To start off today’s best Apple deals we are once again checking back in with the M4 MacBook Air lineup as the 24GB 13-inch model hits a new Amazon low again from $1,426 ($173 off). Alongside some ongoing Apple accessory deals – USB-C cables from $7.50 and the 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter, we also have a deal on AirPods Pro 2 with 2 years of AppleCare+ as well as Yale’s Assure 2 Apple Home Key smart lock at up to $145 off and more. Everything awaits below.  Apple’s 15-inch 24GB M4 MacBook Air just dropped again to a new $1,426 Amazon low ($173 off), more from $849 While we are still tracking a particularly notable discount on the upgraded 13-inch model, Amazon has now dropped the price even lower on its 24GB 15-inch M4 MacBook Air. Most models and colors across the M4 MacBook Air lineup are still sitting at $150 off on Amazon, but it has now dropped the 24GB/512GB 15-inch model in the Midnight colorway down to $1,425.99 shipped to deliver a new all-time low. Regularly $1,599, this configuration is now $173 off the going rate to undercut our previous all-time low mention from earlier this week and deliver the best price we have tracked on any color at Amazon (or anywhere else online). As of right now, the silver model has jumped back up close to full price, the Sky Blue is at $150 off, and the Starlight variant is going for $1,427.11, or $172 off the list price. Again, folks who would prefer the more compact 13-inch form-factor can also take advantage of even lower pricing on the upgraded 24GB model with the 512GB SSD right now – it is currently sitting at $1,245.26, or roughly $200 under the price of the 15-inch model. But for those of you specifically looking for the extra screen real estate and an injection of RAM power, today’s deal is certainly worth consideration at the lowest Amazon price to date. 13-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/256GB from $849 (Reg. $999) 13-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/512GB from $1,049 (Reg. $1,199) 13-inch M4 MacBook Air 24GB/512GB from $1,245 (Reg. $1,399) 15-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/256GB from $1,049 (Reg. $1,199) 15-inch M4 MacBook Air 16GB/512GB from $1,249 (Reg. $1,399) 15-inch M4 MacBook Air 24GB/512GB from $1,426 (Reg. $1,599) Amazon now offering 34% off Apple’s official 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter at $39 (Reg. $59) Official Apple Woven USB-C cables up to 62% off today: One for $10 or three at $7.30 each AirPods Pro 2 with 2-years of AppleCare+ back at $180 (Nearly $100 off, Costco members only) Update 5/14: This deal is now live again for members. Details below in the original post. There is a deal right now Costco members will want to be aware of – you can score the same AirPods Pro 2 but with 2-years of AppleCare+ included with your purchase at $179.99 shipped. That’s $10 more, but actually a lower overall price depending on how much you value the extra Apple warranty protection. Details below. Okay so let’s break this down. Going with the lower-priced Amazon deal saves you $79 on the regular $249 list price of the AirPods Pro 2 with a standard Apple warranty. Costco members, can however opt to pay out $180 now and score the same $249 buds with 2-years of AppleCare+ – purchasing the discounted buds with the same AppleCare+ at Amazon will cost you $198.99 shipped right now. Both are clearly solid deals, but if you are a Costco member and value the bonus warranty protection of Apple’s official care program, it might be smarter choice to take that path. Either way, you’re looking at the latest pro-grade Apple AirPods 2, complete with the USB-C MagSafe charging case and all of the new features Apple has introduced to the package over the last year or so. Some of which include the new hands-/voice-free nod gestures (“simply nod your head yes or shake your head no when Siri asks if you’d like to hear a message, answer a call, or manage a notification”) as well as the Hearing Protection, Hearing Test action, Hearing Aid support, and Media Assist that landed last September (details on those await right here). Prefer you some AirPods 4 at a lower price instead? Amazon brought back all-time low pricing on the base model and a solid deal on the ANC this week starting from $100. Now even lower: Apple Find My-equipped mini FlashFinder keychain flashlight now $23 Prime shipped Yale’s Assure 2 Apple Home Key smart lock is up to $145 off today at Amazon If you’re looking for a full replacement smart lock for your front door, complete with Apple Home Key support, the Yale Assure Lock 2 is seeing some notable deals today. Regularly up to $320 at Best Buy, you’ll now find this model starting down at $204.99 shipped. Details below. The more universal Satin Nickel and Black Sided colorways are now down at $249.99 while the dark Oil Rubber Bronze is now selling for $204.99 shipped. These deals are also matched at Best Buy for today only. This is up to $145 off the going rate at Best Buy, although hey have been selling for closer to $290 or so at Amazon as of late. These, by the way, are the Wi-Fi supported models that also include a keypad unit alongside the Apple Home Key tech – just wave your Apple Watch or iPhone to open the lock – as well as HomeKit support: Control your smart lock using voice commands with Siri, home automations, and more, when paired with Apple HomeKit. Controlling this HomeKit-enabled accessory automatically and away from home requires a HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV set up as a home hub. Via the Yale Access app, you can remotely “let people in, lock up, share entry codes, track who comes and goes, and receive notifications,” while leveraging the peace of mind of Power Reserve – “you can still use [Apple] home keys on your iPhone for hours after it needs to be charged.” Amazon has 8 colors of Beats Studio Pro ANC headphones down at $170 (Reg. up to $350) Today’s accessories and charging deals: Alongside the ongoing $100 price drops across the latest M3 iPad Air lineup, Amazon has now brought back its all-time low pricing on the most affordable, latest-generation iPad mini (A17 Pro). Regularly $499, you can now land all four colors down at $399 shipped on Amazon to match our previous mention and the lowest we have tracked to date. Not only are we also seeing the Wi-Fi + Cell models of the entry-level 128GB model at $100 off, dropping from the regular $649 down to $549 shipped, but the $100 discounts are also hitting the rest of the lineup, including the 256GB and 512GB variants. iPad mini A17 Pro 128GB $399 (Reg. $499) iPad mini A17 Pro 256GB $499 (Reg. $599) iPad mini A17 Pro 256GB $699 (Reg. $799) While Apple has unleashed its new 11-inch entry-level iPad since the latest mini arrived back in October, the mini is the most affordable model in the current-generation lineup that can support Apple Intelligence. The new 11-inch comes packed with the A16 chip and, while a wonderful casual machine considering you can score one at the $299 all-time low right now, the latest mini is a more powerful Apple tablet and comes in with that ultra-manageable 8.3-inch Liquid Retina Display you won’t find elsewhere in the lineup. Not to mention the 30% jump in CPU power, 25% better graphics performance, and upgraded storage capacity tiers. Just for comparison’s sake, here’s how the all-time low pricing shakes out on the new 11-inch iPad right now: 128GB iPad (A16) from $299 (Reg. $349) 256GB iPad (A16) from $399 (Reg. $449) 512GB iPad (A16) from $599 (Reg. $649) New 512GB Apple iPad (A16) just hit new Amazon all-time low at $100 off, but you can score an M3 iPad Air for less Huge deals return on official Apple Solo Loops: Score 3 for just $20 (Orig. $147), more Brand new Powerbeats Pro 2 hit Amazon all-time low at $200 today (All colors $50 off), open-box units at $159 Update: The price on the “excellent” open-box condition units at Best buy have dropped back down to $158.99 shipped, or $91 off the list price. We are finally getting the very first chance to save on the new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds in brand-new condition. We featured a few chances to score an open-box set for less on the black set, but Amazon is now offering all four colors down at $199.95 shipped. Regularly $250, this is a straight up $50 off the going rate and the first deal on Amazon. Today’s Amazon all-time low pricing marks the first time we have seem the lauded new Powerbeats Pro 2 drop in price outside of the open-box offers at Best Buy. You’ll find this same deal also available at Best Buy in brand-new condition while pricing on the open-box listings have now dropped even lower as well, but only on the black colorway – they are now down at $148.99 $169.99 shipped. That’s $79 off and the best we have seen in “excellent” open-box condition at Best Buy with a 1-year warranty attached. Here the details on Best Buy’s open-box “excellent condition” units: This is an Open Box product, which means it’s been opened and returned by another customer. Each open box item is unique, and we offer different discounts based on the product’s condition. To see a product’s condition before purchasing, visit us in store. Works and looks like new. Includes all original parts, packaging and accessories (or suitable replacement). We came away quite impressed, much like the rest of the internet, on the new Powerbeats Pro 2 after getting a chance to give them a run for their money at review. Alongside the onboard heart rate tracking and Apple Find My, they feature active noise cancellation and a Transparency mode powered by Apple’s H2 chip as well as up to 45 hours of battery life, one-touch pairing, automatic switching, Audio Sharing, and hands-free Siri action. Take a deeper dive in our hands-in review right here. Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.  FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. 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Macworld For many people, the Apple Watch is primarily a fitness tracker and an extension to the iPhone. It conveniently mirrors iOS notifications, calls, and messages, letting users stay updated without taking their phones out. What a lot of wearers don’t know, though, is how powerful and feature-packed watchOS really is, and how much your smartwatch can accomplish. Below are ten Apple Watch perks you’re probably unfamiliar with. Timely gate access If you’re a watchOS user, chances are you’re already relying on Apple Pay to quickly make payments from your wrist. Similarly, the Apple Watch automatically syncs compatible tickets whenever you add them to the Wallet app on iOS. This lets you enter venues and board planes by double-clicking the side button and scanning the QR code on the smartwatch’s display. But what if your favorite gym, cinema, or airline doesn’t officially offer Apple Wallet cards for purchased tickets or memberships? Fortunately, you can manually create an Apple Watch card using any QR code. Simply download the Wallet Creator app on your iPhone, create the card, and add it to the Wallet app on iOS. In a few seconds, the newly created card should also appear on your Apple Watch when you double-click its side button. This spares you from digging through your emails or third-party apps whenever you need to cross compatible gates. Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Timeless texter It’s no secret that cellular-enabled Apple Watches can independently make calls and send texts. But did you know that regular Wi-Fi models can also do that, even when your iPhone is off or in a different location? As you’d expect, there are some requirements and limits, but it’s doable. The first and main condition is having Wi-Fi access. You can connect to any (unknown) network by inputting its password in the Settings app on watchOS. Once connected, you can send and receive iMessages and make FaceTime audio calls right from your wrist. This is especially helpful during emergencies if your iPhone dies or gets stolen. Speaking of iMessage, you can also use the Digital Touch applet in the Messages app on watchOS to send your actual heartbeat to a contact. Just place two fingers on the display, then swipe them down to send. If the recipient is also a watchOS user, their Apple Watch’s haptic feedback will mimic your heartbeat to replicate your pulse. It’s a cute, lesser-known way for couples to communicate. Web browser in disguise Another hidden Messages feature is the built-in web view that provides a basic Safari experience on watchOS. All you have to do is iMessage yourself a link, then open it on your Apple Watch. The feature also supports the Reader perk, which presents articles neatly and hides distracting items. Reading articles on a smartwatch’s tiny display is unlikely to become a regular habit, but it could come in handy in certain situations. Reincarnated iPod shuffle You probably already use your Apple Watch’s native Now Playing app to control the music streaming on your iPhone. However, many users miss out on watchOS’s native playback perk. Simply pair AirPods or third-party Bluetooth headphones to your smartwatch, and stream directly from Apple Music if you have an internet connection. For offline listening, both Apple Music and Spotify support downloading playlists to the wearable’s local storage, letting you leave your iPhone behind. This makes it possible to run outdoors with just your Apple Watch and a pair of wireless earbuds. Mahmoud Itani / Foundry The TV remote you’ll never lose watchOS also offers a native Remote app that lets you fully control your Apple TV. Even on this miniature screen, the interface manages to fit all of the main buttons, letting you switch apps, go back, navigate, control the volume, and more. It’s ideal for when you’re cooking or cleaning and don’t want to dirty the physical Siri Remote or your iPhone. Or those times when neither of those items are conveniently to hand. You can similarly control other smart home appliances that rely on the HomeKit infrastructure using the native Home app on watchOS. I often use it to change the color of my light bulbs when Siri—in typical Siri fashion—fails to process my voice commands. Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Radio check—do you copy? Apart from FaceTime and iMessage, the Apple Watch offers an exclusive communication tool that seemingly very few people use. Walkie-Talkie is a built-in app that lets you quickly contact other watchOS users using your voice. Once you add a friend there, you can communicate verbally in real time using the FaceTime audio technology. When you’re in a meeting or just don’t want to be reached, you can toggle off your availability. While most users probably prefer regular audio messages or phone calls, the Walkie-Talkie app makes it easier to get quick answers for minor questions—like what brand of milk to get from the supermarket. It mostly caters to best friends, family members, and partners, as having less intimate acquaintances reach you at any time would be too intrusive. Mahmoud Itani / Foundry Nighttime iPhone locator If you often misplace your iPhone, you’ve likely made use of the handy Ping toggle in the Apple Watch’s Control Center. When you tap it, your iPhone produces a loud screech if it’s within Bluetooth range. What you probably don’t know, though, is that pressing and holding on that toggle will also make your iPhone’s camera LED flash. This makes it possible to locate your phone in a pitch-black environment. It can tell the time! Did you know that your Apple Watch can tell the time? Literally, I mean. Once you enable the Speak Time toggle in Clock settings, you can have watchOS announce the current time audibly by holding two fingers on the watch face. I sometimes use this feature when I wake up in the morning to identify the time without opening my heavy eyelids. TickTock-friendly If you’re living the solo life and often need to record videos or take photos of yourself, this one’s for you. watchOS offers a built-in Camera Remote app that transforms your Apple Watch into a viewfinder for your iPhone’s Camera app. This ensures you’re in frame and helps you fine-tune composition before shooting. The app also offers handy shortcuts to some of the Camera app’s buttons, like the shutter, zoom, and flash. Your Apple Watch can do a lot more than count steps and track activiity.Foundry One more tip For the last tip, your Apple Watch can actually calculate how much you need to tip at restaurants. Just input the bill’s total in the native Calculator app and hit the Tip button. You can then choose the percentage and optionally the number of people splitting it, et voilà! Always on hand The Apple Watch has come a long way. What once used to be a dependent accessory can now perform most basic smartphone tasks on its own. That’s even more practical for those with an active cellular plan. It’s true that performing most of these tasks would be more practical using the wider iPhone screen. But there are still instances when the Apple Watch makes more sense. Sometimes your hands are occupied, other times your iPhone is out of charge—regardless of your reasons, it’s comforting to know that the wearable strapped to your wrist at all times can connect you to your loved ones, play your favorite tunes, unlock electric doors, control and find other devices, and much more. Over and out.

On the latest episode of the HomeKit Insider Podcast, Franci Zidar, CEO and co-founder of BirdBuddy, joins to talk about smart gardens and the week's smart home news.HomeKit Insider PodcastFranci Zigar co-founded BirdBuddy, a smart camera-equipped bird feeder, and has just launched its latest products. After being shown off at CES 2025, WonderBlocks and Petal are up on Kickstarter.WonderBlocks are essentially backyard nature habitats for bees, butterflies, and more. Petal is a solar-powered camera with interchangeable lenses. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums