MacRumors

Apple gift cards are always a popular gift received by tech enthusiasts at Christmas, so you might have unwrapped one today. If so, we've put together a list of products to spend it on, with everything priced under $100 in the United States.

Apple used to offer two separate gift cards, including an Apple Store gift card for in-store products and an iTunes gift card for purchasing content like apps, games, TV shows, and movies. These gift cards have since been combined into the all-in-one Apple gift card, which says "the gift card for everything Apple" on the packaging.

To redeem an Apple gift card on an iPhone or iPad, open the App Store, tap your photo in the top-right corner, and tap "Redeem Gift Card or Code."

What to Buy With an Apple Gift Card

Belkin's iPhone Mount for Continuity Camera ($29.95)

Belkin sells an iPhone mount for use with macOS Ventura's new Continuity Camera feature, which allows an iPhone to be used as a Mac's webcam. Priced at $29.95, the mount attaches to the iPhone with MagSafe and can then be affixed to the top lid of a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro for use with Continuity Camera. Belkin also offers a version of the mount for use with the latest iMac and Studio Display for $39.95.

Apple's 35W Dual USB-C Charger ($59)

Apple this year released new 35W power adapters with dual USB-C ports, with standard and compact versions of the charger available for $59 each. Both adapters feature foldable prongs and can be used to charge or power multiple Apple devices simultaneously, such as the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and HomePod mini.

USB-C Siri Remote for Apple TV ($59)

Apple this year released a new version of the Siri Remote for the Apple TV with a USB-C port instead of Lightning for charging. If you already own an Apple TV model released in 2015 or later, the remote can be purchased separately for $59.

Apple Polishing Cloth ($19)

Clean your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Studio Display, and other devices with Apple's official polishing cloth, released in 2021.

AirTag ($29)

Keep track of your belongings with Apple's item tracker, which integrates with the Find My app on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. A four-pack is also available for $99.

Twelve South's AirFly Pro ($54.95)

Twelve South's AirFly Pro accessory lets you use AirPods or Beats wireless headphones with an airplane's in-flight entertainment system. Simply plug AirFly Pro into the headphone jack on a plane to watch or listen with your AirPods.

Nanoleaf Essentials A19 Light Bulb ($19.95)

Nanoleaf's smart color-changing LED bulb is compatible with HomeKit, allowing it to be controlled with Siri. A three-pack is also available for $49.95.

Logitech Crayon ($69.95)

Available in gray or orange, the Logitech Crayon is a more affordable alternative to the Apple Pencil for drawing on compatible iPad models.

MagSafe Charger ($39)

Apple's MagSafe Charger attaches magnetically to the back of any iPhone 12, iPhone 13, or iPhone 14 model for wireless charging at up to 15W speeds.

MagSafe Wallet ($59)

Apple's leather MagSafe Wallet attaches magnetically to the back of any iPhone 12, iPhone 13, or iPhone 14 model and can store up to three credit cards or IDs. The latest version of the wallet supports Find My so you can track the wallet's location if you lose it.

MagSafe Battery Pack ($99)

Apple's MagSafe Battery Pack attaches magnetically to the back of any iPhone 12, iPhone 13, or iPhone 14 model, providing additional battery life on the go.

Apple Watch Band ($49+)

Have an Apple Watch? Treat yourself to a new band, with dozens of options to choose from, including the custom-fitted Solo Loop.

iPhone Case ($49+)

Have an iPhone? Treat yourself to a new case, with dozens of options to choose from, including those from third-party brands like OtterBox and Tech21.

Apple One

Redeem your Apple gift card and use the balance towards Apple One, which lets you subscribe to multiple Apple services at a discount. The base Apple One plan includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+ with 50GB of storage for $16.95 per month, which is $7 less per month compared to subscribing to the services separately.

iCloud+ Storage

Redeem your Apple gift card and use the balance towards an iCloud+ plan with additional storage. Available storage amounts include 50GB for $0.99 per month, 200GB for $2.99 per month, and 2TB for $9.99 per month.

It's Christmas Eve, but that doesn't mean there hasn't been much in the way of Apple news and rumors in recent days as we've been hearing details about Apple's plans for the Mac Pro, iPhone SE, and more.

In other news, Apple has detailed changes it made in a couple of recent AirTags firmware updates, while the company appears to have pulled back a new Home app architecture it began offering to users with iOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1. Read on below for details on these stories and more!

