Don’t Buy These Apple Products (and What to Buy Instead)

Photo: Jack Skeens (Shutterstock)

Most of the products that Apple is selling today are worth considering—but there are a few stragglers the company continues to sell that aren’t worth their tempting prices. Some of these products aren’t going to get software updates for much longer, and others have a better alternative for a slightly higher price. If you’re in the market for a new Apple product, here’s why you should avoid these five.

iPhone 12 mini

The iPhone 12 mini is a solid phone overall. It’s fast, compact, and relatively affordable at $599. However, its battery life leaves a lot to be desired. With heavy use, you’ll be charging this smartphone multiple times a day.

The iPhone 13 series, on the other hand, offers much better battery life, so if you’re after a compact smartphone, you should spend $100 more and go for the iPhone 13 mini. Alternatively, you can consider the iPhone 12 if you’re OK with spending a bit more (and a getting a bigger iPhone, too). If your budget is fixed, the iPhone 11 starts at $499 and offers excellent battery life, too.

Apple Watch Series 3

We’ve already warned you against buying the Apple Watch Series 3, and it’s time to reiterate our advice. The Series 3 is very old for a smartwatch, and will no longer receive software updates from Apple. That means it’ll miss out on the new features of watchOS 9 and anything else Apple releases later. At this point, it doesn’t make sense to buy a product that’s nearing the end of its lifecycle, and it’s a surprising that Apple even continues to sell it.

If you’re looking at a relatively inexpensive smartwatch for your iPhone, the Apple Watch SE is a great alternative at only $70 more than the defunct Series 3.

Intel Mac mini

Apple is nearing the end of its transition from Intel-based processors to its own chips for the Mac. Among the few Intel-based Macs Apple is selling today, the Mac mini sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s a slower than the M1 Mac mini, less power efficient, and costs a lot more. The Intel version starts at $1,099, while the M1 mini with the same storage option starts at $899.

If you need a compact desktop computer that can run both macOS and Windows, the Intel Mac mini is a decent option for you. However, if you don’t plan to use Windows, the M1 version is far superior.

Apple TV HD

In a world with annual product upgrades, the Apple TV HD almost feels like a relic from a bygone era. It was first released in 2015, still has the ancient A8 processor, and is fairly expensive for the value at $149.

For just $30 more, you can get the Apple TV 4K that performs much better and supports 4K resolution. Even if you don’t want an Apple device in this category, there are plenty of better alternatives to the Apple TV HD that cost far less, such as a Roku or Amazon Fire TV.

Mac Pro

Like the Intel-based Mac mini, the Mac Pro is among the few Macs that have not transitioned to Apple’s M-series processors yet. Even though this machine is powerful and expensive, it hasn’t been updated since its launch in 2019.

When you’re paying $5,999 (or more) for a computer, you want to be sure that it’ll be good to go for a few years at least. Unless you absolutely cannot wait to make the purchase, it’s best to hang in there for that rumored Mac Pro M-series update. You might also consider Apple’s Mac Studio, which packs its latest M1 Max or M1 Ultra chips into a small form factor.

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