It’s been a long time since you could only get an iPhone directly from Apple or from AT&T. Today, it’s offered by all major carriers and big retailers, and many of them want to entice you to buy with them by offering special deals. Of course, you can always buy from Apple directly, either in-store or online.

If you haven’t yet put in your order for an iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro, here’s a summary of some of the deals and promotions offered by different retailers to help you make up your mind. For each, we’ll tell you about any current special deals, when you should consider buying there, and when you shouldn’t.

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It only took 20 minutes for some iPhones to sell out of their preorder allotment. And as you might have guessed, the most popular model is the biggest one in the newest color. While iPhone 11 stock seems to be plentiful, the iPhone 11 Pros are starting to slip. You can still get many combinations with guaranteed Sept. 20 delivery, but some Pro models won’t ship for several weeks (all shipping times listed below are as of this writing):

iPhone 11 Pro

64GB, Midnight Green

• Verizon: 2-3 weeks
• AT&T: 5-7 days
• Sprint: 2-3 weeks
• T-Mobile: 2-3 weeks
• Unlocked: Sept. 20

256GB/512GB, Midnight Green

• Verizon: 2-3 weeks
• AT&T: 2-3 weeks
• Sprint: 2-3 weeks
• T-Mobile: 2-3 weeks
• Unlocked: 5-7 days

iPhone 11 Pro Max

All capacities

• Verizon: Sept. 20
• AT&T: Sept. 20
• T-Mobile: 7-10 days
• Unlocked: 5-7 days

Some other scattered models have also shipped beyond their Sept. 20 release, including the Space Gray Pro Max at AT&T and T-Mobile. Whether that’s the result of short stock or high demand is unknown, but the message is clear: Hurry up and order because the model you want might be sold out sooner than you think.

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During Apple’s iPhone even Tuesday, the biggest applause breaks weren’t for the iPhone 11 Pro’s triple camera or the Apple Watch’s always-on display. They weren’t for Jason Momoa in the See trailer or the iPhone 11’s Night Mode. Rather, they were for the slides that are usually met with murmurs or outright silence: the prices.

Out of nowhere, Apple stopped being the company that sets the bar for the high end. Instead, it undercut Disney with its Apple TV+ streaming service, bested Google’s Stadia with Apple Arcade, delivered more iPad for the same price, and—the biggest surprise of all—trimmed the price of the iPhone 11 by $50 across the board. And that’s not to speak of the free year of Apple TV+ you get with basically any Apple device purchase.

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A cynic might argue that prolonging the lifetime of its smartphones runs counter to Apple’s interests. After all, the sooner iPhones break down, the sooner customers have to pony up the cash for a new one. For years, conspiracy theories of “planned obsolescence” have run rampant, full of anecdata of iPhones breaking down just as they run out of warranty.

But that argument flies in the face of reality. For one thing, if your expensive new phone breaks after a year, are you really going to immediately replace it with another phone from the same unreliable manufacturer?

More to the point, Apple has demonstrated that it is dedicated to getting the most life possible out of its smartphones, such as with last year’s iOS 12 update, which promised better performance on older devices. And the company has continued the trend this year with the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, offering a number of features that should keep them reliably ticking away longer than ever.

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This week, Apple announced the seventh generation of its entry-level iPad, and it’s a weird little beast. The screen is a little larger than last year’s model, and you can now use a full-sized Smart Keyboard, but the processor remains the same and the overall design has only slightly changed. The changes are so few between last year’s model and this one, in fact, that we basically covered them all in our announcement post.

Instead, let’s compare the new kid on the block to this year’s refreshed iPad Air, which has a 10.5-inch Retina display that’s now very close in size to what you’d get on the 10.2-inch iPad. The bodies of both models now measure exactly 9.8 inches by 6.8 inches, although the Air has a tiny advantage in thinness. The Air costs more, but unless you’re really just out to save money or you don’t think you’ll need more space, the iPad Air undoubtedly will be the smarter buy at this size. Here’s why.