New Mac Pro in Testing, But 'M2 Extreme' Chip Likely Canceled

Apple continues to test an all-new Mac Pro with an M2 Ultra chip, but the company has likely abandoned plans to offer a higher-end "M2 Extreme" chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Gurman said the Mac Pro with the M2 Ultra chip will be available with up to a 24-core CPU, up to a 76-core GPU, and at least 192GB of RAM. Like the current Mac Pro, he expects the new model to remain expandable with additional memory, storage, and more.

The current Intel-based Mac Pro was released in December 2019 and starts at $5,999 in the United States. Barring any further delays, the new model will presumably launch in 2023.

Latest Rumors for Every Mac: When to Expect New Models

Beyond the Mac Pro, several other Macs are expected to be updated next year. For example, new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips are expected to launch in early 2023. A new Mac mini with M2 chips is also rumored.

This week, we recapped the latest rumors for every Mac that Apple sells, including the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.

Apple Said to Cancel or Postpone iPhone SE 4

Apple plans to either cancel or postpone mass production of the fourth-generation iPhone SE, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo originally expected the next iPhone SE to launch in 2024, but he said these plans are likely to change due to consistently lower-than-expected shipments of mid-to-low-end iPhone models, such as the third-generation iPhone SE, iPhone 13 mini, and iPhone 14 Plus.

Apple Pulls iOS 16.2 Option to Upgrade to New Home Architecture

One of iOS 16.2's key new features is the ability to upgrade to a new Home app architecture. While Apple hasn't shared details on exactly what the changes are, the company said the upgrade offers "improved performance and reliability" for HomeKit accessories.

After some users who upgraded the Home app complained about technical issues, it appears that Apple has removed the option to upgrade the Home app for now.

Apple Reveals What's New in Latest AirTag Firmware Updates

Apple recently released two firmware updates for its AirTag accessory, and the company has since outlined what's new in the updates.

One of the firmware updates introduces some features promised by Apple earlier this year to help prevent AirTags from being used for stalking purposes. The other update resolves an issue with the AirTag's accelerometer not activating in some scenarios.

The 'Trashcan' Mac Pro: Remembering One of Apple's Most Controversial Designs

This week marked the ninth anniversary of Apple releasing the so-called "trashcan" Mac Pro, providing an opportunity to reflect on one of Apple's most controversial hardware designs.

While the "trashcan" Mac Pro had a beautiful design, it was not modular, leading to complaints from professional users about its lack of upgradeability over the years. The computer was discontinued in 2019.

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If you have been good this year, you may be interested to learn that Google today launched its annual Santa tracking feature, allowing Santa to be tracked in real time on his mythical journey to the North Pole as he prepares to deliver presents to kids around the world.

Google's Santa Tracker continues a 19-year tradition for the company, allowing excited children (and parents!) to keep up with the jolly gift-giver's travels throughout December 24. On this day, Santa's Village transforms into a tracking experience where children can follow Santa and his reindeer as they merrily go about their important work.

Santa can be tracked using a web browser on iPhone, iPad, or Mac by visiting Google's official Santa Tracking website. The site features a live map of Santa's current location, his next stop, a live video feed of his journey, and the estimated time that he will arrive in each specific location.

The Santa site provides pictures of locations that Santa has already visited, a live count of gifts that have been delivered, and Santa's current distance from your location. There are also a selection of games to play, creative things to do, and videos to watch.

Other Santa tracking services are also available, such as the NORAD Tracks Santa Claus app and website, but Google's site is often the most interactive and detailed.

Jon Prosser and Sam Kohl join us this week on The MacRumors Show to take a light-hearted look back at the best and worst of Apple in 2022 – a year that brought some major changes to many of the company's product lines and platforms.

Jon and Sam are well-known content creators in the Apple community. Jon is also known for his Apple leaks, including revealing the exact design of AirTags months before they launched, the 24-inch iMac's vibrant color options, the design of the sixth-generation iPad mini, and more.

In this episode, we debate what could be some of the best Apple rumors, features introduced in new products and software updates, accessories, and devices launched during the past twelve months. We also weigh up some of Apple's worst new features and product launches, as well as the most neglected devices of 2022. See Jon and Sam's work on their YouTube channels "FrontPageTech" and "AppleTrack", or catch them on the Genius Bar podcast.

Listen to The MacRumors Show using apps like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, Google Podcasts, or subscribe by copying our RSS feed directly into your podcast player. You can also watch a video version of the podcast on the MacRumors YouTube channel.

