Apple’s iCloud Keychain is fantastic when using Safari on different devices, but it’s not as useful when switching to a different browser. Not anymore. Mozilla has announced that a new iCloud Passwords extension for Firefox for macOS is now available. The extension will allow Firefox to access iCloud Keychain and fill in usernames and passwords when needed for accessing accounts online.
The iCloud Passwords extension for Firefox can also create passwords that are saved to the iCloud Keychain and synced to the Passwords app. The extension requires macOS Sonoma or later. An iCloud Bookmarks extension for Firefox for Windows is also available and requires iCloud for Windows. It allows Windows PC users to sync bookmarks with iCloud.
With macOS Sequoia, Apple introduced a new Passwords app where users can manage password information. The password integration came built into Safari, while Google Chrome has its own iCloud Passwords extension. There’s also an iCloud Passwords add-on for Microsoft Edge for Mac.
Apple’s list of currently available content for Apple TV+ continues to grow, and so does the list of upcoming projects in the works. Films, limited series, specials, and multi-season series—Apple’s got lots of irons in the fire.
Some of these projects have been officially announced and acknowledged by Apple, while others have been reported by the Hollywood press, which always has its ear to the ground about what projects actors, directors, and producers are involved in.
We’ve divided this list in two: Coming Soon is a list of shows for which Apple has given an official release date or release window, and Further Out compiles content that is still in production or perhaps haven’t even begun yet.
Updated December 4, 2024: We have updated our list with the latest release dates and trailers.
You can subscribe to Apple TV+ on Apple’s website here, or via the Apple TV app on your device. It costs $9.99/£8.99 a month, which you can cancel at any time (Read: How to cancel and Apple subscription). You can also opt for a one-year subscription for $99/£89, which gives you two months free each year.
Apple also offers various trials. Take a look at our article explaining all the ways you can watch Apple TV for free, and the best Apple TV+ deals you can get. Students can get Apple TV+ for free with an already subsidized Apple Music subscription.
You don’t need an Apple TV set top box to watch Apple TV+, nor do you have to pay for a subscription, see: How to watch Apple TV+ for free.
The following shows, series, and movies have been officially announced by Apple and will typically will begin streaming in the next few weeks or months.
What it’s about: The long-awaited second season of the critically acclaimed dystopian sci-fi drama is finally coming to Apple TV+.
Important names: Stars stars Adam Scott, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Patricia Arquette, and more. Directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.
When you can watch: The second season of Severance premieres on January 17, 2025.
What it’s about:Math postgraduate Edward Brooks is on the verge of a major breakthrough. If he succeeds in finding a pattern in prime numbers, he will hold the key to every computer in the world. Soon, he begins to realize an unseen enemy is trying to destroy his idea before it’s even born.
Apple
Important names:Written and created by Steve Thompson, starring Leo Woodall, Quintessa Swindell, Stephen Rea, and David Morrissey.
When you can watch: Prime Target premieres on January 22, 2025.
What it’s about: A fun office comedy about the developers of a massively multiplayer online game.
Apple
Important names: Stars Rob McElhenney, Charlotte Nicdao, David Hornsby, Danny Pudi, and more.
When you can watch: The fourth season of Mythic Quest premieres on January 29, 2025.
What it’s about: Sophie is a woman who has suffered a traumatic head injury that has left her with extreme memory loss, believed to be a result of a suicide attempt. As Sophie embarks on a quest to put the pieces of her life back together with the help of her husband and friends, she begins to question whether or not the truth she is told is in fact the truth she has lived.
Apple
Important names: Stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Stephan James, Ari Graynor. Written and showrunner Veronica West.
When you can watch: Season 2 of Surface premieres on February 21, 2025.
What it’s about: Based on Dennis Tafoya’s book “Dope Thief,” the series follows long-time Philly friends and delinquents who pose as DEA agents to rob an unknown house in the countryside, only to have their small-time grift become a life-and-death enterprise, as they unwittingly reveal and unravel the biggest hidden narcotics corridor on the Eastern Seaboard.
Apple
Important names: Starring Brian Tyree Henry, Wagner Moura, Marin Ireland, Kate Mulgrew.
When you can watch: Dope Thief premieres on March 14, 2025.
Side Quest
What it’s about: An expansion of the “Mythic Quest” universe, “Side Quest” explores the lives of employees, players and fans who are impacted by the game in an anthology format.
Apple
Important names: Stars Rob McElhenney, Annamarie Kasper, Esai Morales, Shalita Grant.
When you can watch: Side Quest premieres on March 25, 2025.
What it’s about:As movies struggle to stay alive and relevant, Matt Remick and his core team of infighting executives battle their insecurities as they wrangle narcissistic artists and craven corporate overlords in the ever-elusive pursuit of making great films.
