Apple's Black Friday Deals Could Be Gift Card-Oriented, Rather Than Product Discounts
by Joe White
November 28, 2013
The annual one-day shopping event known as Black Friday is almost upon us. Countless products will be discounted at retailers across the United States, including a selection of Apple's own iDevices. However, according to a recent report, Apple's Black Friday offerings for 2013 could concern gift cards, rather than discounted products.
Instead of offering iTunes Gift Cards as per the Cupertino, Calif. company's popular "Back to School" campaign, however, Apple is expected to offer Apple Store Gift Cards with purchased items over the course of Black Friday. The news comes in a recent report from 9to5mac, which explains:
The gift cards will be included with Apple’s flagship products, such as Macs, iPods, and iOS Devices, in addition to third-party accessories. The gift card amounts are said to fluctuate based on the product. For example, gift cards that accompany accessories will have lower amounts of money than Macs.The website argues that accessories such as the Dropcam will carry a $25 gift card, while iPads could offer a $50 gift card. Higher priced products, such as Apple's Mac computers, will include $100 gift cards, 9to5mac claims. It would be odd for Apple to avoid offering discounts of any kind, especially since competing retailers in the United States are discounting its iPhone, iPad, and even iDevice-related accessories. Carriers such as T-Mobile are also discounting Apple's iPhone. As such, the report goes on to cover its own back somewhat, and there are plenty of uncertainties:
it’s still plausible that discount pricing could be available for some products via Apple’s online store. Apple is yet to confirm that this year’s deal will be gift-card centric, and, of course, plans could always change. It’s also uncertain if this gift card promotion is U.S.-only or worldwide.Our advice? If you're in the market for a new iDevice or a costly accessory, set an early alarm tomorrow morning and scan through your options. Most Apple Retail Stores are opening at 6 a.m. local time. For an idea of last year's Apple Retail Store and Apple Online Store Black Friday discounts, take a look at our original article. See also: Peggle-Like Papa Pear Saga Bounces Into iOS As King's Next Potential Smash Hit, Apple's iPhones Make Up 76 Percent Of All New Smartphone Sales In Japan, and As Night Falls, Badland's Day II Chapter Comes To An Epic Conclusion ... With Lasers.