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Generally, Apple releases its big fall operating system updates at nearly the same time. We get the new iOS, tvOS, and watchOS all on the same day (or nearly so), and the new macOS within a week or two. Yes, there are further “point releases” to add features and fix bugs, but the big drop is often more or less at once.

This year is different. Apple started public tests of iOS 13.1 weeks before the release of iOS 13. It split the iPad off into its own OS with its own release date. The new macOS release is who-knows-when. And some features and devices are going to have to wait until a later date for updates. 

Here’s a quick guide to which of the 2019 fall OS updates are happening on what dates, and for what devices.

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Your Apple gear wasn’t cheap. And if you drop your iPhone, your iPad stops turning on one day, or you smack your Apple Watch into something and shatter it, getting it repaired probably won’t be cheap either.

Apple includes a one-year limited warranty with all hardware so if there’s a manufacturing defect, you’ll be covered. To also protect against accidental damage, plus extend the original warranty for longer and enjoy free tech support, you can opt to purchase AppleCare+. Here’s what it is, what it covers, and what you can expect to pay. Is AppleCare+ worth it? Only you can decide for your own situation, but this should be everything you need to know to make a smart choice.

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Looking for a way to save some money on the latest Apple products? Consider a refurbished MacBook, refurbished iPhone, or refurbished iPad from the Apple Certified Refurbished store. A refurbished product is just like a new, but at a lower price.

Here’s a quick guide with links to the best deals you can find on the refurb store, along with a FAQ guide if you want to know more about the ins and outs of the Apple Certified Refurbished store and buying a refurbished MacBook, desktop Mac, iPhone, or iPad. We make a recommendation of what to buy, but feel free to check out the store inventory to find the right model for you.

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In just a few hours, iPhone 11 preorders will open across the world, and millions of people are already setting their alarm clocks, favoriting their preferred color and storage combinations, and checking their upgrade eligibility. But before you can start tracking your shipment, there are a few things you need to know.

You need to use the Apple Store app

While you’ll be able to check your eligibility for an upgrade using Apple.com, if you want to complete the process, you’ll need to download the Apple Store app to do it since Apple doesn’t have a web interface for upgraders.

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To judge by a recent spate of email, Mac users are using Windows and Unix/Linux compatible drives more than ever. Many people have asked why their external drive appears and is grayed-out in the Time Machine preference pane’s excluded list. (Open the Time Machine preference pane and click Options to see that list.)

That’s because the drive isn’t formatted in a way that Time Machine can back up files from. While I’ve covered this in previous columns, it’s worth a quick refresher, given how many people are apparently currently dealing with this.

• Time Machine volumes must be HFS+ formatted, listed in Disk Utility as “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)”.

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Few people expected Apple to release an entirely new Apple Watch this week, and it’s likely the Apple Watch Series 5 largely slipped under the radar because it isn’t all that structurally different from its predecessor. The available display sizes remain 40mm and 44mm, and the battery life still clocks in at 18 hours. The starting price of $399 remains the same, and features like the built-in ECG and fall detector work on both models. And as is the case with all Apple Watch models, you can easily attach your favorite bands from the Series 4.

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With the announcement of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro on Tuesday, Apple rejiggered its iPhone lineup. In addition to the new phones, Apple is still selling the iPhone XR and iPhone 8 but with lower prices.

The iPhone 7, however, has been dropped from the lineup. It’s still available for purchase, however, in Apple’s online Clearance store. With prices starting at $399, it’s $50 cheaper than an iPhone 8. It could be a good deal for someone on a budget, or if you’re buying a phone for your kid.

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We’re still weeks away from the release of iOS 13, and Apple has started beta testing iOS 13.1. It’s a highly unusual move; we can’t recall Apple ever starting external beta tests of its iOS point releases well before the the prior version is finished.

This first major update to iOS 13 will bring several features that appear not to be in the initial iOS 13 release. The early timing makes us think that iOS 13.1 will be release relatively quickly after iOS 13, perhaps even by late September when the new iPhones are expected to release.

Updated 09/11/19: Apple has confirmed that iOS 13.1 will be released on September 30. Developer Beta 3 and Public Beta 3 have both been released.

