Amazon Cuts Up to $50 Off New Macs, Slashes Beats 360 Cushion Kits to $9.99

Q: Why are savvy Mac buyers ignoring Apple's internal upgrades to chase a massive $680 discount on external storage instead?

Savvy Mac buyers are chasing the external SSD deal because Apple’s internal storage upgrades remain expensive, fixed at purchase, and only modestly discounted, while the Samsung offer delivers a far bigger value jump in usable capacity. The new Mac mini and Mac Studio discounts are relatively small — up to $49 off — and Apple’s own storage and memory upgrades have become a major pain point as component prices rise. Reviews of the new Mac Studio specifically flag Apple’s memory and storage add-ons as costly. That makes a heavily discounted 4TB external SSD more attractive than paying Apple’s premium for more internal capacity. The Samsung T7 Shield deal is unusually large in this market. At $464.99, buyers get 4TB of portable storage for $680 less than the listed price, with up to 1,050MB/s read speeds, rugged IP65 protection, and broad Mac compatibility over USB-C. In a period of rising SSD and memory prices, such a discount stands out far more than a $20 or $49 cut on a new Mac. There is also a practical reason. Apple’s internal SSD cannot be upgraded later, but external storage can be added as needs grow. For many users — especially photographers, editors, and anyone managing large media libraries — fast external storage is the cheaper way to expand a Mac without sacrificing the performance benefits of the new M6, M5 Max, or M5 Ultra chips. In effect, buyers are separating compute from capacity: buy the Mac for processing power, and buy storage where the value is better.

3 articles · Updated · MacRumors · Sep 25

$50 launch-week discounts have appeared on Apple’s new Mac mini and Mac Studio at Amazon, marking the first cash markdowns on computers released this week.
Amazon also posted first discounts on Apple Watch Ultra 4, pricing select models at $779.99 from $799, one week after launch.
Beats 360 accessories saw the steepest cut: compatible cushion kits dropped to $9.99 from $49.99 for the next month as the new headphones go on sale.
Broader Apple deals remain in place, including AirPods Pro 3 at $199 from $249 and M4 iPad Air models discounted by up to $149 after summer price hikes.