Important names: Stars Seth Rogan, Catherine O’Hara, Kathryn Hahn, and Ike Barinholtz.
When you can watch: The Studio premieres on March 26.
What it’s about: After being fired in disgrace, a hedge fund manager still grappling with his recent divorce, resorts to stealing from his neighbors’ homes in the exceedingly affluent Westmont Village, only to discover that the secrets and affairs hidden behind those wealthy facades might be more dangerous than he ever imagined.
Apple
Important names: Starring Jon Hamm, Amanda Peet, Olivia Munn, Hoon Lee. Written and directed by Jonathan Tropper.
When you can watch: Your Friends and Neighbors will debut on April 11, 2025.
These shows, series, and movies may or may not have been officially announced, and do not yet have definitive release dates. Some may debut in the next few months, others be more than a year away. It’s even possible that some of these projects will never be released.
What it’s about: Racing legend Sonny Hayes is coaxed out of retirement to lead a struggling Formula 1 team—and mentor a young hotshot driver—while chasing one more chance at glory.
Important names: Brad Pitt stars, with Joseph Kosinski directing, and seven-time Formula One champion Sir Lewis Hamilton producing.
When you can watch: F1 will premiere in theaters in the summer of 2025, and on Apple TV+ later.
What it’s about: A limited series about a young woman who left behind the life of crime she was raised in years ago, but must now embrace her darker, criminal side one final time in a desperate attempt to escape her past. Based on the novel “Lucky” by Marissa Stapley.
Important names: Stars Anya Taylor-Joy, co-showrunners Jonathan Tropper and Cassie Pappas.
When you can watch: Lucky does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: Two highly-trained operatives are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge, protecting the world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within.
Apple
Important names: Stars Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Sigourney Weaver.
When you can watch: The Gorge does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: A 6-episode thriller about a police detective whose life fell apart 10 years ago when his young daughter Maggie disappeared without a trace. Now working as a police dispatcher, he receives a distress call from a young girl he is certain is Maggie, he will stop at nothing to find her and reunite his broken family, whatever the cost. Adapted from Ryan David Jahn’s book.
Important names: Starring Patrick Brammall, adapted by writer Kris Mrksa.
When you can watch: The Dispatcher does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: Based on Mick Herron’s novel of the same name. When a house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb and a girl disappears in the aftermath, neighbor Sarah Tucker becomes obsessed with finding her and enlists the help of private investigator Zoë Boehm. Zoë and Sarah suddenly find themselves in a complex conspiracy that reveals that people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead.
Important names: Stars Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson. Morwenna Banks is lead writer, Natalie Bailey is lead director.
When you can watch: Down Cemetery Road does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: The fifth and likely final season of the sci-fi epic that imagines an alternate reality where the Soviet Union beat the United States to the moon, and the decades of space race that follows.
Important names:Produced by Ronald D. Moore, starring Joel Kinnaman, Wrenn Schmidt, Coral Peña, Krys Marshall, Cynthy Wu, and more.
When you can watch: The fifth season of For All Mankind does not yet have a premiere date.
What it’s about: A spin-off of the For All Mankind universe, Star City takes us back to the key moment in the alt-history retelling of the space race when the Soviet Union became the first nation to put a man on the moon. But this time, we explore the story from behind the Iron Curtain, showing the lives of the cosmonauts, the engineers, and the intelligence officers embedded among them in the Soviet space program.
Important names: Created by Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert, and Ben Nedivi, the creators of For All Mankind.
When you can watch: Star City does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: A limited series based on Araminta Hall’s novel of the same name. It is described as, “an unconventional psychological thriller examining a crime that shatters the lives of a decades-long friendship of three women.”
Important names: It will star and be produced by Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington.
When you can watch: Imperfect Women has no release date yet.
What it’s about: Laura Dave’s novel of the same name has a sequel set to publish in 2025, and Apple has landed the rights to produce a second season of its show based on that novel, and due to stream not long after the novel’s release.
Important names: Stars Jennifer Garner, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Angourie Rice and David Morse.
When you can watch: In 2025, after publication of the sequel to the novel The Last Thing He Told Me.
What it’s about: A new 10-episode drama based on the award-winning novel of the same name by William Gibson. The series will follow a damaged, top-rung super-hacker named Case who is thrust into a web of digital espionage and high stakes crime with his partner Molly, a razor-girl assassin with mirrored eyes aiming to pull a heist on a corporate dynasty with untold secrets.
Important names: Created for TV by Graham Roland and JD Dillard. Specific stars and directors have not yet been attached.
When you can watch: Neuromancer does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: An eight-episode one-hour conspiracy thriller that features a brilliant young math postgraduate on the verge of a major breakthrough. If he succeeds in finding a pattern in prime numbers, he will hold the key to every computer in the world.
Apple
Important names: Stars Leo Woodall and Quintessa Swindell. Directed by Brady Hood.
