Your guide to the best place to buy a Mac or MacBook
Want to buy a new MacBook or Mac? We’re here to help you get the best deal and the best service. We’ll point you in the direction of where is best to buy your new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini or Mac Studio, whether that’s Apple’s own store, a third-party seller, or even refurbished or second-hand if you want to save some money.
In this guide, we have sections for each of Apple’s Macs in which we will point you to the best retailers for those products. We will also share tips that should help you find the best deal on a new Mac.
If you’ve yet to decide which Mac you want to buy, don’t forget to take a look at our complete Mac buying guide first.
Where to get the best Mac deals
Before we run thought what you need to know and where you might like to shop for your new Mac, check out these Mac and MacBook deals below (US and then UK).
Best Apple deals in the US
Best iMac and Mac mini deals in the UK
MacBook Pro and MacBook Air deals in the US
Where to buy a MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro range includes the most powerful laptops made by Apple. The MacBook Pro line up includes the following:
- 13in MacBook Pro with the 8-core CPU/8-core GPU M1 chip, from £1,299/$1,299.
- 14in MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro (or M1 Max) chip, from £1,899/$1,999.
- 16in MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro (or M1 Max) chip, from £2,399/$2,499.
Those starting prices are what Apple sells the MacBook Pro for, but they aren’t necessarily the prices you will have to pay – many resellers discount even the newest MacBook Pro models, or you might find one that has a deal on an older MacBook Pro.
With that in mind, be sure to check which model you’re getting when buying from anywhere other than Apple (which generally stocks only its newest devices, unless you’re shopping from the Apple Refurbished Store – read about why you should buy a refurbished Mac). Many of the biggest discounts are on older models that lack the M1 chip instead featuring an Intel processor. If you spot a processor marked Core i3, i5 or i7 you are looking at an Intel-powered Mac.
Our advice would be to choose one of Apple’s newer Macs that are powered by its own silicon – the M1, M1 Pro, M1 Max, or M1 Ultra. We recommend this because the Intel processors and graphics options being used in older Macs just can’t compete with these new options. Also it is likely that Apple won’t continue to support these older Macs for many more years.
Even if you are happy to buy an Intel Mac you should make sure you look closely at the specs to ensure that the price is reflective of the age of the Mac. We’ve seen resellers claiming a huge discount on a discontinued Mac as if it’s the price Apple sells it for now, but in reality you might be able to get a new Mac that is even more powerful for a similar price. To be sure about what you are buying take a look at the latest deals we round up in our best MacBook Pro deals round up.
Where to buy MacBook Pro in the UK
If you want to buy your Mac directly from Apple view the MacBook Pro in the Apple Store. Alternatively, if you want a discount from Apple and don’t mind if it’s an older model view the MacBook Pro in the Apple Refurbished Store.
If you are a student or a teacher you can save money – view the MacBook Pro in the Apple Education Store.
Apple has a number of Apple Premium Resellers and Apple Authorized Resellers who stock Macs:
Where to buy MacBook Pro in the US
Like in the UK, US customers can obviously buy the MacBook Pro directly from the Apple Store, or save money on a refurbished model at the Apple Refurbished Store (US). Meanwhile students and educators can save money shopping at the Apple Education Store
Other than shopping at Apple, US customer should also check out:
Where to buy a MacBook Air
Like the M1 MacBook Pro it also has a 13in screen, but it weighs less thanks to the ultra-thin, tapered design. Like the 13in MacBook Pro the Air also features an M1 chip. If you aren’t sure which MacBook to buy, read: MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.
The MacBook Air range includes the cheapest laptop Apple sells. The MacBook Air line up includes:
- 13in MacBook Air with 8-core CPU/7-core GPU M1, 256GB SSD: £999/$999.
- 13in MacBook Air with 8-core CPU/8-core GPU M1, 512GB SSD: £1,249/$1,249.
You may still find deals on older, Intel powered MacBook Air models, but you should bear in mind that you will probably be at a disadvantage in a few years time if Apple stops support for these older models. Luckily deals can be found on the M1 MacBook Air models. Check our best MacBook Air deals round-up.
Where to buy MacBook Air in the UK
You can be sure that you are buying a Mac at the correct price at Apple. View the MacBook Air in the Apple Store. Or, get money off an older model from Apple’s refurb store. View the MacBook Air in the Apple Refurbished Store. And of course, teachers and students should pick up the MacBook Air via the Apple Education Store.
