.
Apple launched the HomePod mini in three new colours in the UK and elsewhere this week. (For those of you in the US, Apple launched them at the beginning of November.)
Speaking of new colours, some people were disappointed by the colours of the latest Apple Watch model, so a designer has dreamed up some new colours for the Apple Watch 7. And they look rather nice.
Apple will have to open offices in Russia by the end of the year, or face the consequences.
iFixit have performed a tear-down of the third-generation AirPods and the new Beats Fit Pro and found that (predictably) they are completely irreparable – but at least the battery is easy to remove.
Video of the week
The iPhone 13 Pro may look a lot like last year’s iPhone 12 Pro at a glance, but there are some differences. In this video, Jason Cross walks you through all the key differences and new features.
Software, bugs & problems
Martyn Casserly has unearthed 15 hidden features in iOS 15. How many did you know?
Apple is to warn users of espionage attacks such as Pegasus. The notification will come via email or messages and will include recommendations about how the affected users can protect themselves against attack. In related news, Apple has sued the NSO Group over Pegasus spyware.
The rumour mill
It’s no secret that Apple will be launching a replacement for the 27in iMac at some point in 2022, but will it run on the M1 Pro, M1 Max, or something better? This week it was suggested that Apple might double up the chips. Hence the iMac could ship with two M1 Max chips and thus bring twice the number of CPU and GPU cores, and support up to 128GB RAM.
The Apple Car has an aggressive new launch schedule.
Prepare for disappointment with the 2022 Apple Watch. Running up to the launch of the Watch 7 we hearing that there would be a redesign which didn’t happen, but there was some hope that the 2022 version would sport a new look. Not happening, apparently: Apple Watch 8 will keep the old design, according to LeaksApplePro.
We may only have a year to wait until Apple launches the AR/VR headset according to wonder analyst Ming Chi Kuo. He reckons that Apple’s AR/VR headset is coming at the end of 2022. He suggests that the specs will include an M-Class chip that will take care of computing and a slightly more powerful chip that will control the sensors and collect data from them. As a result you won’t need an iPhone or Mac to use them.
Apple deals of the week
Black Friday was yesterday, but the deals don’t stop: there’s Cyber Monday in a few days, and then the Christmas buying cycle starts revving up.
I’ve embedded a list of the best current Apple deals below, but other than that, we’re done for this week. See you next Saturday, enjoy your weekend, and stay Appley!
Top 10 Apple Deals
Apple 11in iPad Pro (2021, M1, 2TB) – Wi-Fi + Cellular
We’re not sure if Amazon will bring back the £639 discount we saw in October on this iPad Pro M1 variant, but almost £600 off is still an excellent deal. See our review of the 11in iPad Pro with M1.
Adobe Creative Cloud – All Apps (1 Year)
Adobe’s slashed 20% off its Creative Cloud subscription prices. The offer ends 14 April.
Apple AirPods 3
The AirPods 3 offer better battery performance, an updated design, and support for Spatial Audio and Adaptive EQ. Save £30 from Amazon.
Smarty 12GB data SIM-Only
Grab three months of 12GB data for just £4 per month. If you’re after more data, you can see all its plans here. You can cancel anytime.
Apple iPad mini (2021, 6th gen, 64GB, Cellular)
This is the best deal we’ve seen on the iPad mini you can get the 64GB Cellular (RRP £619) for just £464 – which is less than the RRP for the Wi-Fi model!
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, 256GB (2020)
Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm)
Bag the last gen Watch 6 for under £300 at Amazon’s Spring Sale!
Apple Watch Series 6 (44mm, Cellular)
Amazon’s just slashed £160 off the Watch Series 6 with Cellular connectivity as a part of its Spring Sale.
Apple 10.2in iPad (2021, 256GB, Wi-Fi)
Save $50 on the latest regular iPad. It’s a great affordable slate that’s perfect for web browsing or video calls.
Logitech Combo Touch Keyboard for iPad Pro 11
Save an excellent £74 on this Logitech keyboard for the iPad Pro 11 – this is currently the best discount we can see. The Combo Touch works with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen models.
Apple AirTags
Grab this set of Apple AirTags for just under £80 – that’s a saving of roughly £9 per AirTag, which costs £29 separately.
Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS, 41 mm)
The Apple Watch Series 7 has a solid $120 discount in Amazon’s Prime Day sale, making it one of the best prices around.
Beats Solo 3 Headphones
Get £80 off the Beats Solo3 Wireless on-ear headphones (which we gave four stars in our review). They’re available in a range of colours.
Apple AirPods Pro with MagSafe charging case
Amazon’s excellent £64 saving on the AirPods Pro from March is no longer available. Multiple sites are selling for £189 (a £50 saving), including AO and Laptops Direct – but we’d go with John Lewis on account of its two-year guarantee.
Apple Watch SE 2021 (44mm, GPS)
Get a great saving on last year’s Apple Watch SE from Amazon.
Logitech Crayon
Want a more affordable alternative to the Apple Pencil? Check out the Logitech Crayon, which works with all iPads from 2018 and later.
Apple iPhone 12 mini (256GB)
The 256GB iPhone 12 mini has over £100 off from Amazon.
Apple iPad mini (2021, 6th gen)
A handy saving on Apple’s new iPad mini model for 2021, but note that this price applies to the Starlight colour finish only. eBuyer is matching the deal on certain colours.
Apple iPad Air (2022, 256GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular)
KRCS has knocked money off the 2022 iPad Air. You will find savings across the whole range.
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 512GB (2020)
An excellent deal, this. Save money on the MacBook Air with 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU from Very. The discount applies to the silver version only.
This deal is only slightly better than Currys who has the silver model for £1,099.97. John Lewis had the same deal, but it is currently out of stock there.
Author: David Price, Editor
David has loved the iPhone since covering the original 2007 launch; later his obsession expanded to include iPad and Apple Watch. He offers advice to owners (and prospective owners) of these devices.