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Best 2022 Black Friday Deals: iMac, Mac Mini, 2022 13.3″ MacBook Pro, Beats, and AirPods

Best 2022 Black Friday Deals: iMac, Mac Mini, 2022 13.3″ MacBook Pro, Beats, and AirPods - Featured Image

published by Chad Evans
November 24, 2022 at 2:17 p.m.

If you’re looking for the best deals and prices on Apple products this Black Friday, Amazon and Costco offer some of the steepest discounts. Apart from the standard 2021 iPad for $269, Apple’s iconic tablet isn’t an outstanding deal this year. Also, we’ve seen much better prices on the Apple Watch. Some other stores may have better deals if you’re looking for an iPad Air, iPad Pro, or Apple Watch, but we have yet to find any. Most Series 7 smartwatches are sold out, with Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra models offered at modest discounts. Cyber Monday may have better deals.

24" iMac with M1 Processor for $1149.99 at Costco Black Friday Sale

The iMac is surprisingly inexpensive, especially at Costco, with some models discounted by as much as $550. We recommend avoiding the 27″ Intel-based iMacs, as they’ll be obsolete faster than newer models. For only $1149.99, you can pick up a 2020 24″ iMac with Apple’s newer M1 processor. It’s faster and should give your more years out of your iMac.

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M1 Mac Mini at Costco - Black Friday Sale $569.99

We’re not huge fans of the iMac, but it’s a respectable all-in-one computer. The Mac Mini is our favorite machine, and Costco has fantastic deals on this powerful little computer. The nice thing about the Mac Mini is that you can use almost any monitor or keyboard. We recommend an Apple Magic Trackpad to take advantage of macOS trackpad gestures. Costco is selling the M1 Mac Mini for as low as $569.99. I just bought a Mac Mini two years ago, and it still serves me well. I’m debating whether to upgrade to an M1 processor. It’s an excellent deal, but it may get even better.

2022 13.3" MacBook Pro with M2 Processor at Costco for $1149.99 Black Friday Sale

Many stores sell the 2020 M1 13.3″ MacBook Air for $799.99. This is not an amazing deal. They’re all making it seem like a Black Friday deal, but these models are older and have been selling at this price for a few weeks. It’s a sneaky trick, but it didn’t fool us because we monitor prices. Instead of this old notebook, we recommend the newer 2022 M2 13.3″ MacBook Pro for $1149.99 at Costco. Yes, we know it’s $350 more, but you’ll be able to keep it longer. The $799 MacBook Air is a good deal, but remember, it was released over two years ago. Nonetheless, with an M1 processor, we expect at least 3-5 years of use before it’s unsupported by major macOS updates. You can still keep it for a few years after that, with Apple offering security patches for older Macs.

AirPods are a good deal, but Amazon is currently sold out of the older models, which offer the steepest discounts. You can pick up a pair of 2nd gen AirPods at Costco for $89. That’s a good deal, but Beats may be a better option.

I prefer Beats to AirPods because they sound better and offer more features for active people. Many people are unaware that 1st and 2nd generation AirPods are unsuitable for workouts. They’re not sweat or water-resistant, so if you use them at the gym or for running, they won’t last long. You can get Beats Studio Buds for the same price, which sound better than AirPods and offer sweat and water resistance. They look cooler too, but some people won’t consider anything but Apple, even though Apple owns Beats and both use the same chips.

AirPods are more Beats than the other way around because Apple absorbed Beats’ engineers with the acquisition. AirPods wouldn’t exist if Apple didn’t buy Beats, but Beats headphones still sound better. Don’t think of Beats as inferior, but instead as the premium audio brand they’ve always been. That’s why Apple bought the company.

I use PowerBeats Pro instead of AirPods, but they’re not a good deal at Amazon or Costco. I lucked out and bought them for $89 three years ago. The best Beats deals are at Amazon. We recommend Beats Studio Buds and Beats Studio3.

Beats Studio Buds Black Friday Deal - $89.95

Beats Studio3 Wireless Headphones Black Friday Sale - $149.95

Lvetek 5-Outlet Surge Protector Wall Charger with 4 USB Ports at Amazon

We found one AirPods ripoff. BestBuy is selling 1st generation AirPods for $69. At first, I was blown away and was reaching for my credit card because I figured they were 2nd generation AirPods. Nope. BestBuy is still selling 1st gen AirPods. They’re brand new and covered by a one-year warranty. You can do much better, however. If you’re not afraid to think differently, the best deals are on Beats, and they’re owned by Apple. I believe their products are superior to Apple’s offerings.

We’ve looked around the Internet for better deals, but this year is different from most. Due to an iPhone 14 Pro shortage, people are looking at other Apple products for gifts this year. Apple isn’t offering exceptional deals, which affects retailers like Amazon and Costco. The best deals on Apple products are on older models, except for the 2022 13.3″ MacBook Pro. Apple Watch? Forget about it. If you can find a 45mm Series 7 for $300, go for it. Series 8 is such a slight improvement — they just added a thermometer. I bought a brand new, green, 45mm Series 7 Apple Watch for $300 at Walmart a few months ago. Apple doesn’t even sell refurbished ones for such a low price.

At Appledystopia, we’ve been tracking prices on Apple products at Amazon and Costco for years. We do this all year long, not just on Black Friday. Our articles show you the current, lowest, and highest prices, so you always know if you’re getting a good deal. Retailers like Amazon and Costco sometimes offer Black Friday savings that aren’t any better than regular prices. These tricks never fool us because we track prices every day.

Appledystopia Price Tracking for Amazon and Costco
Lots of Black Friday deals are bogus! We track prices, so you know you’re getting a good deal.

Check out our popular articles for more information on the best deals and prices on Apple products. We earn revenue from Amazon’s affiliate program but don’t profit from Costco sales. Thus, our Amazon article is ad-free, but we monetize our Costco piece with advertising. Our primary goal is to save you money. With our price tracking, you’ll be able to figure out if you’re really getting a good deal or just being fooled.

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