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Apple devices have a few things in common: theyre well-designed, solidly built and easily connect with one another. But chances are, if it bears the Apple logo, its not cheap. Thats why promos like Black Friday are always worth checking out if youre in the market for a new Apple device. Weve reviewed nearly every major release from the company over the last 20 years, including the newest products for 2024, like the AirPods 4, the M4 iPad Pro, the M4 Mac Mini and more. Some of those devices are seeing their first discounts for Black Friday and others are dipping back to the lows they saw earlier in the year. Here are the best Apple Black Friday deals we could find from retailers across the web. The best Black Friday Apple iPad deals Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget The line between Apples tablets and laptops is a little blurry at this point, especially with the release of the iPad Pro this year, which (at the time) housed the companys most powerful chip. The iPad Air is our current pick for the best iPad you can buy and we were delighted by the iPad mini that came out just last month. The only problem is iPads are among the more expensive tablets you can buy. Hopefully these Black Friday iPad deals help out. Apple iPad (2021, 9th gen) for $200 ($129 off): Apple discontinued this model with the release of the new iPad Pro and Air models earlier this year. In what's likely an effort to get rid of current stock, the price is down to a new record low. The 9th generation iPad is the former budget pick in our guide to the best Apple tablets and will serve well as a casual browsing, streaming and game playing machine. Also at Amazon and Walmart. Apple iPad Pro (2024, 7th gen, 11-inch) for $899 ($100 off): The latest iPad Pro came out back in May and, notably, wa the first Apple device to sport the M4 system-on-a-chip. We gave it an 84 in our review calling it an engineering marvel and the best screen our reviewer had ever seen. Its also our pick for the best iPad for power users. The only problem is its very expensive, but this sale helps a little. Also at Amazon. Apple iPad Air (2024, 6th gen, 11-inch) for $499 ($100 off): The iPad Air is the Apple tablet we recommend for most people in our buying guide and it earned a high score of 91 in our review. It strikes the best balance between performance, price and features of all slabs in the lineup. It has an M2 chip which is really overkill for casual browsing and gaming, but will ensure that your tablet is compatible with the latest Apple Intelligence tricks and demanding games. Also at Target. Apple iPad mini (2024, 7th gen) for $479 ($20 off): This is technically Apples newest iPad overall, as the mini was just released this October right before the announcement of a few new Macs the new Pro and Air tablet came out in May along with the other iPads. In his review, Engadgets Nathan Ingraham called the mini a necessary update to the best small tablet on the market. This is a small discount, not surprising for a brand new slate. The best Black Friday Apple AirPods deals Billy Steele for Engadget Apple has four models of AirPods right now: The AirPods Pro 2, the over-ear AirPods Max and two AirPods 4, one with active noise cancellation and one without. Apple has been doing a lot of interesting things with their headphones lately, making this a good time to dive in. Though the discounts for Black Friday look to be minor, it's better than paying full price. Apple AirPods Max (USB-C) for $539 ($10 off): Apples only over-ear headphones havent had a full revamp in a few years. When the iPhone 16 came out, Apple swapped out the lightning port for a USB-C connector and introduced new colors. While the overall design and build is a bit old at this point, they still deliver balanced sound in a premium package. Also at B&H Photo. Apple AirPods 4 (standard) for $119 ($10 off): Here's a minor discount on Apples newest personal audio device. They were announced alongside the iPhone 16 back in September. There are two versions of the AirPods 4, this is the standard version without active noise cancellation. Both have a redesigned shape for a better fit and offer an open ear design (as opposed to the closed-ear shape of the Pro model). We gave them an 88 in our review. Apple AirPods 4 (ANC) for $169 ($10 off): The new buds with ANC got a respectable 86 in that same review. We noted they had pro-level features like letting you nod or shake your head to respond to Siris questions and Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. The best Black Friday Apple Watch deals Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget If you take steps or do a workout and youre not wearing a smartwatch, does it really count? Of course, the Apple Watch is more than a fitness tracker, its also a shortcut to your iPhone notifications, a handy Siri portal and an always-on weather forecast. Plus it tells time. While theyre not cheap, these Black Friday Apple Watch discounts should