The Apple Device You Shouldn’t Buy Right Now—and the Ones You Should
Do not buy an iPhone. MacBook Air? Go for it. A guide to which Apple products are in season.
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By Joanna Stern, June 18, 2023 5:30 am ET
Never double dip a chip.
Never talk on speakerphone in public.
Never buy an iPhone in the summer.
These seem like obvious life rules and yet every year around this time people ask: Should I wait for the new iPhone? And every year I repeat my iPhone No-Buy Rule™: No buying when school’s out—wait until September.
A change coming to the phone’s charging port makes this advice especially timely. The next iPhone—presumably called the iPhone 15—is expected to ship with a USB-C connector, marking the end of the Lightning port’s 11-year run.
The EU has mandated that electronic devices sold in the 27-nation bloc must have USB-C ports by the end of 2024. An Apple AAPL -0.59%decrease; red down pointing triangle spokeswoman declined to comment but in October when I interviewed Apple marketing head Greg Joswiak he said the company would comply.
Over the years I’ve expanded this annual column to other Apple gear, since the company’s fall events are packed with Apple Watch, AirPod and iPad announcements, too.
I know what you’re thinking: Why wait? This stuff doesn’t even get that much better year after year. You’ve said it yourself!
True, but with all the product categories, there are two S’s at play: savings and software. Apple and other retailers typically drop prices on the older models when the new ones hit. That’s also when trade-in deals can get crazy good. And if you go with the latest and greatest, it means an additional year—or more—of software updates ahead.
Apple declined to comment about any future products.
iPhone
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Those of us who lived through The Great 30-Pin Retirement—that wide port that charged iPods and the first few iPhones—remember the pain of moving to Lightning. All those perfectly good speaker docks and charging cables, worthless. The USB-C transition should be smoother.
USB-C is already used to charge Android phones, MacBooks, Windows laptops, iPads, really any modern electronics. “Do you have an iPhone charger?” will become “Do you have a charger?” Yes, that means you should also stop buying Lightning accessories—microphones, earbuds, etc.
The new phones will get more than just a new port. The high-end Pro Max model is expected to get a crazy zoom lens (a la Samsung) and the Dynamic Island multitasking trick introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro will come to all the models, according to longtime Apple supply-chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Maybe you’re wondering if it’s OK to buy a used or refurbished iPhone now. They do tend to sell below market price all year long, according to Ben Edwards, chief executive of Swappa, an electronics resale marketplace. So yeah, if you just want a basic iPhone 12 or 13, go for it. Just bear in mind that prices on the older Pro models tend to drop when a new iPhone is announced. If you want a discounted iPhone 14 Pro, it’s still best to wait.
Apple Watch
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Like “Simpsons” seasons, no one can remember what Apple Watch we’re on.
Last year’s Series 8 was like the year-before’s Series 7, except with a temperature sensor and car-crash detection. This is why I’m not going to say you must wait for the new models, which will get a faster processor, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. And waiting may not save you money. When Apple announces the Series 9, it will likely discontinue the Series 8 rather than keep selling it. You may be able to find deals on refurbished or used models after the announcement, though.
If you’re looking for a lower priced Watch, there’s the $249-and-up SE. It really does everything you need, including fall detection, heart-rate monitoring and recording outdoor activities. Plus, it’s water-resistant for swimming—or in my case bathing children.
The big $799 Apple Watch Ultra is also fine to buy now. The rugged watch introduced last year doesn’t appear to have big changes coming soon. Everyone I know who has bought one loves the multiday battery life and the giant screen. Plus, the biggest upgrades coming to all the watches this fall may be in software. WatchOS 10 has redesigned apps, new widgets and improved workout tracking for cyclists.
AirPods
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The AirPods Pro is a tricky one. On the one hand, these were updated in September 2022 with better noise canceling. And the case has a speaker so you can sound an alert when your kid hides it in the freezer. A software update coming this fall will include more adaptive and situationally aware noise reduction.
On the other hand, the case still has a Lightning port. According to Kuo, Apple plans to update that by year-end. If you’re wanting to go full USB-C, you’re best waiting it out.
The regular AirPods, last updated in October 2021, are due for an upgrade but it’s unclear when they will arrive.
I don’t know what’s up with Apple’s AirPods Max, those big over-the-ear headphones. The company hasn’t updated them since they were announced in 2020 and they still cost $550—and they’ve still got a Lightning connector! I just bought a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4s, in part because they still have an old-school headphone port for plugging into my laptop.
iPad
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Now we arrive at a crazy four-way intersection in iPadtown.
The 10th-generation regular iPad (starting at $449) is a green light if all you need is a tablet for watching movies. The iPad Air (starting at $599) is another green light. Last updated in March 2022, it’s the best all-around iPad, especially if you want accessories like the Pencil and keyboard. And the 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models? Green! Starting at $799, both were updated in October 2022 with faster M2 chips and wireless capabilities.
It’s a yellow light for the iPad Mini. Its redesign happened in 2021, so it could be due for a new processor.
Mac
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I’ve been testing the just-announced $1,299 15-inch MacBook Air. It’s a no-brainer to buy now if you’ve been wanting a more affordable MacBook with a larger screen. (See my newsletter this week for a short review.)
The smaller M2 MacBook Air, with a newly reduced price, is also fair game.
College students should make use of the $100 education discount. If you really want to save, you could try to score a refurbished M1 MacBook Air for as low as $849. (That laptop, which Apple still sells for $999, has the old design and lower-resolution webcam.)
Proceed with the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, too, which got M2 Pro and Max chips in January.
In the market for a 24-inch iMac? I’d advise you to buy a diamond-encrusted spatula instead. The M1 iMac hasn’t been updated for two years, and reports suggest an update is coming this year.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your Apple gadget-buying strategy? Join the conversation below.
For the past few years my inbox has been flooded with “Where’s the 27-inch iMac?!” emails. Apple insiders believe it may come—though it’s hard to tell if they’re like kids who also believe Santa will stay for breakfast.
As for HomePods and AppleTVs, those rarely change much and there’s a lot of great competition, so do what you gotta do.
Just remember what Alice Cooper said: No more iPhones, no more iMacs…when school’s out for summer.
Abycats' Thoughts 