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It was a big day for Apple this past Tuesday. We talk about the event itself, the new iPhones, Apple Arcade and Apple TV+, the new Apple Watch, and a lot, lot more in this episode of the Macworld Podcast.

This is episode 667 with Jason Cross, Leif Johnson, Roman Loyola, and Michael Simon.

Listen to episode 667

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Updated 09/11/19: Now that Apple’s ‘By innovation only’ September 10 event is over, we’re looking forward to a potential October event, and then more events in 2020.

Apple doesn’t often participate in big industry-wide events like CES or E3. The most valuable company in the world holds its own events, thank you very much. Several times a year, Apple invites the press and industry professionals out to a theater to hear all about its latest products and services. Apple calls these “Special Events,” and streams them online to its millions of fans.

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The display, the camera, the battery, a little extra water resistance, and a better charger. When you boil it all down, those are the only real differences between the iPhone 11 and the two iPhone 11 Pro models. That and $300 to $400. That’s not to say you shouldn’t spend the extra money on the Pro or Pro Max, but you should know what you’re getting for your money. So here’s how the three phones stack up:

iPhone 11 vs iPhone 11 Pros: Design

Apple didn’t deviate too much from the formula it presented in the iPhone XS and XR. That means in terms of body size the entry-level iPhone 11 is sandwiched between the new Pros, despite costing significantly less. Here’s how the three phones measure up:

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If you head over to Apple.com right now, the first thing you’ll see at the top of the page is the iPhone 11 Pro. It boats pro cameras, a pro display, and pro performance alongside an image of a triple-camera array that looks intense. Inside, Apple calls it “the first iPhone powerful enough to be called Pro.”

Hogwash. The iPhone 11 Pro runs the same A13 Bionic processor as the iPhone 11. It has many of the same camera features, including the new ultra wide lens. And the battery life, while rated for a fantastic 18 or 20 hours of video playback, isn’t all that much better than the iPhone 11’s 17 hours. In fact, in its intro teaser vid, the only feature Apple showed off was the camera bump.

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When it comes to smartphone features, photography reigns supreme. The iPhone 11’s camera was the main focus of the most prominent product images in Apple’s iPhone event Tuesday, and consumed the most overall time on stage. The iPhone 11 features major upgrades to the iPhone camera system across the product line, which is good, because the perception among smartphone-market watchers is that Apple’s photography game had fallen behind competitors like Google, Samsung, and Huawei.

After the event I got to spend some time with an iPhone 11 Pro and its Camera and Photos apps, both of which have been modified to support the new features of the iPhone 11 line. Here’s a look at what’s new and how it all fits together.

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Last year Apple called its lower-cost current-generation iPhone the “XR,” but this year’s comparable model gets the dignity of simply being called the “iPhone 11.” Case makers already have a pile of cool cases ready to go mere minutes after Apple’s announcement, and here we’ve compiled some of the standout models we know about for your convenience.

One note: We haven’t actually had a chance to handle many of these cases, so we don’t know how well they fit. Prior to an iPhone launch, case makers are usually working with schematics or dummy units, so occasionally you’ll find buttons that don’t properly line up once you slip them on the bonafide phone.

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There can be no denying that Apple’s “By innovation only” event on September 10 was packed full of rapid-fire announcements. We got a new 10.2-inch iPad, Apple Watch Series 5, iPhone 11, and iPhone 11 Pro (in two sizes), along with pricing and release details for Apple Arcade and Apple TV+.

That’s a busy morning! But we didn’t get everything we expected or hoped for. The rumor mill was abuzz with lots of leaks leading up to the event, and it painted a picture that, as usual, didn’t quite match reality. Here are some of the things we heard about and hoped to see, but didn’t.

Apple Tags

The most obvious omission (if you can call it that) was Apple’s Tile-like trackers, which most have taken to calling “Apple Tags.” There were multiple rumors—from reliable sources, no less—of their existence prior to the event, with some even claiming references to them in internal iOS 13 software builds.

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