Skip to main content

Amazon drops huge discounts on latest iPad and MacBook Air

With employers all over the nation instructing contractors and employees to work from home to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus — COVID-19 — the need for home office equipment has never been higher. To help make decking out your spare room with all the hardware required to get down to business lighter on your wallet, Amazon has discounted two must-have devices: the Apple iPad and MacBook Air.

New Apple iPad (10.2-inch) — $279, was $329

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The latest Apple iPad, only released in 2019, continues to be one of the best tablets on the market simply for the brains and brawn it packs into one stylish package. Its glossy 10.2-inch screen is designed with Apple’s signature Retina display to make every action and swipe feel fluid and smooth as satin. We’ve been using the iPad for a while, and even now, we’re still amazed by how the colors seem to pop and come to life. This gives every video or image a lively quality that’s rarely found in something so compact and light. In fact, at 1.07 pounds, the iPad is remarkably light.

The A10 Fusion processor allows you to handle some pretty intense applications like dedicated games and online streaming. It’s built for optimum performance with near-instant response times, completely alleviating the frustration that comes with input lag. With the iPad, you even have the option to multitask. This allows you to open two applications and work on them simultaneously on the same screen, cutting the time it takes to transition from one app to the other. The eight-megapixel back camera also allows you to film in 1080p HD resolution. For the front, it has a 1.2-megapixel HDR-enabled camera, so voice calls and video conferences are always clear no matter where you are. 

If you’re worried about the tablet dying while you’re out and about on your daily grind, don’t be. The iPad is capable of lasting up to 10 hours of non-stop use, even on Wi-Fi or data, so you can take your work with you anywhere you want without being chained to a socket or relying on a power bank every few hours. If you’d prefer a laptop, the iPad is compatible with the Smart Keyboard, so you can switch between laptop and tablet without ever having to migrate screens.  It’s currently available on Amazon in two storage sizes to complement your work style and workload, with options for 32GB and 128GB. Whichever you pick, you’re getting the same quality. The 32GB iPad is on sale for $279 while the 128GB is discounted at $399.

Buy Now

Apple MacBook Air (2017) — $750, was $999

Apple

The Apple MacBook has been a staple for students and young working professionals since its initial release in 2006, and it has only become more of a powerhouse since then. While this MacBook Air isn’t the latest model, it’s still well regarded as a fully capable laptop that can round out any workspace — plus, it’s cheap. Some of us are still reeling over the prices of the latest MacBook Pros. And if it’s technical obsolescence that scares you, rest assured that some of us are still using our MacBooks from way back when, proving that this is definitely up to modern standards.

At first glance, the MacBook Air’s aluminum chassis reveals itself to be sleek and has a prominent air of professionalism about it. When it comes to Apple, the signature design is pure style, so you never have to worry about looking tacky. It has two USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 2 ports each and an SDXC card slot, so you can stay connected to practically any device you might need. It’s simply efficiency at its finest.

The 13.3-inch display is LED-backlit with 1,440 x 900 resolution. So, if you’re going to edit videos or do intense work, this MacBook Air may not be the laptop for you, especially with the 128GB SSD. It’s best suited for office or simple work involving nothing too hardware-intensive. If you’ll only be writing documents, browsing the web, or organizing files, then this is perfect for you. The Intel HD Graphics 6000 isn’t very accommodating for larger programs, but simple applications — and even some online games — work just fine. For its processor, it uses a dual-core Intel Core i5 with 8GB of RAM, so it can run most software efficiently without too much trouble. If you’ll only be using one core, however, the MacBook Air has a Turbo Boost that upgrades its 1.8GHz to 2.9GHz to help process data faster.

All in all, if you’re looking for a good laptop on a budget for your home office or school, then you can’t go wrong with the MacBook Air, especially for beginners or those delving into the world of Apple for the first time. It’s on sale on Amazon for only $750, a whole $249 off its retail price.

Buy Now

Check out our curated deals page for more great deals on other products to upgrade your home office like monitors and headphones.

Jace Zarley
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I find deals and write about them to help Digital Trends’ readers save on quality tech products.
Save $80 and finally get the iPad 10th Gen at the right price with this deal
Two hands holding an iPad.

If you want to get one of the best iPads, you should expect to pay quite a bit. However, if you wait a few years, you can get a good deal, and that's especially the case with the Apple iPad 10th Gen, a 2022 model. It retailed at $449, then later got its base price cut to $349 last May.

Now, for a limited time, when you buy one at Walmart you can get it for just $269. That's a savings of $80 off of the May 2024 and an incredible $180 off of the original retail price of $449 back in 2022. In fact, it is only $45 away from being half price compared to its debut price for this short time. That's exciting, especially considering 2022 wasn't that long ago. So, tap the button below to see the deal or keep reading to see more about why we're excited about this deal.

Read more
The Apple MacBook Air M2 is still great, and it’s on sale at $350 off
The screen of the MacBook Air M2.

Apple fans who have been waiting for a huge discount from MacBook deals shouldn't miss this chance to buy the 13.6-inch model of the Apple MacBook Air M2 with a 512GB SSD for $749 instead of its original price of $1,099. You have until March 23 to take advantage of $350 in savings, but with the immense popularity of this line of laptops, it's possible that the stocks that are up for sale are already gone by tomorrow. Don't hesitate -- proceed with your purchase immediately!

Buy Now

Read more
Hurry! This iPad Pro has a $900 price cut at Best Buy this weekend
iPad Pro with M2 inside.

Tablets are everywhere these days, but one of the most popular mobile screen families is and has always been Apple’s iPad lineup. In a lot of ways, the iPad put the tablet craze into high gear, and they’re in just as much demand as they were more than a decade ago.

Fortunately, we see a lot of great iPad deals in our line of work. As a matter of fact, we came across this excellent offer as part of the Best Buy Apple Sales Event: This weekend only, when you purchase the 11-inch iPad Pro with Apple M2 (Wi-Fi, 2TB) at Best Buy, you’ll only pay $1,000. That’s a $900 discount, by the way.

Read more