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Today's best deals: Apple MacBook Air, Ring Fit Adventure and more

Ars Technica

It’s Wednesday and that means it’s time for a new Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a solid price for Apple’s M1-based MacBook Air, whose entry-level version currently costs $850 on Amazon. You should see a notification of an additional $100 off on Amazon’s listing page, with the full discount applied to your cart.

Barring a few brief drops to $800 last year, this is the lowest price we’ve tracked for this notebook version — which includes a standard 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage — from a major retailer. The deal comes in at $149 less than Apple’s suggested retail price and about $90 below the average street price we’ve seen online in recent months.

Note that this deal applies to the MacBook Air launched in 2020 that runs on Apple’s M1 chip, not the model that arrived earlier this year with a refreshed design and faster M2 SoC. In general, we’d recommend the latter to most people currently in the market for a new MacBook, as it offers a moderate performance boost (largely on the graphics side of things), a brighter screen with a bit more real estate (albeit it with a “notched” design), a MagSafe connector and a much nicer camera and audio system for video calls. The entry-level version of That notebook is also on sale today for $1,099, which is $100 off Apple’s suggested retail price.

That’s still well above the current deal price of the M1 MacBook Air, though, and the older model remains a good buy for those who need a competent Mac laptop for as little as possible. Despite being a few years old, the M1 chip is still more than capable of web browsing, word processing, and other mundane tasks with few problems. And while the thicker bezels and only two USB-C ports aren’t ideal, the notebook itself remains sturdy and lightweight, with an excellent keyboard and trackpad, a still strong display and a fantastic battery life of over 14 hours per charge in our to test.

Aside from the mediocre port selection, the main drawbacks of the M1 Air are that it can’t connect to multiple external displays at once and, more importantly, its 720p webcam is downright bad. But if you want a Mac for the essentials on a (relative) budget, this is a good value.

If you don’t need a new laptop, our collection also includes an almost layer on the popular training game Ring Fit Adventure for Nintendo Switch, a joint low on the excellent action RPG Horizon Forbidden West for the PS4 and PS5, and a deal bringing digital copies of the Ars-favorite sci-fi novel Project Greetings up to $3. We also have lower prices on Google Nest Hub smart displays, LG OLED TVs, top-rated SSDs, Anker charging gear, and much more. You can check out our full curated list of deals below.

Ars Technica may earn compensation through affiliate programs for sales of links on this post.

Featured offers of the day

  • Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13.3-inch laptop (Apple M1, 2560×1600, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $850 ($940) at Amazon (discount in cart)
  • Anker PowerLine III (6 ft) USB-C to USB-C 2.0 Cable for $8 ($18) at Amazon (use code: ACABLE53)
  • Horizon Forbidden West (PS4) for $40 ($55) at Target, Best Buy, PSN (Free PS5 Upgrade, PS5 for $50)
  • Ring Fit Adventure (Switch) for $55 ($70) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy (discount in cart)
  • Project Greetings ebook for $3 ($15) at Amazon, Apple, Google, Kobo
  • Google Nest Hub 7-inch smart display for $55 ($85) at Target, Best Buy, Walmart
  • LG C2 (2022) 48-inch 4K OLED TV + $100 Gift Card for $1,197 ($1,420) in Newegg (GC expires after 6 months)
  • SK Hynix Gold P31 (1TB) PCIe 3.0 SSD for $86 ($106) at Amazon (2TB for $159)
  • HyperX Cloud II gaming headset for $50 ($70) at Amazon, Best Buy
  • Betrayal in House on the Hill: 3rd Edition board game for $31 ($50) at Amazon (clip $4.20 coupon)
  • WD My Passport (1TB) portable SSD for $110 ($128) at Amazon, B&H, Newegg
The 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro is still a <a href=
enlarge / The 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro is still a very powerful tablet. Keep in mind that a refreshed model may arrive next month.

Samuel Axon

Electronics Deals

  • Apple iPad Pro (128 GB) 12.9-inch tablet for $900 ($1,000) at Amazon (discount in cart)
  • Apple Watch SE (44mm, 2nd generation) smartwatch for $270 ($279) at Amazon
  • Google Nest Hub 7-inch smart display for $55 ($85) at Target, Best Buy, Walmart
  • Google Nest Hub Max 10-inch smart display for $175 ($210) at Target, Best Buy
  • Eufy Solo IndoorCam C24 (2-Pack) 2K Indoor Front Security Camera $61 ($73) at Amazon
  • WD My Passport (1TB) portable SSD for $110 ($128) at Amazon, B&H, Newegg
  • SanDisk Extreme V2 (2TB) portable SSD for $200 ($230) at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart (1TB for $110)
  • Apple AirPods Max Wireless ANC Headphones for $429 ($470) at Amazon
  • Sony MDR-7506 wired headphones for $79 ($89) at Amazon, B&H
  • Apple iPad (64GB) 10.2-inch tablet for $280 ($305) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
  • Garmin Lily (34mm, brown) front smartwatch $150 ($190) at Amazon
  • Hisense U6H (2022) 55″ 4K LED TV for $400 ($430) at Amazon, Best Buy
  • Hisense U6G (2021) 65-inch 4K LED TV for $440 ($540) at Best Buy
  • LG C2 (2022) 48-inch 4K OLED TV + $100 Gift Card for $1,197 ($1,420) in Newegg (GC expires after 6 months)
google's <a href=second generation Nest Hub.” src=”https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Ars-Technica-Nest-Hub-2nd-Generation-Review-9-640×427.jpg” width=”640″ height=”427″ srcset=”https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Ars-Technica-Nest-Hub-2nd-Generation-Review-9-1280×854.jpg 2x”/>
enlarge / Google’s second-generation Nest Hub.