If you haven't already listened to the last episode of The MacRumors Show, be sure to catch up for a recap on everything we know about 2023's iPhone 15 lineup with Snazzy Labs' Quinn Nelson.

Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for more episodes, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by exciting guests like John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Sara Dietschy, Luke Miani, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, iJustine, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, Jon Rettinger, Rene Ritchie, Andru Edwards, and Mark Gurman. Remember to rate and review the show, and let us know what subjects you would like the podcast to cover in the future.

Apple planned a major generational update for the iPhone 14 Pro's graphics capabilities, but was forced to scrap plans for the new GPU late in development after "unprecedented" missteps were discovered, according to The Information.

In a paywalled report, The Information claimed that Apple engineers were "too ambitious" in adding new features to the graphics processor designed for the iPhone 14 Pro, including features like ray tracing – a lighting technique to achieve a further level of realism in games. This meant that iPhone 14 Pro prototype were found to draw much more power than expected, impacting the device's battery life and thermal management.

According to several individuals that claim to possess first-hand knowledge of the incident speaking to The Information, Apple discovered the flaw in the iPhone 14 Pro's GPU late in the device's development cycle, meaning that it had to hastily pivot to revert largely to the GPU from the A15 Bionic chip from the previous year's iPhone 13 lineup.

The incident is reportedly unprecedented in Apple's chip design history and is responsible for why the iPhone 14 Pro shows only small improvements in graphics performance compared to the leaps made by previous iPhone generations. The error resulted in Apple restructuring its graphics processor team and moving some managers away from the project, including the exit of key figures that apparently contributed to Apple's emergence as a chip design leader.

The report goes on to reveal how Apple's chip design team has been forced to contend with a loss of talent in recent years, with the company having lost dozens of key people to various silicon design companies since 2019, as well as interpersonal feuds and lawsuits with chip startups.

Tesla today announced the launch of the Tesla Wireless Charging Platform, a $300 wireless charger that is able to charge up to three Qi devices at one time.

The concept is somewhat similar to the AirPower that Apple wanted to produce as the three devices can be placed anywhere on the Tesla charging mat, receiving up to 15W of power each.

Tesla says that the angular design of the charging mat was inspired by the look of the Cybertruck, and it features an aluminum housing with an alcantara surface and detachable magnetic stand that can be used for charging flat or at an angle.

Inspired by the angular design and metallic styling of Cybertruck, our Wireless Charging Platform provides 15W of fast charging power per device for up to three devices simultaneously. Its sleek design is composed of an aluminum housing, premium alcantara surface and a detachable magnetic stand that allows you to lay the charger flat or at an angle for better viewing. Featuring FreePower(R) technology, which charges your Qi capable devices such as phones or earbuds placed anywhere on its surface without precise alignment.

Apple in September 2017 announced the AirPower, a multi-device charger designed to charge the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods all at once. Apple wanted users to be able to place their devices anywhere on the ‌AirPower‌ to charge, but the overlapping wireless coils required were problematic, with Apple seeing heat management and interference issues that prevented the product from being viable. While the ‌AirPower‌ was meant to launch in 2018, it never appeared, and Apple confirmed its cancelation in 2019.

Tesla's charging mat is using FreePower, a technology from Aira that has been used in other wireless charging platforms like the Base Station Pro from Nomad. Nomad's Base Station Pro also supported charging from anywhere on the charging platform, but it turned out to be problematic because it did not work well with the iPhone 12 and later because of a firmware issue.

While Tesla's concept is similar to what Apple hoped to achieve with the ‌AirPower‌, it is limited to Qi-based devices like the iPhone and the AirPods and it does not charge the Apple Watch.

Apple today published a support document designed to help those who are having issues with HomeKit, outlining what to do if you can't access a home or accept an invitation in the Home app.

Apple says that on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 16.2 or iPadOS 16.2, users should use the Remove Home option on any listed homes that don't have accessories. If the invited user has a home with accessories, Apple support must instead be contacted for help.

If there is a home with no accessories listed, after it is removed from the Home app, the invited user and home owner's devices need to be restarted, as do all Apple TV and HomePod devices in the home.

From there, the home owner will need to remove any pending invitations to the invited user, and then re-invite the user to share control of the home. An invited user must accept an invitation to access a home within three hours or the invitation will expire.

Apple's instructions come just a day after the new Home architecture that was introduced in iOS 16.2 was pulled. At the current time, Apple is not allowing users to upgrade to the architecture, likely due to multiple bugs that users have reported with the update.

