Story highlights
Apple is holding a "one-day shopping event" on Black Friday
Discounts are expected on iPads, iPods and Macs but not iPhones
Even a discounted iPad has competition from smaller, less expensive tablets
If you’ve been weighing buying a new Mac or iPad but are holding out for one of Apple’s rare discounts, Black Friday is your chance.
As it’s done in recent years, Apple is holding a “one-day shopping event” for the day after Thanksgiving. A page on Apple’s site invites Black Friday shoppers to visit its online store; it’s not clear whether the same deals will be offered at the company’s retail stores as well.
Apple’s promotional copy touts “iPad, iPod and Mac gifts.” Conspicuously absent is any mention of deals on the new iPhone 4S, which starts at $199 (with two-year wireless-carrier contract) and will probably not be discounted.
In typically cryptic fashion, the company isn’t offering specifics on its seasonal markdowns. But the blog 9to5Mac published what it claims are some leaked details: Modest discounts of $101 on Macs, $41-$61 on iPads (depending on storage capacity) and $21-$41 on iPods.
Those would be in line with the Black Friday deals Apple offered last year, although the company only marked its iPads down by $41.
9to5Mac also says some accessories, such as iPad covers, will be discounted Friday. There was no mention of any deals on iPhones.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment Wednesday on the report or on potential discounts.
Even at a briefly discounted price of $458, the cheapest iPad has new competition this holiday season from smaller, less expensive tablets like Amazon’s Kindle Fire ($199) and Barnes & Noble’s Nook Tablet ($249). BlackBerry also has slashed the price of its 7-inch PlayBook tablet from $499 to about $200, depending on the retailer.
Some observers also had expected Black Friday to mark the debut of Apple’s huge new retail store inside New York City’s iconic Grand Central Station. But according to tech-news blog Mashable, a CNN.com content partner, construction workers at the site don’t expect the store to open until December.
