Apple Shares Deadlines for Ordering Holiday Gifts
Alongside its Black Friday bonus gift card announcement, Apple has also released its holiday shipping guide in the United States and other countries that outlines deadlines for customers looking to order gifts online for arrival by December 24.
Unlike in some recent years, Apple appears to have ample stock of all of its main products as we head into the holiday season, with Apple currently saying that most products can be ordered up until December 21 while still receiving delivery in time for Christmas.
For items that can be engraved through Apple, two additional days are generally required, meaning orders must be placed by December 19. The lone exception to that is AirTags, which must be ordered by December 12 if you wish to have them engraved. Finally, physical gift cards must be ordered by December 19.
While these deadlines are for shipments of orders placed through Apple's online store, the company says customers may still be able to get orders in time after the deadline if items are in stock and customers choose Apple Pickup or 2-hour delivery from a local Apple Store.
Deadlines in other countries vary somewhat, such as a flat December 21 deadline for all products (including engraved ones) in Germany and a flat December 22 deadline in the United Kingdom.
Apple may update the deadlines on these pages in the coming weeks as it assesses product availability, so it pays to keep an eye on it and ensure you order in plenty of time to receive your items in time for the holidays.
Apple's extended return policy is also now in effect, allowing items purchased in most countries between November 3 and December 25 to be returned through January 8, 2024. Select countries have a longer window with items purchased between November 4 and January 6 able to be returned through January 20, 2024.
Popular Stories
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store.
The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump.
...
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google.
For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences.
The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more.
Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features.
Liquid Glass Toggle
iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass.
In the Settings app, under Display...
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag.
This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked.
Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report.
Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered.
There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
It's been over a decade since Apple's HomeKit smart home platform launched, and it is overdue for an update. HomeKit and the Home app can no longer keep up with AI-powered solutions from other companies like Google and Amazon, but that's set to change with a smart home revamp that Apple has planned for 2026.
Home Hub
Apple is working on a home hub or "command center" that will serve as a...