Issues with the architecture update include ‌‌HomeKit‌‌ devices stuck in an "updating" or "configuring" status, devices going missing, HomeKit Secure Video not working, and invitations to share the Home with other users failing, which is what the support document addresses.

In a separate support document, Apple says that the new Home architecture will be reintroduced at a later date, and that it has been temporarily removed.

Belkin last week quietly introduced a new iPhone Mount with MagSafe that's designed for Mac desktops and displays that you use with your Mac, allowing you to take advantage of Continuity Camera on those devices. We picked one up and thought we'd test it out for MacRumors readers who are thinking about ordering one.

The Belkin iPhone Mount for Mac desktops and displays is pretty similar to the mount for Mac notebooks that came out earlier this year, but there are some design and price differences. First off, it's $40 instead of $30, probably because the mounting portion is a good deal larger to accommodate displays of different sizes.

Design wise, the lip of the mount fits over the edge of a display or an iMac, and then there's an adjustable arm that secures it at the back of the device. An iPhone attaches to the mount using ‌MagSafe‌, and can be put in portrait or landscape mode. There are also adjustable viewing angles that you can use by tilting the mount hinge, something not available on the MacBook version.

Because of the tilt option and the general height of an ‌iMac‌ or an external display, the desktop mount is much better at Desk View, the feature that lets you show off your desktop while on a video chat. With the MacBook version, Desk View is much more limited, but you can see a lot more of the desk with the desktop mount, which makes it more useful.

Belkin's display and Mac desktop mount is particularly useful for Mac Studio or Mac mini owners who use it with a Studio Display or a third-party display that doesn't have a webcam, because it adds webcam functionality. There's also a 1/4" tripod screw on the mount, so you can use it with a mini tripod too, if desired, adding even more versatility.

The Belkin iPhone Mount with ‌MagSafe‌ for desktops and displays can be purchased from the online Apple Store for $40. It is backordered and will arrive to customers in late January to early February.

If you are looking to purchase some last-minute gifts, Apple's retail stores are now offering free two-hour delivery on eligible, in-stock products in select countries. The offer is available for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple TV only.

Free two-hour delivery is available in most U.S. metro areas for orders placed through Apple's online store by 12:00 p.m. local time on December 24. The items will be delivered from a local Apple retail store by a courier such as Postmates at a time selected during checkout. Apple normally charges $9 for two-hour delivery.

Apple is also offering free two-hour delivery in select areas of Canada, France, Spain, and the UK, along with free three-hour delivery in Australia.

Apple has a holiday gift guide for those looking for last-minute gift ideas. Most products purchased between November 4 and December 25 are eligible for return until January 8, 2023 under Apple's extended holiday return policy.

YouTube has won the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket after negotiations and a deal between the NFL and Apple failed to fully materialize, Google and the NFL announced today.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, YouTube will pay roughly $2 billion a year to secure the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket franchise as part of its YouTube TV service. NFL Sunday Ticket is a package that allows users to access and watch all Sunday games from out-of-market teams for games that may not be broadcasted on local channels or affiliates.

NFL Sunday Ticket will be offered as an add-on for YouTube TV, which currently costs $64.99 per month. The exact price of the add-on remains unknown. Neal Mohan, chief product officer at YouTube, speaking of the new deal, said "we'll be able to showcase these NFL games in a way that I think no other platform can."

Apple was originally seen as the top contender for securing the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket, with reports at one point suggesting Apple and the NFL had reached a final agreement. According to a new report this week by The Athletic, the agreement didn't go through due to apparent concerns at Cupertino that it wouldn't be able to incorporate NFL Sunday Ticket into its future AR/VR platforms.

Apple and the NFL also could not agree on whether the company would get the right to distribute Sunday Ticket on as yet non-existent platforms. Apple is heavily investing in virtual reality and augmented reality, nascent platforms in which sports are so far largely not viewed. As a result, Apple wanted what is dubbed known and unknown rights, individuals familiar with the NFL and Apple said. In other words, there is no known virtual reality market for Sunday Ticket, but there might be one day.

While YouTube will offer NFL Sunday Ticket as an add-on for YouTube, Apple reportedly wanted to offer NFL Sunday Ticket to Apple TV+ subscribers at no additional cost.