Corey Gaskin

Laptop and Desktop PC Deals

  • Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13.3-inch laptop (Apple M1, 2560×1600, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $850 ($940) at Amazon (discount in cart)
  • Apple MacBook Air (2022) 13.6-inch laptop (Apple M2, 2560×1664, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $1,099 ($1,199) at Amazon, B&H
  • Apple MacBook Pro (2021) 14.2-inch laptop (Apple M1 Pro, 3024×1964, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $1,599 ($1840) at Amazon, Best Buy
  • Apple MacBook Pro (2021) 16.2-inch laptop (Apple M1 Pro, 3456×2234, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $2,099 ($2,230) at Amazon, Best Buy
  • SK Hynix Gold P31 (1TB) PCIe 3.0 SSD for $86 ($106) at Amazon (2TB for $159)
  • PowerColor Fighter AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (12GB GDDR6) GPU for $369 ($430) at Amazon
  • WD Black SN850 (1TB) PCIe 4.0 SSD with Front Heatsink $110 ($140) at B&H
  • Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB (2×16GB) 5600MHz RAM for $155 ($200) at Newegg (use code: UPGBW2Z232, $160 at Amazon)
  • ViewSonic Elite XG270Q 27-inch gaming monitor (2560×1440, IPS, 165 Hz, G-Sync) for $260 ($375) at B&H, Amazon
  • Gigabyte M28U 28-inch gaming monitor (3840×2160, IPS, 144 Hz, VRR) for $480 ($540) at Amazon, Best Buy, B&H
  • Gigabyte M32UC 32-inch gaming monitor (3840×2160, VA, 160 Hz, VRR) for $530 ($600) at Amazon, B&H
  • Gigabyte M32QC 32-inch gaming monitor (2560×1440, VA, 165 Hz, VRR) for $230 ($300) at Amazon, Newegg
The 13-inch MacBook Air with Apple's M1 chip.
enlarge / The 13-inch MacBook Air with Apple’s M1 chip.

Lee Hutchinson

Video Game Deals

<em>Ring Fit Adventure</em> is a practice game associated with deeper than usual RPG mechanics, at least compared to other titles of this type.” src=”https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/71xMjwoZLaL. _SL1500_-640×360.jpg” width=”640″ height=”360″ srcset=”https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/71xMjwoZLaL._SL1500_-1280×720.jpg 2x”/><figcaption class=
enlarge / Ring Fit Adventure is a practice game attached to deeper than usual RPG mechanics, at least when compared to other titles of this type.

Nintendo

A port of the classic FPS <em>GoldenEye 007 </em><a href=will be added in the near future to the Weird Replayanthology from Microsoft, although it cannot be played online, unlike the upcoming reissue on Nintendo Switch.” src=”https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/goldeneye-xbox-640×488.png” width=”640″ height=”488″ srcset=” https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/goldeneye-xbox.png 2x”/>
enlarge / A port of the classic FPS GoldenEye 007 will be added to Microsoft’s Rare Recurrence anthology in the near future, although it won’t be playable online, unlike the game’s upcoming re-release on Nintendo Switch.

Danjaq / MGM

Gaming Deals

Cover art for <em>Project Hail Mary</em>a <a href=
enlarge / cover art for Project Greetingsa 2021 Ars favorite and the latest out The Martian author Andy Weir.

Ballantine Books

Accessories and various offers

  • Project Greetings ebook for $3 ($15) at Amazon, Apple, Google, Kobo
  • Anker PowerLine III (6 ft) USB-C to USB-C 2.0 Cable for $8 ($18) at Amazon (use code: ACABLE53)
  • Anker PowerPort III Nano 20W USB-C Wall Charger for $11 ($17) at Amazon
  • Anker 621 Magnetic Battery MagSafe Wireless Battery Pack (5,000 mAh, 7.5 W) for $40 ($50) at Amazon, Anchor (clip $10 coupon)
  • Apple Pencil (1st generation) stylus for $70 ($95) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
  • Apple Magic Keyboard wireless keyboard for $80 ($97) at Amazon, Best Buy
  • Apple MagSafe Duo 15W Dual Wireless Charger for $97 ($120) at Verizon
  • New Users Only: 4 Months Amazon Kindle Unlimited Membership $5 ($30) at Amazon
  • the batter (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital) for $15 ($24) at Amazon, Target
  • New users only: Peacock Premium 12 month subscription for $20 ($50) at Peacock
  • New + Returning Users Only: HBO Max (No Ads) 12 Month Membership for $105 ($150) at HBO Max (12 months membership with ads for) $70)