help. Apple Watch Series 10 for $349 ($50 off): Heres a new low price on the latest Apple Watch. It is our top pick for the best smartwatch you can buy and has a slightly thinner and lighter design, a wide-angle OLED panel for better viewing angles, plus all of the watchOS 11 features that Apple recently released. Also at Walmart. Apple Watch SE for $189 ($60 off): Apples budget smartwatch hasnt had an update since 2022. There were rumblings that wed see an update with the launch of the Apple Watch Series 10 but that didnt happen. But if you just need a reliable wrist companion for your iPhone and an accurate fitness and workout tracker, this will serve. It went as low as $170 for October Prime Day, so this isn't an all-time low. The best Black Friday Mac and MacBook deals Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget Apple held a quiet Mac Week at the tail end of October in which it announced the new desktop M4 Mac mini, the all-in-one M4 iMac and the M4 MacBook Pro laptop. The MacBook Air from back in March is still the model we recommend for most people Apple MacBook Air (2024, M3, 13-inch) for $899 ($200 off): Apply the coupon to get the full deal on the latest MacBook Air. It's our top pick for the best laptop for most people, and this model has 16GB of RAM built in double the previous base amount so it can tackle the demands of the burgeoning Apple Intelligence. Also at B&H Photo, no coupon required. Apple MacBook Air (2022, M2, 13-inch) for $800 ($200 off): The previous MacBook Air has a (still very fast) M2 processor and its our previous pick for the best overall laptop for most people. This is the 13-inch model with 16GB of RAM. It's previously gone as low as $749, so this isn't an all-time low. Apple iMac (2024, M4, 24-inch) for $1,150 ($148 off with coupon): Apple just released the refreshed iMac last month, but now the silver model is already on sale. It has the latest Apple silicon, the M4 system on a chip that gives it a speed boost and enables the new Apple Intelligence features in macOS Sequoia. Also at B&H Photo. for $100 off. Apple Mac mini (2024, M4) for $549 ($50 off): Use the coupon to get the full deal as this is a first-time low on Apples $599 example of good things, small packages. The five-inch by five-inch box can tackle some serious workloads and remains the most affordable entry point to accessing Apples latest silicon. We gave it a solid score of 90 in our review, praising the incredibly fast M4 chip and useful ports. Apple MacBook Pro (2024, M4 Pro, 14-inch) for $1,400 ($199 off with coupon): The main update Apple gave to its most powerful laptops is the faster than ever M4 chip. Not much else changed, but thats not a bad thing as the Pros are excellent machines that we recommend to pro users. They have enough power to handle even the most demanding video, audio and any other productivity tasks you can throw at it. The best Black Friday deals on Apple gear Apple Apple AirTags (four-pack) for $73 ($27 off): These are the Bluetooth trackers we recommend if you have an iPhone. They allow you to keep track of your keys, wallet and other belongings using the Find My app and nearly every other nearby iPhone. Note that youll need an AirTag holder or case to use them with your keys and a new generation is rumored for next year. The record low for the four pack was $70 which we saw earlier this month, this deal is a few dollars more. Also at Walmart. Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off): Its true that you may need a roadmap to help you figure out which stylus is compatible with which iPad. The Pro is the newest Apple Pencil and itll work with the newest iPad Air and Pro models and adds haptic feedback, squeeze and barrel roll movements to the mix of features. The all-time low was $90, but this is still a decent deal. Also at Target. Apple Pencil (2nd gen, USB-C) for $69 ($10 off): The USB-C Apple Pencil was released late last year and effectively serves as Apple's "budget" stylus. It works with the widest range of Apple tablets, though not all of them so check before you buy. This is about $4 more than the all-time low. Also at Walmart. Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/black-friday-apple-deals-2024-the-best-apple-sales-on-ipads-airpods-apple-watches-and-macbooks-165143887.html?src=rss