Verizon today announced a new discount for its "Welcome Unlimited" plan, which will see the price drop by $5 per line for unlimited text, talk, and 5G data for those who are new to the Verizon network.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Verizon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Customers who swap over to Verizon and bring their own device can sign up for Welcome Unlimited for $25 per line per month for four lines, with a three year price guarantee. That is a $5 discount per line over the standard $30/line price point, for a total savings of $20/month for four phones. Over the three year window, that adds up to a total savings of $720.

The $5 discount is available for those who have fewer lines as well. One line is priced at $60 per month, down from $65, and two lines are available for $50 per line per month, down from $55 per line. Three lines will cost $35 per month per line, down from $40.

Verizon says that a $180 promo credit per phone is applied over 36 months when you bring your own phone to Verizon and sign up for the Welcome Unlimited plan. This is a limited time offer, and it does not include taxes or fees, with Auto Pay and paper-free billing required to get the discount.

The deal is set to start on Friday, December 23, with more information available from Verizon's website.

Across social media, some iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max users are reporting that horizontal lines are flashing across their iPhone display when the device is being turned on, with no clear reason why or how to fix it.

On one thread on Reddit, dozens of iPhone 14 Pro users are reporting that one or more green and yellow lines may flash across the screen before disappearing a few seconds later when the device is being turned on. According to those same users, Apple Support has informed them the issue is not a result of a hardware defect but is a bug in iOS 16.

According to users on Reddit, the Apple Support forums (1,2,3), and the MacRumors forum, the issue seems to have started following the iOS 16.2 update, although some users report the problem even occurring on older versions of iOS 16. One user on Reddit claims an Apple engineer informed them over the phone that Apple is working on a software patch for the issue, but the exact details are unknown.

Apple is currently testing iOS 16.3 with developers and public beta testers, but the update isn't expected to launch until early next year. The latest version of iOS 16 is iOS 16.2, which included several new features, including Apple Music Sing, Apple's new Freeform app, and more.

Popular video editing app DaVinci Resolve for iPad is now available on the App Store, giving ‌iPad‌ customers access to a popular professional-grade video editing app right on their ‌iPad‌.

DaVinci Resolve for ‌iPad‌ was announced in October 2022 and is designed to be optimized for iPads with Apple silicon chips, like the new iPad Pro with the M2 chip and the previous generation ‌iPad Pro‌ and iPad Air, both powered by M1.

Designed for the new ‌M2‌ ‌iPad Pro‌, Blackmagic, the creators behind DaVinci Resolve, says the app will deliver 4x faster Ultra HD ProRes rendering on the new ‌iPad Pro‌ with ‌M2‌, with other similar improvements coming to M1-based iPads.

Compared to DaVinci Resolve 18 software for the desktop, DaVinci Resolve for ‌iPad‌ offers similar functionality and tools, with slight changes in the user interface to better suit the ‌iPad‌. DaVinci Resolve for ‌iPad‌ is available for free on the App Store, with an in-app purchase that unlocks the Studio version priced at $95.

One of the key new features in iOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1 is the ability to upgrade to a new Home app architecture. While Apple hasn't shared details on exactly what the changes are, the company says the upgrade offers "improved performance and reliability" for HomeKit accessories.

Upgrading the Home architecture requires that all devices accessing the home be updated to the latest operating system version, so many users have yet to take the leap, but users who have upgraded have reported some issues. Amidst those reports, it now appears Apple has removed the option for users to upgrade their Home app architecture.

Issues reported by users include ‌HomeKit‌ devices stuck in an "updating" or "configuring" status, devices going missing entirely, invitations to share the Home with other users failing, HomeKit Secure Video recording not working, and more.

Upgrading to the new Home app architecture is a user-initiated process in the Software Update section of Home Settings in the Home app, and as of a few hours ago, the option to upgrade no longer appears in the app. As a result, users who have yet to move to the new architecture will be unable to do so until Apple reenables the option. Users who have already upgraded will remain on the new architecture and can not revert to the previous one.

Update: Apple has confirmed in a support document that the new Home architecture update has been temporarily removed, and that the option to upgrade "will return soon."

Popular streaming service Netflix is planning to put an end to password sharing starting in early 2023, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. There have been persistent rumors about the end of password sharing, and Netflix has been exploring methods to crack down on it, but the changes are set to officially go into effect next year.

Netflix has long known that password sharing is a problem affecting its profits, but the uptick in subscriptions in 2020 allowed the company to avoid addressing it. With revenue falling this year and Netflix's first subscriber loss in 10 years, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings decided it was time to act on the issue, which had been put off for too long.

