The Apple products you shouldn’t buy this month: June 2023 edition

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It’s been a busy year for Apple, kicking off with a January refresh of the Mac Mini and MacBook Pro, equipping these with the latest-generation Apple Silicon M2, M2 Pro, and M2 Max processors. And earlier this month saw Apple update the MacBook Air and rolling out the M2 Ultra to the Mac Pro, finally updating that behemoth system and completing the move away from Intel.

As for the iPhone, the AirPods Pro, the Apple Watch, and the iPad and iPad Pro, well, these products saw a refresh during the second half of last year, so are still fresh. We can be pretty confident of an iPhone refresh come the fall, and probably a new line of Apple Watches, but beyond that, only Apple knows what its update timetable looks like.

Also: The best Apple Watches right now

With that in mind, there are still a few Apple products that you should avoid buying right now, either because they’re in line for a refresh, or they’re just not going to get updated because Apple is phasing them out.

The ‘Naughty’ list

13-inch MacBook Pro: This is now overpriced for what you’re getting. Unveiled a year ago at WWDC 2022, this is now due for a refresh to an M2 Pro or M2 Max chip.
24-inch iMac: Now that the M1 chips have been superseded by the M2, Apple is asking a lot of money to pay for a Mac that could see a refresh in the next few months.
iPad Mini: Released in September 2021, it’s worth keeping in mind the age of this tablet. Eighteen months might not seem like that much, but would you pay full price for an iPhone 13, which was released at the same time?
iPhone SE: This handset has now ticked over into being over a year old, and while it could be 2024 before we see an update released, it’s worth bearing in mind that this was released in March 2022.
iPhone 14: Sure, it’s still less than a year old, but we’re into the final few months before the iPhone 15 makes its debut, and if you’ve held out this long buying one, then perhaps it makes sense to make your existing handset last a few more months until the fall.

The ‘Nice’ list

2023 Apple Mac Pro

This monster system finally gets the Apple Silicon treatment. With a starting price of $7,000, it’s not cheap, but once you start adding the extras it’s a lot cheaper than its predecessor.

Apple M2 Ultra chip, with 24-core CPU and up to 76-core GPU
Up to 192GB of unified memory
32-bit Neural Engine
Up to 8TB of storage
2 x HDMI
2 x 10Gb Ethernet
Rack or desk mounting options

2023 Apple MacBook Air

Apple’s “thin and light” laptop gets bumped up to a 15-inch display and an M2 chip.

15.3-inch LED-backlit display with IPS technology
2880-by-1864 native resolution at 224 pixels per inch
8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
10-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine

2023 Apple Mac Mini with M2 chip

Apple’s “starter” Mac gets the M2 Apple Silicon treatment, bringing it into 2023.

Apple M2 or Apple M2 Pro chip
Two Thunderbolt 4 ports (M2) or four Thunderbolt 4 ports (M2 Pro)
Two USB-A ports (up to 5Gb/s)
HDMI port
Gigabit Ethernet port (configurable to 10Gb Ethernet)
3.5 mm headphone jack
8- to 12-core CPU
10- to 19-core GPU
8GB to 32GB unified memory
256GB to 8TB storage

Also: This $75 dock turns your Mac Mini into a Mac Studio (sort of)

2022 Apple MacBook Air Laptop with M2 chip

MacBook Air in Midnight. — Getty/Bloomberg

Apple’s M2-powered MacBook Air is a powerhouse of a laptop, offering a huge performance boost over the older Intel-powered MacBook Air, such as 15 times faster video editing — (yes, video editing on a MacBook Air!) — and up to 18 hours of battery life.

Review: Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022): Sleeker, faster — and pricier

The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display features over 500 nits of brightness, P3 wide color, and support for 1 billion colors
Next-generation M2 8-core CPU with 8-core GPU and 8GB of unified memory
Up to 18 hours of battery life
1080p FaceTime HD camera, three-mic array, and four-speaker sound system with Spatial Audio
MacBook Air features a MagSafe charging port, two Thunderbolt ports, and a headphone jack
Weighs just 2.7 pounds

2nd-gen AirPods Pro

Airpods Pro 2 in hand. — Christina Darby/ZDNET

The second-generation AirPods Pro are a massive upgrade over the previous model, giving Apple’s premium buds a massive lead over the competition.

Also: AirPods Pro might be an inexpensive solution to your hearing loss

Active Noise Cancellation reduces unwanted background noise.
Adaptive Transparency lets outside sounds in while reducing loud environmental noise.
Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking places sound all around you.
Multiple ear tips (XS, S, M, L).
Touch control lets you swipe to adjust volume, press to direct media playback, answer or end calls, and press and hold to switch between listening modes.
Sweat- and water-resistant for AirPods Pro and charging case.
MagSafe Charging Case with speaker.
Case features lanyard loop.

Also: Adaptive Audio listening mode is coming to AirPods Pro 2

Apple Watch Ultra

This is the Apple Watch that I’ve always wanted: It boasts a bigger, brighter display, better waterproofing, more space on the display for complications, and cool new features for explorers.

Also: Why the Apple Watch Ultra is my favorite Apple product in years

Rugged and capable, built to meet the demands of endurance athletes, outdoor adventurers, and water sports enthusiasts — with a specialized band for each.
Up to 36 hours of battery life, plus all the Apple Watch features that help you stay healthy, safe, and connected.
49mm corrosion-resistant titanium case. Larger Digital Crown and more accessible buttons.
100m water resistance. Customizable Action button for instant physical control over a variety of functions.
A bright Always-On Retina display that’s easy to see, even in direct sunlight.
Precision dual-frequency GPS for accuracy, distance, route, and pace calculations.
Advanced health sensors give you deep insights into your health. Fall Detection and Crash Detection can automatically connect you with emergency services in the event of a hard fall or a severe car crash. Hold the Action button to activate a siren that can be heard up to 600 feet away.

Review: Apple Watch Ultra: Tougher than a Tough Mudder

Note that the orange strap does get dirty real quick… mine looks very worn already. You should also take a look at Nomad’s band options for the Apple Watch Ultra.

AirTag

Blowing away the competition, Apple’s AirTags are the perfect gift for someone who constantly loses things. You can add them to your luggage, your bike, your remote, or even your moving boxes — the possibilities are endless.

Also: How to find out if an AirTag is tracking you

Well-made, robust, and with a replaceable battery, these will make lost keys or wallet things of the past.

iPhone SE

This iPhone SE is a budget phone with a whole raft of great features. Sure, it’s getting to that year-old mark, but if you want a budget iPhone (and don’t want to buy second-hand), then this is the iPhone for you.