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When the A1 arrived in 2021, it put the camera world on notice. In more than a few categories, Sonys full-frame mirrorless camera outperformed rivals like the Canon R5 and came with a lofty $6,500 price to match. However, after nearly four years, the A1 finds itself in an awkward position. Despite its position as Sonys flagship, the A1 is not the most complete camera in the companys lineup, with the more recently released A7R V and A9 III each offering features not found on their sibling. Thats changing today with the introduction of A1 II, which retains the performance capabilities of its predecessor while borrowing quality-of-life improvements from the A7R V and A9 III. To start, the A1 II features the same fully stacked 50.1-megapixel CMOS sensor found inside the A1. As before, Sony says photographers can expect 15 stops of dynamic range for stills. The company has once again paired that sensor with its Bionz XR image processing engine but added a dedicated AI processor to handle subject recognition and autofocus. As a result, the A1 II can still shoot at up to 30 frames per second using its electronic shutter, and the autofocus system once again offers 759 points, good enough for 92 percent coverage of the sensor. Sony However, Sony is promising substantial improvements in autofocus accuracy due to that dedicated AI processing unit. Specifically, the camera is 50 percent better at locking eye focus on birds and 30 percent better at eye autofocus when it comes to other animals and humans. Additionally, you wont need to toggle between different subject-detection modes. Instead, the camera will automatically handle that for you. Sonys pre-capture feature also offers a one-second buffer that can capture up to 30 frames before fully depressing the shutter button. That said, the most notable addition is the inclusion of Sonys most powerful in-body image stabilization (IBIS) to date, with the A1 II offering an impressive 8.5 stops of stabilization. For context, thats three additional stops of stabilization over the original A1. When it comes to video, the A1 II is no slouch. It can capture 8K footage at up to 30 fps using the full readout of its sensor. It can also record 4K video at 120 fps and FHD footage at 240 fps for slow motion, with support for 10-bit 4:2:2 recording. If Super 35 is your thing, there you have the option for 5.8K oversampling. In addition to Sonys color profiles, the A1 II can store up to 16 user-generated LUTs, and the camera offers the companys breathing compensation and auto stabilization features. Of the latter, Sony says you can get gimbal-like footage with only a slight crop. Sony On the useability front, the A1 II borrows the deeper grip and control layout of the A9 III. Also carried over from the A9 III is the cameras 3.2-inch four-axis LCD screen and 9.44-million dot OLED viewfinder with 240Hz refresh rate. Moreover, the new camera includes Sonys latest menu layout design. Oh, and the company plans to include two separate eyecups in the box. Nice. When it comes to connectivity, theres a full-sized HDMI connection, USB-C and an upgraded Ethernet port that supports transfer speeds up to 2.5Gbps. For storage, the camera comes with two CFexpress Type A card slots that are also capable of reading and saving to UHS-II SD cards. Alongside the A1 II, Sony also announced a new 28-70mm G Master Lens with a constant f/2 aperture (pictured above). While not the lightest lens in Sonys stable, it still weighs under a kilogram. Both the A1 II and the 28-70mm F2 G Master will arrive in December. They will cost $6,500 and $2,900, respectively.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/sonys-a1-ii-features-a-dedicated-ai-processor-and-refined-ergonomics-164840579.html?src=rss
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The UKs competition regulator has cleared Google's $2 billion investment in Anthropic, according to reporting by Bloomberg and others. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has officially concluded that the company hasnt acquired material influence over the AI startup Anthropic as a result of the investment. The continuing investigation into the partnership has also been squashed, with the UK antitrust watchdog saying that the investment doesnt qualify for a full probe under merger rules. This is after phase one of a formal investigation was announced back in October. Anthropic is an independent company and our strategic partnerships and investor relationships do not diminish our corporate governance independence or our freedom to partner with others, a company spokesperson said after the CMA announced its findings. Googles investment into Anthropic gives the company non-voting shares and consultation rights on significant business issues. Anthropic is best known for creating the Claude AI assistant, which is in direct competition with Google Gemini. Earlier this year, the CMA expressed concern regarding the interconnected web of partnerships and investments in the rapidly advancing world of AI. The CMA also allowed a similar investment to go through in which Amazon forked over a whopping $4 billion to Anthropic. It didnt even investigate that one, on the grounds that Anthropics UK turnover didnt exceed 70 million and the two parties didnt combine to account for 25 percent or more of the regions supply of AI LLMs and chatbots. Microsofts investment into OpenAI, however, is still under scrutiny by the CMA. The watchdog group did clear Microsofts investments with the AI startups Mistral and Inflection.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-uk-approves-googles-2-billion-investment-in-anthropic-162226536.html?src=rss
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