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If Apple products are known for anything,

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it's being pricey. Here's a tablet that's $2,000.

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Here's a laptop that's $2,000. And here's a phone that's almost $2,000.

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Sure, you certainly get what you pay for. These all have the best screen technology.

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They're the fastest in their class. And as I found out with the iPhone recently,

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they can be used to create remarkable things. But Apple does have entry-level devices

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that do cost a little bit less. So when does it make sense to save your money

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and go with the cheapest model at the Apple Store?

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Historically, Apple never really had value options.

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But things are a little different now. The least expensive Mac is a Mini,

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which at $700 has the lauded M1 chip.

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For only $400, you can enter into the world of the iPhone

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with the SE. If you want an Apple Watch, the Series 3 is $200.

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And then there's the new 329 iPad.

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If you were to buy all these together, you'd be completely in the Apple ecosystem

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for much less than the cost of this flagship.

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Now, one of the reasons these are so cheap is that they're contained in old, classic designs.

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The Mac Mini's outer shell, for instance, is almost 12 years old.

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So all the RD and tooling required to make them

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has been paid for. And yet, beneath aging shells beat modern hearts.

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So let's start with a device that makes the most sense to cheap out on the new iPad.

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At $329, it's one of the cheapest devices Apple sells

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and one of the company's best deals. I like it a lot.

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And I think it's the best iPad for everyone.

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What makes this latest update a good deal as an iPad

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is that for the first time in a while, the base iPad isn't that far behind the lineup.

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The base internal storage has been increased to 64 gigabytes,

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the same amount that comes by default with the iPad's Air and Mini.

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Remember having to deal with 32 gigabytes of storage? Oh, that's horrible.

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Next, there's center stage, which is already found on the iPad Pro and Mini

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as well as this, but not yet on the iPad Air.

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It means a much better front-facing camera that can follow you around NVIDIA calls.

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And the processor's been given a minor bump going to the A13 now.

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That brings it one generation closer to the Air, which costs almost twice as much, but isn't twice as fast.

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But here's the real reason why cheap iPad is best iPad.

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iPadOS. It's not that iPadOS makes this cheap iPad great,

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but rather it holds back the more expensive models from reaching their potential.

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As I argued when we reviewed the iPad Pro, there are limitations to how far you can push

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this operating system. For what it's worth, it's quite capable

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until you have to do one specific task, but there's only one way to do it

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through a convoluted, multi-step, multi-app workflow.

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Ahem, Google Drive. This means that the more expensive iPads have more power

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than you can fully use, and it means that you can save hundreds of dollars

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and overall miss out on very little, because when you start configuring an iPad Air

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to make it more capable with keyboards and stands and things like that,

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the price gets to MacBook Air territory right quick,

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and that's just gonna be more powerful and more useful for the things you need to do on a computer.

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So if you want an iPad, just get the iPad.

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Now, yes, there are compromises to know about. This design is as old as GTA V,

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which is still kicking too, isn't it? I should add that I do in fact love the throwback vibe

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now that the silver model gets a black bezel,

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and the screen within it, well, it only covers the SRGB gamut,

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so it's not gonna show as many colors. It's also unlaminated,

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meaning that there's a noticeable separation between the LCD panel and the glass.

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The speakers and the rear camera are nothing to write home about, and this thing still has a lightning port,

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which is probably the biggest technical compromise you get going down to this.

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So that's the iPad.

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Apple's base Mac Mini has the lauded and powerful M1 processor with more GPU cores

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and better cooling than is found in the base MacBook Air and iMac,

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which cost hundreds more. Now, for its $700, you get no luxuries,

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so it's BYODKM. It means bring your own display, keyboard and mouse, okay?

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If you're really in a pinch, those are things you can get at the thrift store for cheap

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because the Mac Mini is one of the few Macs to still have USB-A ports.

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On the phone front, the base iPhone is this SE.

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The SE is great because it represented a change from Apple's previous strategy

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of selling their old phones unchanged for far too long.

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This means that the iPhone SE has the same processing performance as the iPhone 6S.

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And instead, they put the most up-to-date chips and technology in the old phones package.

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So this 2020 SE has the exact same body

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as the iPhone 8 from 2017, but has the same A13 chip from the iPhone 11.

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Yet, it's only $400. Now, it's not the best looking or highest specified device,

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but it's bound to be supported for at least another four years

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and today still supports all of the features of the latest iOS releases.

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So it's easy to recommend. But I've been reading the rumor mill

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and sentiment is showing that there may be an update impending for the SE in the first half of this year.

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And barring any price increases to worsen inflation,

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that would become an even better buy.

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Now, there's an SE model of the Apple Watch as well,

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but it's not actually the cheapest offering. That would be the $200 series three,

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which is just plain old. Its screen is small, its S3 processor is slow,

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and its storage is scant. With only eight gigabytes,

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you can't even update it without completely resetting it.

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It'll monitor your heart, enable Fitness Plus, give you iPhone notifications on your wrist,

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along with the time. But it stubbornly remained at this price

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for over two years now while its value has eroded.

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So unlike the other devices, I don't recommend buying the cheapest Apple Watch,

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at least not now.

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And that is the interesting thing to consider when buying base.

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The best time to buy is soon after they get released.

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That way you get the most value out of them for the longest time.

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But even if you're late to the party, Apple's strong lead in processors

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gives even the base models a huge amount of longevity.

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Plus, there are the benefits to having more devices in the Apple ecosystem.

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And all you really miss out on are the luxuries, like an emojis.

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Thanks for saving on this Mac Address. If you're the type who's totally fine

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with getting the base model of any product, why not give us a like? And if you're interested in saving

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even more on Apple products, why not subscribe? And if you've been burned by buying a base Apple product,

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tell us your story in the comments below. I was once burned by buying an Apple product

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right before our new model came out. That iPad third generation.