When you can watch: Prime Target does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: A 10-episode action-packed sci-fi series based on a series of novellas by Martha Wells. Tells the story of a self-hacking security android who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable “clients.” Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe.
Important names: Starring Alexander Skarsgård, written and directed by Chris and Paul Weitz.
When you can watch: Murderbot does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: A biography drama about Antonin Carême, the so-called first celebrity chef, who rose to stardom in the 19th century. While he dreams only of becoming the most famous chef in the world, his talent and ambitions attract the attention of renowned and powerful politicians, who use him as a spy for France.
Important names:Benjamin Voisin stars as Carême, with Jérémie Renier and Lyna Khoudri co-staring.
When you can watch: Carême does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: An eight-episode limited series inspired by a true story published by Cosmopolitan. The storyline and character details are being kept under wraps for now.
Important names: Written and showrun by Melissa James Gibson, starring Jessica Chastain in the lead role.
When you can watch: The Savant does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: An eight-episode series of individual tales set in the world of Mythic Quest that will explore the lives of employees, players, and fans who are impacted by the game. It is said to be in the vein of Mythic Quest episodes “A Dark Quiet Death,” “Backstory!,” “Everlight,” and “Sarian.”
Important names: The series is created by Mythic Quest writers Ashly Burch, John Howell Harris, and Katie McElhenney.
When you can watch: Mere Mortals does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: A fictional drama series inspired by true events, Firebug will follow a troubled detective and an enigmatic arson investigator as they pursue the trails of two serial arsonists.
Important names: Written and created by Dennis Lehane, starring Taron Egerton.
When you can watch: Firebug does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: It is described as a “described as a blended, grounded genre drama,” which doesn’t tell us much.
Important names: Vince Gilligan gave us Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Rhea Seehorn is attached to star in the lead role.
When you can watch: This new series does not yet have a release date.
What it’s about: A live-action series based on the beloved Japanese animated show from the ’60s.
Important names:Will be produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot production company, with Hiram Martinez and Ron Fitzgerald as writers and showrunners.
When you can watch: Speed Racerhas no release date yet.
What it’s about: A limited series based on David Grann’s nonfiction book about Henry Worsley, who crossed Antarctica on foot.
Important names: Tom Hiddleston stars, Soo Hugh directs.
When you can watch: The White Darkness has no release date yet.
What it’s about: Follows the life and career of legendary pitcher Leroy “Satchel” Paige.
Important names: The series is produced by Erving “Magic” Johnson, among others. It is in conjunction with the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and MLB.
When you can watch: This series has no release date yet.
What it’s about: A pair of documentary films that examine the history of black actors and actresses in Hollywood. One focuses on leading men, the other on leading women.
Important names:Producers include Jamie Foxx, Kevin Hart, Datari Turner, Dan Cogan, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Reginald Hudlin, and Bryan Smiley.
When you can watch: These two companion films have no release date yet.
What it’s about: Gong Show host Chuck Barris famously claimed to be a secret CIA assassin in his autobiography Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which was made into a feature film in 2002. A Deadline report says Apple is developing an hour-long drama series about Barris as both Gong Show host and CIA assassin.
Important names: Justin Timberlake is attached to star as Chuck Barris.
When you can watch: This series has no release date yet.
What it’s about: Deadline describes it as a “sci-fi courtroom drama in which a robotic ‘companion doll’ kills its owner and then shocks the world by claiming that she is not guilty and asking for a lawyer.”
Important names: Florence Pugh and Vanessa Taylor are attached to star and Drew Pearce will write the script.
When you can watch: No release date yet.
What it’s about: Deadline reports that this is a genre-bending film about an engineered “ideal wife” who rejects her creator, escapes captivity, and discovers her true self.
Important names: The film will star Scarlett Johansson and will be directed by Sebastián Lelio.
When you can watch: No release date yet.
What it’s about: A natural history documentary series that uses new audio technology and cinematic 360-degree audio to reveal untold nature stories from every continent.
Important names: It will be executive produced by Alex Williamson, and the series producer is Sam Hodgson.
When you can watch: No release date yet.
What it’s about: According to Variety, this is to be a “spy movie with romance set in Africa” but little else is known about the nascent project. The report says it’s early in production.
Important names: The film will star Idris Elba and is produced by Simon Kinberg and Audrey Chon.
When you can watch: No release date yet.
What it’s about: According to The Hollywood Reporter, it’s an eight-episode series about the 1930s and 40s actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr (whose frequency-hopping radio technology is still the basis for many modern wireless communications).
Important names: Gal Gadot is set to star as Lamarr, with a script written by Sarah Treem.
When you can watch: No release date yet.
What it’s about: Apple has struck an overall deal with The Maurice Sendak Foundation to produce shows or series based on the author’s works for children. The most famous of these, by far, is Where the Wild Things Are.
