The 4K Apple TV gives you more ways to enjoy Apple services in your living room. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Even though Apple completely overlooked tvOS during its WWDC announcements last week, there’s a very good reason why you should think about getting an Apple TV 4K today. The 32 and 64GB configurations of the Apple TV 4K are discounted to $129.99 and $149.99, respectively — their best price ever at Amazon and Best Buy.
In addition to providing access to Apple services like Apple Arcade and Apple Music on your TV, this compact streaming box also provides you with a way to enjoy other streaming services, like Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, HBO Max, and more. The 4K model of the Apple TV is also equipped with an HDMI 2.1 port, along with features like HDR, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos for an improved audio / visual experience. The included Siri Remote offers the voice assistant for quickly finding what you want to watch, along with an iPod-like wheel for navigating the operating system.
The Apple TV 4K is an especially excellent purchase for those who use HomeKit-enabled cameras or other smart home accessories, as you can use it to peer through cameras or control your gadgets. The Apple TV even has the ability to stream audio to up to two other Bluetooth headphones for private listening, which is a handy feature. Read our review.
You can also find discounts on the previous (but still very good) generation of Apple’s MacBook Pro with M1-series processors. The 512GB configuration of the 2021 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro is currently discounted to $1,799.99 at Amazon and Best Buy, just $50 shy of the best price we’ve seen for this $1,999.99 laptop.
In addition to the powerful 10-core M1 Pro processor with a 14-core GPU, this laptop is also equipped with 16GB of RAM and a brilliant 14.2-inch 3024 x 1964 display. For connectivity, this MacBook has a trio of Thunderbolt 4-compatible USB-C ports, an SDXC card slot, an HDMI port, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
If you need something with a little more screen space and power, you can also find the 16-inch MacBook Pro discounted to $2,299 at Best Buy and Amazon instead of its usual $2,499 price. Just like the smaller version, this is just $50 shy of its best price ever. This 16-inch model shares many of the specs present in the 14-inch model, including the same 10-core processor, storage space, and port options. However, it has better battery life, 16 cores in the graphics department instead of 14, and a higher resolution 3456 x 2234 display. Read our reviews of the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro.
The Apple AirPods Max are currently discounted to $429 in their pink and black colorways at Amazon, matching the best price ever for these headphones. Initially available for a whopping $549, this discount mitigates the high price — one of the biggest issues The Verge’s Chris Welch had with the AirPods Max in his review. While the excellent sound quality and noise-cancellation features make these among the best out there, there are still caveats. In addition to being heavier than competing over-ear headphones, the AirPods Max don’t come equipped with a wired listening option and instead require you to purchase a separate $35 cable from Apple. Despite these drawbacks, we still consider Apple’s largest and only pair of on-ear headphones to be one of the best noise-canceling headphones you can currently buy.
Our final Apple-centric discount for today is on the second-generation Apple Pencil that’s currently discounted to $99 at Amazon from its usual $129.99 price. This matches the lowest price we’ve seen on this helpful Apple peripheral that charges when magnetically attached to the side of the latest model iPad Pro (2018 and up), Air (2020 and up), or Mini (just the 2021 model). This not only eliminates the need for a Lightning cable to charge the device but also provides a convenient way to store it when not in use. The touch-sensitive controls on the flat edge of the Apple Pencil also provide you with a way to quickly change writing tools without having to disrupt your creative flow.
Just a couple more…
Best Buy and Amazon are currently discounting Deathloop on the PC and PlayStation 5 to $19.99. This time-tripping immersive sim comes from the same studio that developed Dishonored and is dripping with a style and pacing that feels like Pulp Fiction meets Groundhog Day.
The Spigen ArcHybrid Mag is a magnetic battery pack for the latest iPhones that normally costs $54, but you can currently get one at Amazon for $24 when you apply a coupon before checkout. This 5,000mAh battery pack provides just enough power to top off an empty iPhone 13, and it uses the USB-C charging standard.