Apple products are rarely discounted and almost never discounted directly by Apple. If you want to save on a new MacBook, an iPhone or another Apple product this Friday, follow some of these tips.
Check retailers
Your best bet is to check retailers that sell Apple products instead of walking into an Apple Store, where you won't find big discounts.
- Best Buy is already discounting the iPad by $60 for example, a price you wouldn't get if you were to just go into an Apple Store. Best Buy will also offer up to $250 on "select MacBooks" and $125 off the iPad mini 4.
- Walmart will sell the iPhone 8 with a $300 gift card if you buy the phone on an AT&T or Verizon contract. It will also sell the new iPad for just $250.
- B&H Photo is discounting several Apple products. A quick search of the site shows discounts ranging from $150 to $700 on MacBook Pros and $150 off of the 27-inch iMac. Here's a look at all of the retailer's discounts.
- Target's deals vary by location but, according to my local listing, it has some pretty serious savings on Apple products. Target is knocking $150 off of the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, offering the iPad for $250, selling the iPad mini 4 for $399 and including a $250 gift card with an iPhone 8 activation.
- Newegg also has steep discounts on iPads, the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and more.
Comparison shop
If you can't find an item in stock at one store but see it's available in another, remember that some retailers will price match. Best Buy, for example, will often price match an item if it's on sale at another location. Just be sure to bring a copy of the sale to show your salesperson.
Consider open box deals
Retailers often sell products that are returned, but are still in great condition, as an "open box" deal. These can sometimes save you hundreds of dollars, perhaps even more than a Black Friday deal itself. Best Buy lets you check for open box discounts at locations near you, and people who aren't in the know won't be knocking down doors to get to them.
Know what you're buying
Lastly, make sure you know what you're buying. Check the model year of a MacBook, for example, to make sure you're not just buying last year's version. Also, while browsing for deals, I noticed that some retailers have the Apple Watch Series 3 listed at $329 in Black Friday discount materials. That's the normal price, so make sure you're actually getting a discount.