Important names: Apple is working with longtime Sendak collaborator Arthur Yorinks and his production studio Night Kitchen Studios.
When you can watch: No release date yet.
What it’s about: A limited-series adaptation of the Edith Wharton novel The Custom of the Country. The novel, published in the early 20th century, is about a midwestern girl who climbs the ladder of New York high society.
Important names: The big one is Sofia Coppola, who is developing the series for Apple. No word yet on whether she will direct it.
When you can watch: No release date yet.
What it’s about: Based on Richard Dominguez’s comic book about an aging luchador who teams up with his grandson to use the El Gato Negro persona to fight crime in South Texas.
Important names: Robert Rodriguez will direct and produce, while Diego Boneta will star and also produce.
When you can watch: No release date yet.
What it’s about: A report in Variety says that Apple has made a direct-to-series order for a new drama based on the real-life experiences of CIA undercover operative Amaryllis Fox. Fox has a hot novel named Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA that released in October 2019.
Important names: Brie Larson will star and executive produce the series.
When you can watch: No release date yet.
What it’s about: A report from Variety says that Apple has made a direct-to-series order of My Glory Was I Had Such Friends. The limited series, based on the Amy Silverstein memoir about a woman awaiting heart surgery and the women who supported her.
Important names: Jennifer Garner was previously attached but has left the show.
When you can watch: No release date yet.
What it’s about: This summer, The New York Times Magazine published an epic feature titled, “Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change.” At over 30,000 words, it took up an entire issue of the magazine and earned critical acclaim. It focused on how, from 1979 to 1989, a small team of scientists, activists, and politicians tried to stop climate change while there was still time.
We don’t know the format the show will take, but The New York Times specifically calls it a “series.” Based on the source material, it seems like a single-season limited series makes the most sense.
Important names: The article’s author, Nathaniel Rich, will serve as executive producer together with Anonymous Content founder and CEO Steve Golin.
When you can watch:No release date yet.
What it’s about: According to Variety, Apple has ordered a 10-episode, half-hour run of a new comedy variety show. The show is inspired by Curtis Sittenfeld’s collection of short stories You Think It, I’ll Say It.
Important names: SNL alum Kristen Wiig was set to star, but pulled out citing scheduling conflicts with Wonder Woman 1984. The show is created and produced by Colleen McGuinness (30 Rock, About a Boy).
When you can watch: This project does not yet have a title or release date.
Black Friday may be over, but some of our favorite deals are still going strong. Like this one: Amazon is selling the Beats Solo 4 headphones for $100 right now, half off the MSRP, and a perfect holiday gift.
The Beats Solo 4 delivers an amazing 50 hours of listening time, and when you’re in a hurry and the battery is low, a quick 10-minute charge gives you an extra 5 hours of fun listening to whatever’s on your 2024 Spotify Wrapped (or Apple Music’s Replay, or Amazon Music Delivered, you get the drift).
In our review, we appreciated the excellent Apple and Android support and the many improvements this model brings to the table. For instance, since they no longer have Apple’s W1 chip, it won’t just quickly pair to Apple devices but also to Android ones. Plus, it won’t work only with Apple’s Find My network but also with Google’s. Also super useful is the fact that the Solo 4 headphones have a Type-C port rather than the micro-USB the previous version did.
As we noted in the review, the features and audio quality delivered by the Beats Solo 4 are worth it at full price, but now that they’re just under $100, they’re a downright steal. So get your order in at Amazon before the deal expires.
Thinking of buying a Mac or MacBook for school, college or university? Here, in our best Mac for students guide, we take a look at Apple’s current line-up to evaluate which Mac is best for students. We’ll compare the MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro for college and examine whether a desktop Mac might actually be a better choice.
Choosing the best Mac for college or university depends on what you are going to be studying as well as how much you have to spend. Luckily registered students can save money on a new Mac by shopping at Apple’s Education Store, or with one of Apple’s partners. We discuss How to get an Apple student discount at Apple’s Education Store separately, although we also talk about the different ways you can save money as a student below.
You can save hundreds on a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio and even a Mac Pro at Apple’s Education Store all year round. Click on the following links for the Education stores in the countries where most of our readers reside:
While students can get money off all year round, in the summer months Apple gives away either vouchers or AirPods with purchases of Macs or iPads made by those in higher education. The Back to School deal (called Back to Uni in the U.K. and elsewhere so as not to suggest it is for school age children) runs from June to end of September in the U.S., July to mid October in the U.K. and Europe, and January to March in Australia and New Zealand.
If you’re a student, you can also get Apple Music for half price with free Apple TV+ included.
