Buyer's Guide: Discounts on Retina MacBook, MacBook Air, Apple Accessories, and More

It's still back to school season, so deals continue to be decent as retailers attempt to lure customers into their stores for school supplies. For the first time, Best Buy is offering discounts on the Retina MacBook, dropping the price by up to $80. Several models of the MacBook Air are also available at a discount, some at the lowest prices we've seen.

Apple's Back to School promotion is still going on both in stores and online, with Apple offering a free pair of Beats Solo2 headphones with the purchase of an eligible Mac. Eligible Macs include the iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook, and Mac Pro.

As always, we've rounded up discounts on some useful Apple accessories and we've found plenty of deals on apps and games this week.

iPad Air 2

Discounts on the iPad Air 2 are mediocre this week, so it may be best to hold off on purchasing. For those who need a new tablet immediately, however, there are a few minor deals.


B&H Photo is offering a discount on some of its iPad Air 2 models, dropping prices by $30 to $75. With the discount, the 64GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 is priced at $569. MacMall is offering many of the same discounts, also dropping the price on the 64GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air 2 to $569.

iPad Air

Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H Photo have discounts on a bit of remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad Air models, as listed below.

- iPad Air Cellular Space Gray 64GB (AT&T) - $525.94
- iPad Air Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) - $580.99

iPad mini 3

Discounts on the iPad mini 3 aren't great this week, and with an update imminent in the next month or two, it's a bad time to buy. If you must get an iPad mini 3, though, there are a couple deals on select models.

Best Buy is discounting the 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 3 in Silver by $100, dropping the price to $299.


B&H Photo is also offering some discounts on various iPad mini 3 models, dropping the price by up to $100. The 16GB WiFi + Cellular iPad mini 3 in Gold is available for $429, the lowest price we've seen. The 128GB WiFi only iPad mini 3 in Silver is priced at $499, a $100 discount.

Discounts for each model and color vary, but most models are being offered at a lower price than you'll find at the Apple Store, and buying from B&H, you won't have to pay sales tax unless you're in New York.

iPad mini 2

Amazon has discounts on a few current iPad mini 2 models. The 16GB Verizon Cellular version in Silver is available for $329.99, while the 16GB Verizon Cellular version in Space Gray is available for $301.98, both of which are quite close to the lowest price we've seen.

Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Amazon have remaining stock of now-discontinued higher-capacity iPad mini 2 models, which are a good deal if you're looking for an iPad mini. Compared to the iPad mini 3, the iPad mini 2 only lacks Touch ID.

- iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (AT&T) - $479.99
- iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 128GB (AT&T) - $538.99
- iPad mini Cellular Silver 128GB (Verizon) - $515.42
- iPad mini Cellular Space Gray 64GB (Verizon) - $475

Retina MacBook

We haven't featured the Retina MacBook before because there have been no significant discounts since it launched. Best Buy is discounting its stock of Retina MacBook models by $65 to $80 this week, marking the first notable price drop we've seen.

With the discount, the 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB models in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray are available for $1,234.99, which is $65 off.


The 1.2GHz/8GB/512GB models in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray are available for $1,519.99, an $80 discount.

iMac

- 2013 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,199.99, $100 off
- 2013 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $1,399, $100 off
- 2013 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Best Buy) (Amazon) (B&H Photo) - $1,679.99, $120 off
- 2013 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) - $1,794.99, $204 off
- 2014 27-inch 3.5GHz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $2,099.99, $100 off
- 2015 3.3GHz/8GB/1TB Retina iMac (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $1,899.99, $100 off

Mac mini

- 1.4GHz/4GB/500GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $464.99, $34 off
- 2.6GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $664, $35 off
- 2.8GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $938, $60 off

MacBook Air

- 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - 799.99, $100 off (Lowest Price Ever)
- 2015 11-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB (Adorama) - $999, $100 off (Lowest Price Ever)
- 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (Best Buy) - $849, $150 off
- 2015 13-inch 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB (Best Buy) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $1,139.99, $70 off
- 2014 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Adorama) - $798, $300 off (Lowest Price Ever)
- 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) - $849, $150 off
- 2014 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (Adorama) - $999, $200 off

Retina MacBook Pro

- 2015 13-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/128GB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $1,229.99, $70 off
- 2015 13-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB (B&H Photo) (MacMall) - $1,399, $100 off
- 2015 13-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/512GB (Adorama) (MacMall) - $1,699.99 $100 off
- 2015 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,815, $180 off
- 2015 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $2,349, $150 off
- 2014 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,229, $259 off
- 2014 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (B&H Photo) - $1,449 $350 off
- 2014 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB (B&H Photo) - $1,979 $520 off

Apps

There are also quite a few iOS apps that are on sale at discounted prices or available for free for a limited time. We'll highlight a few here, but make sure to check out our sister site AppShopper for a complete list.

Platformer Devious Dungeon 2 is available for free, down from $0.99. Arcade game David. is available for free, down from $1.99. Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past is available for $0.99, down from $4.99.

Physics-based game Piloteer is available for $0.99, down from $2.99. Sound making app BeepBoop is available for free, down from $1.99. Fighting game The Executive is available for $1.99, down from $4.99.

Puzzle game Quell Memento+ was named Apple's App of the Week, so it will be free to download until next Thursday when a new app is picked.

Apple Accessories

For the next day, Staples is selling iTunes gift cards at a 20 percent discount, dropping the price of a $25 card to $20. Best Buy is selling select Mophie iPhone cases and batteries for up to 50 percent off. Groupon is selling MagSafe 2 Power Adapters for the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air for $44.99 to $49.99, down from $79.


The Waloo Apple Watch Crocodile Print band is available from Groupon for $17.99, down from $49.99. LivingSocial has stainless steel link, mesh, or Milanese loop bands for Apple Watch for $29.99, down from $99.


Best Buy has the Jawbone UP2 Activity Tracker for $20 off, dropping the price to $79.99. Groupon is selling a 2-pack of Misfit Flash Activity Trackers for $49.99, a $10 discount off the normal price.


The Griffin Elevator Desktop Stand for laptops is available from Groupon for $31.99, down from $39.99. The Ghostek waterproof case for iPhone 6/6 Plus is available for $29.95 from StackSocial, down from $60.


The Spigen Rugged Armor Watch Case and Night Stand is available from StackSocial for $21.99, down from $34.99 LivingSocial has the Otterbox Defender for iPhone 5/5s for $9.99, down from $49.95. The LithiumCard Wallet Battery with Lightning Charger is available from StackSocial for $29.99, down from $39.99.


Groupon's also hosting an ongoing Apple Event, discounting a huge range of additional Apple accessories ranging from the Apple TV, iPads, and iPhones to cases and keyboards. It's worth checking out the deals each week.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.