- If Apple products
are known for anything, it's being pricey. Here's a tablet that's $2,000. Here's a laptop that's $2,000. And here's a phone that's almost $2,000. Sure, you certainly get what you pay for. These all have the best screen technology, they're the fastest in their class. And as I found out with
the iPhone recently, they can be used to
create remarkable things. But Apple does have entry-level devices that do cost a little bit less. So when does it make
sense to save your money and go with the cheapest
model at the Apple Store? (upbeat music) Historically, Apple never
really had value options, but things are a little different now. The least expensive Mac is a mini, which at $700 has the lauded M1 chip. For only $400, you can enter
into the world of the iPhone with the SE. If you want an Apple watch,
the Series 3 is $200. And then there's the new 329 iPad. If you were to buy all these together, you'd be completely in the Apple ecosystem for much less than the
cost of this flagship. Now, one of the reasons these are so cheap is that they're contained
in old classic designs. The Mac mini's outer shell, for instance, is almost 12 years old. So all the R, D and tooling
required to make them has been paid for. And yet, beneath aging
shells, beat modern hearts. So let's start with a device
that makes the most sense to cheap out on, the new iPad. At $329, it's one of the
cheapest devices Apple sells, and one of the company's best deals. I like it a lot, and I think it's the
best iPad for everyone. What makes this latest
update a good deal as an iPad is that for the first time in a while, the base iPad isn't far behind the lineup. The base internal storage
has been increased to 64 gigabytes, the same amount that comes by default with the iPads Air and mini. Remember having to deal with
32 gigabytes of storage? Oh, that's horrible. Next, there's Center Stage, which is already found
on the iPad Pro and mini as well as this, but
not yet on the iPad Air. It means a much better front-facing camera that can follow you around in video calls. And the processor has
been given a minor bump, going to the A13 now. That brings it one
generation closer to the Air, which costs almost twice as
much, but isn't twice as fast. But here's the real reason
why cheap iPad is best iPad. iPadOS. It's not that iPadOS makes
this cheap iPad great. But rather it holds back
the more expensive models from reaching their potential. As I argued, when we
reviewed the iPad Pro, there are limitations
to how far you can push this operating system. For what it's worth, it's quite capable until you have to do one specific task, but there's only one way to do it, through a convoluted
multi-step multi-app workflow. Hm, Google Drive. This means that the more
expensive iPads have more power than you can fully use. And it means that you can
save hundreds of dollars and overall miss out on very little, because when you start
configuring an iPad Air to make it more capable
with keyboards and stands and things like that, the price gets to MacBook
Air territory right quick. And that's just gonna be
more powerful and more useful for the things you need
to do on a computer. So if you want an iPad, just get the iPad. Now, yes, there are
compromises to know about. This design& is as old as GTA
V, which is still kicking too, isn't it? I should add that I do, in
fact, love the throwback vibe, now that the silver
model gets a black bezel. And the screen within it? Well, it only covers the sRGB gamut so it's not gonna show as many colors. It's also unlaminated, meaning that there's a
noticeable separation between the LCD panel and the glass. The speakers and the rear camera are nothing to write home about. And this thing still has a Lightning port, which is probably the
biggest technical compromise you get going down to this. So that's the iPad. And this is our sponsor, Blinkist. Blinkist distills the best insights and important information from
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learning more about Apple, they've got Walter Isaacson's
Steve Job's biography, and Brian Merchant's "The One Device," about the creation of the iPhone. Though, I've been listening
to "Clean" by James Hamlin. Apparently, we're all
too clean these days. You can get the app in the App Store. And right now, Blinkist
has a special offer just for our audience. Click the link in the description to start your free seven-day trial with Blinkist and get 25% off of a Premium membership. And another deal can be found
right in the Mac lineup too. Apple's base Mac mini has
the lauded and powerful M1 processor with more GPU
cores and better cooling than is found in the base
MacBook Air and iMac, which cost hundreds more. Now, for it's $700, you get no luxuries. So it's BYODKM. - [Steve Jobs] It means
bring your own display, keyboard and mouse, okay?
(audience laughs) - If you're really in a pinch, those are things you can get
at the thrift store for cheap because the Mac mini
is one of the few Macs to still have USB-A ports. On the phone front, the
base iPhone is this SE. The SE is great because
it represented a chain from Apple's previous strategy of selling their old phones unchanged
for far too long. - [Greg Joswiak] This
means that the iPhone SE has the same processing performance as the iPhone 6s. - And instead they put
the most up-to-date chips and technology in the old phone's package. So this 2020 SE has the exact same body as the iPhone 8 from 2017, but it has the same A13
chip from the iPhone 11. Yet, it's only $400. Now, it's not the best looking
or highest specified device, but it's bound to be supported for at least another four years. And today it still supports
all of the features of the latest iOS releases. So it's easy to recommend. But I've been reading the rumor mill and sentiment is showing
that there may be an update impending for the SE in the
first half of this year. And barring any price
increases to worsen inflation, that will become an even better buy. Now, there's an SE model
of the Apple Watch as well, but it's not actually
the cheapest offering. That would be the $200 Series
3, which is just plain old. Its screen is small. Its S3 processor is slow, and its storage is scant. With only eight gigabytes, you can't even update it
without completely resetting it. It'll monitor your heart, enable Fitness+, give you iPhone
notifications on your wrist, along with the time. But it's stubbornly remained at this price for over two years now,
while its value has eroded. So unlike the other devices, I don't recommend buying
the cheapest Apple Watch. At least not now. (keyboard clicking) And that is the interesting
thing to consider when buying base. The best time to buy is
soon after they get released that way you get the
most value out of them for the longest time. But even if you're late to the party, Apple's strong lead in processors gives even the base models
a huge amount of longevity. Plus, there are the benefits
to having more devices in the Apple ecosystem. And all you really miss out on are the luxuries, like Animojis. Thanks for saving on this Mac address. If you're the type who's
totally fine with getting the base model of any product,
when not give us a like? And if you're interested
in saving even more on Apple products, why not subscribe? And if you've been burned by
buying a base Apple product, tell us your story in the comments below. I was once burned by
buying an Apple product right before a new model came out. That iPad third generation.