Apple
We’ll run through exactly how much money you can save on a new Mac if you are a student below, then we will assess which Mac to choose based on your needs as a student and the course you are taking. Our advise is to shop around for deals that may be better than the student discount: you may be able to get even more money off your Mac purchase if you go straight to a reseller. Read on to find the best deals for each Mac.
If you’re doing a degree in film and video, or music, or graphic design then it might make sense to also look at one of our other Best Mac For… guides for that subject area:
We also have a guide to help you get the best MacBook deals for students. We also offer advice about how much storage, RAM and cores in How much MacBook do you really need?
Before we begin let’s look at what is available and how much you can save with the education discount.
Students can typically save $100 to $200 in the U.S., in the U.K. the savings are from £100 to £200, Australian students can save between $150 and $330 and Canadian students can typically save from $130 to $270. Savings are even bigger on high-end products like the Mac Pro, although we aren’t sure that many students need one of those.
| Product | U.S. | U.K. | Australia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.6-inch MacBook Air, M2, MSRP | $999 | £999 | $1,599 | $1,299 |
| 13.6-inch MacBook Air, M2, Student discount | $899 | £899 | $1,439 | $1,169 |
| 13.6-inch MacBook Air, M3, MSRP | $1,099 | £1,099 | $1,799 | $1,449 |
| 13.6-inch MacBook Air, M3, Student discount | $999 | £999 | $1,649 | $1,299 |
| 15-inch MacBook Air, M3, MSRP | $1,299 | £1,299 | $2,199 | $1,749 |
| 15-inch MacBook Air, M3, Student discount | $1,199 | £1,199 | $1,999 | $1,599 |
| 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 MSRP | $1,599 | £1,599 | $2,499 | $2,099 |
| 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Student discount | $1,499 | £1,499 | $2,349 | $1,969 |
| 14-inch MacBook Pro, M4 Pro MSRP | $1,999 | £1,999 | $3,299 | $2,699 |
| 14-inch MacBook Pro, M4 Pro Student discount | $1,849 | £1,849 | $3,069 | $2,509 |
| 16-inch MacBook Pro, M4 Pro MSRP | $2,499 | £2,499 | $3,999 | $3,299 |
| 16-inch MacBook Pro, M4 Pro Student discount | $2,299 | £2,299 | $3,699 | $3,049 |
| iMac M4 MSRP | $1,299 | £1,299 | $1,999 | $1,699 |
| iMac M4 Student discount | $1,249 | £1,249 | $1,919 | $1,629 |
| Mac mini M4 MSRP | $599 | £599 | $999 | $799 |
| Mac mini M4 Student discount | $499 | £499 | $849 | $669 |
| Mac Studio M2 Max MSRP | $1,999 | £2,099 | $3,299 | $2,699 |
| Mac Studio M2 Max Student discount | $1,799 | £1,889 | $2,969 | $2,429 |
| Mac Pro M2 Max MSRP | $6,999 | £7,199 | $11,999 | $8,999 |
| Mac Pro M2 Max Student discount | $6,599 | £6,789 | $11,309 | $8,479 |
This is likely the question you are hoping to get an answer to: should I buy a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro for college? We compare the MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro in detail separately. Below we’ll evaluate the different MacBooks from the perspective of a typical student in the order that we recommend them for students.
You might assume that the MacBook Air is low-powered in comparison to the MacBook Pro, but until September 2024 the 13-inch MacBook Air offered the same M3 chip as the 13-inch MacBook Pro. That changed in with the introduction of the M4 MacBook Pro in October 2024, but it is unlikely to be long until Apple updates the MacBook Air with the same chip. If you don’t want to wait for the M4 MacBook Air, this is still a good choice, especially because Apple increased the amount on RAM (unified memory) included from 8GB to 16GB in October 2024 without changing the price.
If you’re looking for a MacBook that doesn’t break the bank and offers the ultimate in portability and great battery life, then the MacBook Air is the perfect fit. The model we are recommending here is not the cheapest MacBook Air, but it offers the best value for money and the price difference between this and the older M2 model is so small that it is one of those cases where spending a little more gets you a lot more.
This MacBook Air offers 18 hours of battery life, according to Apple. This is less than the 13-inch MacBook Pro’s 20 hours, but it’s sure to be enough to get you through a day and an all-nighter at university.
There are no USB-A ports on the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, just two USB-C, a headphone jack, and a MagSafe port so you can charge your laptop and still have two USB ports free.
You may feel that you need more storage than the entry-level model offers, in which case, the 512GB model costs $200/£200 more. Previously there were additional benefits to choosing the 512GB version because Apple’s smaller SSDs weren’t as fast as the larger ones, but for the M3 MacBook Air Apple seems to have addressed this issue. Rather than fork out for extra storage built-in you may find external storage, or even iCloud storage, works out cheaper. (If you have a big Music library, for example, pay for iTunes Match so you can keep your music in the cloud. If you have a big photo library turn on iCloud Photos and get additional iCloud storage).