Starting in 2023, Netflix plans to ask people who share accounts with others outside of their household to pay to do so. Netflix has been testing add-on payments for password sharing in some Latin American countries, charging around $3 extra. In these countries, the primary account owner must provide a verification code to anyone outside the household who wants to access the account, with Netflix repeatedly asking for the code until a monthly fee is paid to add non-household subscribers.

A similar tactic could be used in the United States, with Netflix possibly charging just below the cost of its $6.99 ad-supported plan for non-household subscribers who share someone's plan. Netflix wants those who have a shared password to sign up for their own subscription.

Netflix will enforce password sharing rules through IP addresses, device IDs, and account activity. To keep from alienating customers, Netflix may slowly phase out password sharing rather than putting a stop to it all at once. One method Netflix reportedly considered was adding pay-per-view content that could make users not want to share their passwords with people who might rent content, but Netflix ultimately decided against it.

The Netflix terms of service have never allowed for multi-household sharing, but Netflix has looked the other way for so long that implementing fees for offering account access to friends and family could upset some of its subscribers. An estimated 222 million paying households share passwords with an additional 100 million households that Netflix wants to monetize.

Pricing on Netflix plans includes watching on multiple supported devices in addition to affecting streaming quality, but Netflix does not want multiple viewers watching outside of the same household. Netflix's premium plan, for example, allows for Ultra HD 4K streaming and support for watching on four supported devices like iPhones, iPads, and Macs at one time, as long as those devices are owned by people in the same household.

In addition to boosting revenue by eliminating password sharing, Netflix has also introduced a more affordable ad-supported tier that is priced at $6.99 per month in the United States.

The Apple Watch Series 3 was originally announced in 2017 and remained in Apple's lineup until earlier this year as a low-cost option. The Series 3's longevity in the lineup sparked jokes and memes, and despite being discontinued earlier this year, the Series 3 remains as a possible holiday shopping option for customers, but you shouldn't buy one.

In Apple's refurbished store, the company still sells the Apple Watch Series 3 with stainless steel cases for $369, $230 cheaper than the original price. The Apple Watch Series 3, in 2022 and onwards, is not a wise buy. The Series 3 no longer receives software updates and has an outdated design, health features, performance, and poor battery life.

At $369, the refurbished Series 3 is more expensive than the recently updated Apple Watch SE, which starts at $249 and has considerably better and more advanced features.

In its refurbished store, the company does sell some more sensible Apple Watch models, including select configurations of the Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch Series 7. With Christmas just around the corner, refurbished products make for a good last-minute gift if customers are unable to order a brand-new gadget in time or want to save a bit of cash.

With the holidays just around the corner, you may be doing some last-minute shopping, possibly hoping you may be able to order an Apple gadget for a friend or loved one in time for Christmas.

To make Christmas shopping a little easier every year, Apple lists on its website what date you’ll need to order specific products by if you want to receive them before Christmas. Today, December 21, is the deadline for the vast majority of products, including the iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, all Apple Watch models, all iPad models, all Macs, AirPods, HomePod mini, and the latest Apple TV.

Don't lose hope, though! While you may be pushing it if you want certain products delivered in time, you may still be able to find your desired gadget at your local Apple Store and available for pick-up or through a 2-hour delivery courier service. Check your local store's availability on Apple's online store.

Alternatively, you may also be able to find certain Apple products in Apple's refurbished store. Refurbished products from Apple are products that have been used and have been inspected and meet Apple's standards. Refurbished products come at a lower price than brand-new products, offering a nice way to save a bit of cash. Several products are available in the refurbished store, including the new M2 MacBook Air, Apple Watch Series 7, and older iPhone models, like the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12.

Best Buy has the HomePod mini in every color for $79.99, down from $99.00. We haven't seen this sale since Black Friday, and it'll only be around for one day, ending later tonight around midnight.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

There are a few ways you can still get the HomePod mini in time for Christmas on Best Buy. You can choose in-store pick-up and see if a local Best Buy has stock, or you can get free two-day shipping with delivery dates estimated for December 23.

Best Buy is also offering a bonus deal on Nanoleaf smart lighting products when purchasing a HomePod mini. You can save $20 on select Nanoleaf packs, including the Nanoleaf Essentials A19 LED Bulbs 3-Pack and Essentials Smart LED Lightstrip. Just add the HomePod mini and one of the Nanoleaf items to your cart to see the discount.

Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.