Everyone thinks they know how Apple sales work. You wait for the end of November, you check the Apple Store, and you realize they aren't actually "discounting" anything—they’re just handing out gift cards. It’s a bit of a psychological game, honestly. If you want the real price cuts, the ones that actually leave more money in your checking account, you have to look at the retailers like Amazon and Walmart that are willing to take a hit on their margins.
Cyber monday apple deals 2024 turned out to be a weirdly specific year for tech shoppers. Usually, we see 10% here or there. This time, some of the price drops were actually historic. I’m talking about $154 AirPods Pro 2 and MacBooks dipping below the $800 mark. It wasn't just a clearance sale for old junk; even the M4 chips that had barely been out for a month saw some movement.
What Most People Got Wrong About the 2024 Event
Most shoppers assume the "official" Apple sale is the gold standard. It isn't.
Apple’s 2024 shopping event was basically a four-day gift card giveaway. You buy a 15-inch M3 MacBook Air, and they give you a $200 gift card. Cool, right? Well, only if you were planning to buy $200 worth of apps or a set of over-priced cables later. If you went to Amazon during the same window, that same laptop was often $255 off in cold, hard cash.
That’s a massive difference.
Retailers were aggressive this year because the hardware cycle was so compressed. With the M4 MacBook Pro launching just weeks before Cyber Monday, retailers were desperate to move M2 and M3 stock. It created a "perfect storm" for anyone who didn't absolutely need the newest chip on the block.
The AirPods Price War
I've never seen the AirPods Pro 2 go as low as they did this year. $154. That is almost $100 off the MSRP. Walmart started that fire, and Amazon was quick to match it. Honestly, if you paid more than $170 for those this year, you missed the window.
Even the entry-level stuff got cheap. The old-school AirPods 2 (the ones with the stems that look like electric toothbrush heads) hit $89. People still buy them because they fit differently than the pros. Not everyone wants silicone tips shoved into their ear canals.
Why Cyber Monday Apple Deals 2024 Still Matter for 2025 Planning
You might think 2024 is ancient history, but these patterns repeat.
The most important takeaway? The "sweet spot" for Apple hardware is almost always the one-generation-old model. For example, the 13-inch M2 MacBook Air hit $799 at Best Buy this year. That is a lot of computer for under eight hundred bucks.
- MacBook Air M1: Hit an all-time low of $599 at Walmart. It’s a 2020 machine, sure, but it still runs circles around most $500 Windows laptops.
- iPad 9th Gen: $199. This was the last iPad with a headphone jack. It sold out fast because it's the perfect "kid tablet."
- Apple Watch Series 10: Since it was brand new, the $70 discount to $329 was actually pretty impressive. Usually, Apple keeps the new flagship closer to the chest.
There is a nuance here that most people miss. Apple intelligence (their AI suite) requires at least an M1 chip for Macs or an A17 Pro/A18 chip for iPhones. This year, the deals reflected that. People were dumping their old iPhone 14s and 15s (non-pro) because they realized they were being left behind by the software.
The "Hidden" Discounts on Accessories
Everyone looks at the big-ticket items. Nobody looks at the Magic Keyboards.
But the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro Magic Keyboard—the one that turns your tablet into a faux laptop—was $274.99, down from $349. That is a $75 savings on a piece of plastic and magnets. If you bought that through Apple, you got a $25 gift card. See the math? You’re literally losing $50 by being "loyal" to the Apple Store.
Real Experts Check the Model Numbers
Look, if you're shopping for cyber monday apple deals 2024, you have to be a bit of a detective. Retailers love to hide the "M1" or "M2" in the fine print.
I saw a lot of "iPad Pro" deals that were actually for the 2022 models. They’re still great, but they aren't the OLED M4 versions. If the price looks too good to be true (like an iPad Pro for $600), it's probably the older Liquid Retina screen. Not a bad deal, just be aware of what you're actually holding.
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The Mac mini also had a "quiet" win this year. The M4 Mac mini is tiny. Like, "fits in your palm" tiny. It launched at $599, but Amazon had coupons that brought it down to $549 almost immediately. For a machine that can edit 4K video without breaking a sweat, that’s basically a steal.
What about the iPhone 16?
Phones are the outlier. You rarely get a flat discount on a new iPhone without a carrier contract.
Cyber Monday 2024 was mostly about "trade-in" value. Boost Mobile and various carriers were offering the iPhone 16 for "free" with eligible trades and specific plans. If you wanted the phone unlocked, you were basically stuck paying full price or getting a measly $75 gift card from Apple.
Honestly, the better move was the iPhone SE. It hit $429, and with some trade-ins, people were walking away with it for $0. It’s got the old home button, which some people still swear by.
Actionable Steps for the Next Round
Stop checking the Apple Store app first. It’s the worst place to find a deal.
Instead, use a price tracker like CamelCamelCamel for Amazon or Honey for general browsing. You can see the price history. If the AirPods Pro 2 are at $189, and you see they hit $154 last month, you know you're being overcharged.
Also, don't sleep on "Renewed" or "Refurbished" items. Apple’s own refurbished store is legendary for its quality—they basically replace the outer shell and the battery—but even Amazon's "Renewed Premium" had some M2 MacBooks for under $700 this year.
Next steps for you:
- Check your current battery health on your iPhone or MacBook. If it's below 80%, you're a prime candidate for the next sale cycle.
- Audit your "Trade-in" value now on the Apple website so you have a baseline of what your current tech is worth.
- Bookmark the specific model numbers you want (e.g., M3 vs M4) so you don't get tricked by a "great price" on an older, slower processor.
The era of 50% off Apple products is never coming, but if you play the retailer game right, 25% to 30% is totally doable. Just stay away from those gift cards unless you actually need them.