How much can students save on the 13-inch MacBook Air, M3?
MSRP: $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,799 / CA$1,449
Student: $999 / £999 / AU$1,649 / CA$1,299
Students save: $100 / £100 / AU$150 / CA$150
You’ll see the best prices right now in the block above, which may be even better than Apple’s education pricing.
There is only one reason not to buy the 13-inch MacBook Air with M3: the 15-inch MacBook Air with M3… although as of the end of 2024 we’d add the fact that Apple is likely to update the MacBook Air with the M4 chip early in 2025.
The 15-inch MacBook Air costs $200 more than the entry-level 13-inch M3 model, but it offers a better M3 chip as standard with a 10-core GPU, rather than an 8-core GPU. And there’s also a bigger screen.
Another benefit relates to the speakers, which are better than the smaller MacBook Air’s. Here you get a six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers rather than the four-speaker sound system of the 13-inch M3 (and M2).
The 15-inch MacBook Air weighs a little more and will take up more space in your bag, but if you want a bigger screen then that’s a fair price to pay.
Battery life is the same 18-hours as the other 13-inch MacBook Air models.
How much can students save on the 15-inch MacBook Air, M3?
MSRP: $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,199 / CA$1,749
Student: $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$1,999 / CA$1,599
Students save: $100 / £110 / AU$200 / CA$150
You’ll see the best prices right now in the block above, which may be even better than Apple’s education pricing.
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 is quite a leap up from the MacBook Air in terms of price, so you may be wondering why anyone would want to pay more for the MacBook Pro.
There is a reason to buy the MacBook Pro rather than the MacBook Air though and that’s basically if the MacBook Air won’t be powerful enough for your needs. The thing about the MacBook Air is that it lacks a fan, which means that if you really push it then the Mac might slow down to avoid overheating. For this reason, if you want to use your Mac for heavy processing then you might be better off with a MacBook Pro. In this case, if you have the budget, you might actually want to consider the M4 Pro option (discussed next).
One other benefit of the MacBook Pro is the wider selection of ports than on the MacBook Air, including HDMI and an SDXC card reader. But if you aren’t doing anything too demanding then the MacBook Air is going to be more than powerful enough for your needs and we’d suggest that you save the money you’d be spending on the MacBook Pro and buy an external display to plug into when you are back in your dorm room, or something equally as useful (like food).
How much can students save on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, M4?
MSRP: $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,499 / CA$2,099
Student: $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,349 / CA$1,969
Students save: $100 / £100 / AU$150 / CA$130
It is unlikely that students need the power of the M4 Pro in the 14-inch MacBook Pro (or 16-inch MacBook Pro for that matter) and the price is likely to be prohibitive anyway. But we do see some good MacBook Pro deals, so if you can get a bargain then these more powerful MacBook Pro models are worth considering.
If you need a more powerful Mac because your course calls for it, or perhaps because you are a gamer looking for a machine that can meet those demands, then you can save a bit of money by choosing the 14-inch MacBook Pro over the 16-inch model. Both models offer the same specs, so you aren’t forfeiting any high-power options. Read: 14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Pro.
How much can students save on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, M4 Pro?
MSRP: $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,299 / CA$2,699
Student: $1,849 / £1,849 / AU$3,069 / CA$2,509
Students save: $150 / £150 / AU$230 / CA$190
Students looking to spend as little money as possible may well be considering the M2 MacBook Air, which is just $899/£899 for students. That’s $100/£100 less than the student price of the newer M3 MacBook Air. Even better, Apple upped the RAM (unified memory) from 8GB to 16GB as standard in October 2024 without increasing the price, so this is still a good Mac to buy if you are on a budget.
That’s not a huge saving though, so we suggest you shop around a bit before you buy: you may find a discount on the M3 13-inch MacBook Air that beats Apple’s Student discount on the older model. Just make sure that you note whether there is 8GB or 16GB RAM inside when deciding whether a deal is good enough.
If you can spare the extra money, we recommend spending the extra $100/£100 because the M3 MacBook Air is the better purchase thanks to the newer M3 chip and faster storage. Our advice is to avoid the 256GB M2 MacBook Air because the storage is known to be slower. We’d recommend upgrading to the 512GB model, but by that point, you might as well spend the money on the M3 MacBook Air which isn’t hampered by the same storage issue.
But, if you can’t spare the extra money the M2 MacBook Air will be more than adequate for a student, especially those predominantly writing essays and conducting research. This model came with a bigger and brighter screen, and better FaceTime cameras than its predecessor, and still has a lot of benefits compared to the MacBook Pro.
The M2 MacBook Air offers 18 hours of battery life, just like the M3 model. That is less than the 13-inch MacBook Pro’s 20 hours, but it is enough to get you through a day and an all-nighter at university. It offers the same ports as the M3 MacBook Air: two USB-C, a headphone jack, and a MagSafe port for charging.
How much can students save on the 13-inch MacBook Air, M2?
MSRP: $999 / £999 / AU$1,599 / CA$1,299
Student: $899 / £899 /AU$1,439 / CA$1,169
Students save: $100 / £100 / AU$160 / CA$130
Student life normally involves a fair amount of mobility – traveling to lectures, libraries, the occasional coffee shop, and then possibly home for weekends and term breaks–so it makes sense to consider a laptop rather than a desktop Mac.
While the screen sizes in MacBooks are smaller than iMacs, you can always buy a cheap screen and use that with your laptop when you are home. Or, if you also have an iPad, you might be able to link your iPad to your MacBook and use the iPad screen too (here’s how to use your iPad as a second screen for your Mac). You could also use that iPad for taking notes when you are at lectures (read our guide to the best iPad for students).
However, there are some benefits to buying a Mac desktop. Generally, it is the case that you pay more for a Mac laptop, compared to the same specs on a desktop. The Mac mini, for example, is Apple’s cheapest Mac despite having some pretty impressive specs. However, if you compare the 24-inch iMac with a similarly speced Mac laptop the iMac is considerably more expensive.
While we appreciate that there are plenty of benefits associated with choosing a laptop for university, you may be better off with a desktop.
The Mac mini was upgraded in October 2024 when it gained the M4 chip (and the M4 Pro chip option discussed below). It also got a brand new, much smaller, design. It now measures a diminutive 5-inches by 5-inches (12.7cm x 12.7cm). So you can find room for it on your desk, or in your bag when heading home for the holidays.
In the U.K. Apple also reduced the price, so it’s now $599/£599 (the price hasn’t changed in the U.S.). Depending on where you are based, the cheapest Mac going is now even cheaper! The only real compromise is the lack of monitor and keyboard.
If you are on a budget the Mac mini is the way to go. Get an entry-level Mac mini and ask around for an old keyboard, mouse and monitor.
How much can students save on the Mac mini, M4?
MSRP: $599 / £599 / AU$999 / CA$799
Student: $499 / £499 / AU$829 / CA$669
Students save: $100 / £110 / AU$170 / CA$130
The M4 Pro Mac mini offers all the benefits of the Mac mini discussed above along with the more powerful M4 Pro chip which brings more GPUs and support for more RAM (unified memory).
If you need an M4 Pro chip the Mac mini with M4 Pro is a lot cheaper, at $1,299 (student price) than a 14-inch MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,849 for students. Sure, you need to buy a monitor, mouse and keyboard, but you can probably find good deal on those accessories.
How much can students save on the Mac mini, M4 Pro?
MSRP: $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,299 / CA$2,699
Student: $1,849 / £1,849 / AU$3,069 / CA$2,509
Students save: $150 / £150 / AU$230 / CA$190
The M2 Max Mac Studio used to be celebrated for its powerful chip, with more GPU cores and support for more RAM, at a much lower price than similarly specced Mac laptops. However, it’s now a few years on from its introduction and Apple is yet to update it. We anticipate that the M4 Mac Studio will arrive in mid 2025.
If you need a powerful Mac, either because your course demands it, or because you want to spend your free time gaming, the Mac Studio is worth consideration, and the student discount is pretty good. We’d wait for the new model to launch though.
As with the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models though, we’d suggest that you probably don’t need this much power and could probably use the money for something more important, like accommodation or food.
How much can students save on the Mac Studio?
MSRP: $1,999 / £2,099 / AU$3,299 / CA$2,699
Student: $1,799 / £1,889 / AU$2,969 / CA$2,429
Students save: $200 / £210 / AU$330 / CA$270
Back in May 2021 Apple introduced an M1-equipped 24-inch iMac with a brand new design in a choice of seven different colors, it then took until October 2023 before Apple updated the machine, adding an M3 chip and nothing else. Now Apple has update the iMac again, this time with an M4 chip in October 2024.
We haven’t recommended the iMac for students, and we aren’t fully recommending it now. But the iMac does have a few qualities that might appeal to you.
Thanks to its design it’s certainly a Mac that will make a statement to anyone entering your dorm room. That 24-inch display could also be a great screen for streaming your favorite shows and movies.
The iMac is a non-portable Mac though, which might deter many students from purchasing one. You won’t be able to take it with you to lectures–or cart it home on a train for the holidays–but you will be able to work more efficiently thanks to its 24-inch screen.
How much can students save on the iMac?