Like the Pro, Apple has a number of Apple Premium Resellers and Apple Authorized Resellers who stock Macs. Check out the following retailers:
Where to buy MacBook Air in the US
Want to buy a MacBook Air from Apple? View the MacBook Air in the Apple Store. Save money on a refurbished MacBook Air. View the MacBook Air in the Apple Refurbished Store. Or get your education discount: View the MacBook Air in the Apple Education Store.
We also have an article that looks at Where to buy the M1 MacBooks and Mac mini.
Where to buy an iMac
On to desktop Macs now, starting with Apple’s most famous Mac – the iMac. First introduced in 1998, causing shock waves in personal computing, the iMac is now incredibly thin yet manages to house everything it needs behind its gorgeous display.
You can get the iMac with a 24in display with varying specs that’ll change the price and power. When the iMac first went on sale there were a lot of stock shortages for the new model, which comes in a variety of colours and features the M1 chip. Stock now seems to be at more reasonable levels and we are seeing some deals on the M1 iMac. See: Where to buy 24in iMac with M1.
The iMac range includes:
- 24in iMac with 8-core CPU/7-core GPU M1, 256GB SSD: £1,249/$1,299.
- 24in iMac with 8-core CPU/8-core GPU M1, 256GB SSD: £1,449/$1,499.
- 24in iMac with 8-core CPU/8-core GPU M1, 512GB SSD: £1,649/$1,699.
Apple was also selling a 27in iMac until March 2022 when that model was discontinued (at least for now – read: 27in iMac discontinued, but not necessarily dead). Despite the 27in iMac not being sold by Apple anymore you will probably find discounts and deals for that model as resellers sell off stock. Just keep in mind that it will be Intel-powered and that it’s days will almost certainly be numbered in terms of support (Apple generally supports Macs for five years from the point that it stops selling them).
To be sure that you are getting a good deal on a new iMac check out our round up of the best iMac deals.
Where to buy 24in iMac in the UK
You can be sure that you are buying a Mac at the correct price at Apple – view the iMac in the Apple Store. Or, get money off an older model from Apple’s refurb store – View the iMac in the Apple Refurbished Store. Save money if you are a teacher or student – View the iMac in the Apple Education Store.
Or check out the following resellers:
Where to buy 24in iMac in the US
Want to buy a iMac from Apple? View the iMac in the Apple Store. Save money on a refurbished iMac. View the iMac in the Apple Refurbished Store. Or get your education discount: View the iMac in the Apple Education Store
Or see these retailers:
Where to buy a Mac mini
The Mac mini is Apple’s compact desktop computer, that offers great value for money and great specs.
The Mac mini range includes:
- Mac mini with 8-core CPU/8-core GPU M1, 256GB SSD: £699/$699.
- Mac mini with 8-core CPU/8-core GPU M1, 512GB SSD: £899/$899.
- Mac mini with Intel 8th generation i5, 512GB SSD: £1,099/$1,099.
As you can see from the above, the Mac mini still has an Intel option on offer. We don’t expect that this will be the case for long. If you really need an Intel Mac then this is a good option simply because Apple is still selling it, so at least it should be supported a little longer than the Intel Macs that are off sale now.
Where to buy Mac mini in the UK
If you want to buy your Mac mini directly from Apple view the Mac mini in the Apple Store. Alternatively, if you want a discount and don’t mind if it’s an older model view the Mac mini in the Apple Refurbished Store.
If you are a student or a teacher you can save money! View the Mac mini in the Apple Education Store.
Apple has a number of Apple Premium Resellers and Apple Authorized Resellers who stock Macs, so be sure to check it out.
Other top retailers to check out include:
Where to buy Mac mini in the US
Want to buy a Mac mini from Apple? View the Mac mini in the Apple Store. Save money on a refurbished Mac mini from the Apple Refurbished Store. Or get your education discount: View the Mac mini in the Apple Education Store
Where to buy a Mac Studio
Apple introduced its most powerful Mac yet – the Mac Studio – on March 2022. The Mac Studio can be configured with a M1 Max chip or the M1 Ultra, which is essentially two M1 Max chips.
The Mac Studio starts at £1,999/$1,999 for the M1 Max model. The Mac Studio with M1 Ultra starts at £3,999/$3,999.
Where to buy Mac Studio in the UK
Where to buy Mac Studio in the US
Where to buy a Mac Pro
The Mac Pro is Apple’s professional Mac with a price tag to match, starting at £5,499/$5,999. Apple started selling it in December 2019 and hasn’t updated that model since, but the company says that the Mac Pro will get an update soon – featuring Apple silicon.
View the Mac Pro in the Apple Store.
Other retailers to check include:
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