Amazon Prime Day
Amazon Prime Day is a shopping holiday meant to rival Black Friday as a global consumer event. It began as a day of deals in 2015 and later expanded to a two-day sale for Amazon Prime members. Prime Day 2021 occurred on June 21 and 22, with many Apple deals extended for "Prime Week". Stay tuned for when Prime Day 2022 is announced.
● Two-day Amazon shopping event
● Prime subscribers only
● Has grown in popularity after a shaky start
● Stay tuned for Prime Day 2022 start date
● Typically includes some Apple products
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Amazon Prime Day is a shopping holiday that the online retailer started in 2015. While it got off to a rocky start, Amazon Prime Day is now a popular event, with customers scouring the site for Black Friday and Cyber Monday types of deals. Among countless other discounted items, each year's sale typically includes some Apple products.
The consumer holiday doesn't have a set date that remains consistent through different years. Amazon typically announces each year's event around two weeks in advance.
Prime Week 2021 Deals
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Apple hardware discounts
Amazon isn't the only place to secure the best deals on Apple hardware. Third-party resellers are also getting in on the action by slashing prices throughout Prime week and beyond, with many of the discounts available exclusively for AppleInsider readers.
AirPods
M1 Mac mini
M1 MacBook Air
M1 MacBook Pro 13"
*Price with coupon code APINSIDER using this activation link at Apple Authorized Reseller Adorama.
iMacs
iPad Air 4
- 10.9" iPad Air (64GB, Wi-Fi): $519.99 ($80 off)
iPad 8th Generation
- 10.2" iPad (32GB, Wi-Fi): $299 ($30 off)
Apple Pencil
Apple Watches
- Apple Watch Series 6 (44mm, GPS, Red Aluminum, Red Sport Band): $349.99 ($70 off)
Apple TV
*Price with promo code APINSIDER with this Adorama activation link.
Televisions
- Sony A8H 55-inch BRAVIA OLED TV: $1,298 ($602 off)
Cricut cutters
- Cricut Explore Air 2 in Mint: $169 (32% off)
Accessories
- Anker Nano USB-C Charger: $25.49 (15% off)
- Nomad iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands & more on sale: (Up to 30% off)
What is Amazon Prime Day?
Founder Jeff Bezos and company pitched the first Prime Day as a celebration of the Amazon website's 20th anniversaryAmazon Prime Day is an annual shopping holiday designed to rival Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The sale lasts two days. Before 2020, Amazon always held it in mid-July of each year.
Amazon staggers many shorter deals throughout the two-day event. It includes many limited-time discounts that may only last several hours. High-demand items frequently sell out before the deal expires.
Amazon announces some deals in advance — often including Amazon-made devices like Kindle and Echo. However, "Flash Deals" often remain a mystery until they go live on the website.
The surprise factor encourages customers to check back continually, leading to unplanned purchases. The continual discovery of new offers can also bring about non-stop media coverage, essentially providing Amazon with free advertising throughout the entire two-day event.
Frequently-asked questions
When is Amazon Prime Day?
From 2015 to 2019, Amazon held Prime Day in mid-July. The online seller held the first Prime Day in honor of the website's 20th anniversary that month.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon pushed back Prime Day 2020 to October.
Prime Day 2021 occurred on June 21 and 22. Once Prime Day 2022 is announced, AppleInsider will update this page with the latest Apple-related deals as they launch. Be sure to bookmark this page and check back.
Does Amazon Prime Day include Apple deals?
Yes. The 2021sale included numerous Apple products, including AirPods for $60 off, $120 off an Apple Watch Series 6, and up to $200 off M1 MacBooks.
In 2019, Amazon became an official Apple Authorized Reseller. Prime Day listings described as both "sold by" and "ships from" Amazon.com are guaranteed to be official Apple products.
In recent years, Prime Day has included Apple dealsThird-party resellers can sell Apple products on Amazon, but they may present some risk of receiving counterfeits, open-box items listed as new, or other issues.
Viewing seller ratings and reviews can help shoppers discern whether a particular deal is trustworthy.
When was it held in the past?
Amazon's sale has fallen on the following dates:
- 2015 - July 15
- 2016 - July 12
- 2017 - July 11 and 12
- 2018 - July 16 and 17
- 2019 - July 15 and 16
- 2020 - October 13 and 14
- 2021 - June 21 and 22
Amazon postponed the 2020 event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It isn't yet clear whether the company will return to the July slot or postpone it again for 2021.
Does Amazon Prime Day have good deals?
Amazon's sales often provide steep discounts from standard retail pricing.
In 2015, the event's first year, customers complained that most sale items were far from popular. Social media users criticized the event for serving as little more than an "Amazon garage sale."
Today, Amazon's shopping event has much better deals than in its divisive first yearHowever, the company began offering more appealing sale items in subsequent years. In 2016, Amazon said customers placed 60% more orders than in the first year.
Today, Prime Day's high-profile deals are much closer to Black Friday sales than they were at the beginning.
Does it require a Prime Membership?
Yes, Prime Day deals are only available to Amazon Prime members.
An Amazon Prime subscription costs $119 annually or $12.99 per month.
Is there a Prime student discount?
Yes, Amazon has a Prime student discount program. Students can pay $59 per year or $6.49 per month.
Students are required to submit documentation to verify their eligibility.
How much money do customers save?
Amazon says that customers saved $1.4 billion during the 2020 shopping event.
What are the most popular items?
According to Amazon, its Amazon Music promotions offered the best deal ever for Prime members and drove more sign-ups for Amazon Music Unlimited worldwide than any other Prime Day.
The company listed top-selling item types, excluding Amazon devices, from several other regions:
- Germany and Austria: Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Android Tablet
- France: Philips OneBlade replacement blades
- Singapore: Vita Coco Natural Coconut Water
- Australia: DualSense Wireless Controller for the PlayStation 5
- United Arab Emirates: Fairy Lemon Dishwashing Liquid Soap
Amazon says the Fire TV Stick 4K with Alexa Voice Remote was the most popular global purchase.
The company also mentioned that customers purchased a record-setting number of Fire TVs, from brands including Toshiba and Insignia.
How much money do third-party sellers make?
Amazon says third-party sellers made over $3.5 billion in 2020.
Does the event include anything other than deals?
In 2018, Amazon began partnering with artists to include live concerts for Prime customers. That year, the firm held an event with Ariana Grande that streamed on Amazon Video and Twitch.
A 2019 concert featured a performance by Taylor Swift and other popular musical acts.