MSRP: $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$1,999 / CA$1,699
Student discount: $1,249 / £1,249 / AU$1,919 / CA$1,629
Students save: $50 / £50 / AU$80 / CA$70
Our pick of the entire Mac range, if you’re a student, is the M3 MacBook Air. It will give you a better screen, better webcam and an attractive new design to show off in lectures. It’s light, fast, and with student pricing starting at $999/£999 it’s very good value. However, we’d wait until Apple updates it with the M4 chip.
You could save by opting for the older M2 MacBook Air, but, if you are looking for the cheapest Mac you can get, the M4 Mac mini is a very good option. It’s powerful and with Apple’s education discount, it’s just $499/£499. You just need a monitor, mouse and keyboard. The only reason to delay buying one is the fact that a Mac mini may be coming soon.
You can get a student discount at Apple’s education stores, but you have to qualify as a student in higher education, be a teacher, someone buying for an education institution, or a home educator. School-age children can only take advantage if the equipment is being purchased by their school or if their parent is home-educating them. If you are a registered student you’ll be able to get a discount on a new Mac if you shop in Apple’s various Education Stores (below). You can find out all about it in more detail in our Apple Education Store explainer.
Getting a student discount from Apple’s education store isn’t the only way to get a cheaper Mac as a student though. There are various ways to get a bargain:
Look out for reseller discounts: Another way to get a bargain is to look out for deals at Apple resellers and Amazon, where we have see Macs with as much as $500 off the price. Take a look at our round ups of the best Mac deals to get the best prices right now:
Buy a refurbished Mac: Take advantage of Apple’s refurbished store where the company sells ex-display, returned, and previous-generation Macs at a discount. The benefit of buying refurbished from Apple is that the products are fully checked and come with a one-year warranty. You can also get a refurbished Mac elsewhere with many resellers offering the same service, but beware that not all refurbished Macs are equal. Usually refurbished means that the Mac is guaranteed to be in full working order, but do check with the reseller. Here’s a guide to how to buy a refurbished Mac. We also look at why you should buy a refurbished Mac. One thing to note: if you find what you think is a good deal on an older Intel Mac we do not recommend that you buy one. Intel Macs will likely only be supported with security updates for a couple more years, so you may find yourself needing to upgrade before the end of your course.
Buy second-hand/used: One advantage of buying refurbished is that it should be guaranteed to work and you should have no problem returning it if there is a problem. These are reasons why we don’t recommend buying a secondhand Mac. If you do see a deal on a secondhand or used Mac just be especially cautious.
The best Mac bargains are usually on older models, although we do see discounts on current Macs as well. If you see a good discount on an older Mac it’s important to be aware of what the newer models offers so that you know what you are missing out on and can judge whether the deal is as good as it appears to be. For one thing, older Macs are likely to feature Intel processors rather than Apple’s M1, M2, M3 or their variants, which could put you at a disadvantage in the future (and will certainly mean your Mac depreciates in value very quickly). Considering an Intel Mac? Our advice is: avoid. See: How long does Apple support Macs for.
If you are a student here’s how to get Apple Music for half price. Plus students with an Apple Music student subscription also get free access to Apple TV+ for a limited time.
Apple is expected to update the iPad Pro in 2025 with an M5 chip, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a report about upcoming smart home products. Kuo believes the new iPad will “enter mass production” in the second half of 2025. That could mean that the M5 iPad Pro may become available to customers in the fall or about 18 months after the release of the M4 model.
A recent report by The Elec (subscription required) stated that Apple has ordered M5 chips from chip manufacturer TSMC and that the M5 will be manufactured using a 3nm process. Previous reports stated that the M5 will be a 2nm chip, but Apple has reportedly switched to 3nm over cost concerns. TSMC has a new 3D chip-stacking process that should improve the chip’s thermal management and increase efficiency.
While previous M-series chips debuted in a Mac, Apple surprisingly launched the M4 in the iPad Pro several months before it appeared in a Mac. With the first M5 Macs expected to launch in late 2025, the M5 iPad Pro may arrive in September alongside the iPhone 17.
Kuo does not provide further details about the M5 chip’s specifications or any iPad Pro, nor did he mention any other changes. The M4 iPad Pro underwent a major design change this year with a thinner encloser and tandem OLED display, so it’s unlikely to get much more than a chip refresh.
Apple and TSMC seem to have developed a chip production cycle that’s gained some consistency. After the M1 was released in 2020, chip production has had some hiccups due to the pandemic and the implementation of new production processes. Barring any other unforeseen issues, the iPad Pro could be entering a product cycle that spans 12 to 18 months between upgrades.
Apple released the current M4 iPad Pro last May, so an M5 iPad Pro would arrive over a year later. The typical performance boosts from one chip generation to another is usually in the 15 to 25 percent range, and the M4 iPad Pro is already the fastest tablet available. It’s up for debate whether an M5 is even needed in the iPad Pro, but the upgrade will certainly maintain Apple’s lead and could be an appealing option for owners of older iPad Pro models.
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