Black Friday Deals on Apple: Where to Find the Best

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Planning on buying a new iPhone or other Apple product before the holidays this year? If you are, you may want to wait just a little while longer. Black Friday, the traditional start to the holiday shopping season for brick-and-mortar retailers in the U.S., is almost here. Known as Black Friday because it is the day when many retailers go from being in the red to being in the black, the first Friday after Thanksgiving is also the day when many stores kick off some of their biggest sales of the year.

However, in recent years, many stores have started their Black Friday sales earlier in the week or even extended their sales far past the first weekend after Thanksgiving. Cyber Monday, the first Monday following Black Friday, has also become an important day for online retailers over the past several years. Just like physical stores feature Black Friday sales, online stores typically offer special discounts for orders made on Cyber Monday. Although Apple features extended hours and special deals at its retail stores on Black Friday, many of the best deals on Apple products are usually found at third-party retailers. While Apple has yet to reveal details of its Black Friday plans this year, last year the California-based company offered gift cards in lieu of price cuts.

With so many different sales taking place around the same time, it can be a little confusing for Apple shoppers to figure out which stores are offering the best deals for a particular product. In order to help you find the best deal on the items that you are shopping for, we have compiled a list of six major retailers that are featuring special sales on popular Apple products at their stores on Black Friday or during the weeks and days around the shopping holiday. It should be noted that some retailers have not revealed all of the details about their Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales yet and that some sales may vary based on store location and other factors.

Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

Retailer: Walmart

Products: iPad Air 2, iPhone 6, iPad Air, iPhone 5S, iPad mini

Sale dates: November 21 – November 27 and November 27 evening – December 1

Retail giant Walmart also kicked off its holiday sales a little early this year with a “Pre-Black Friday Event” that started on November 21 and will run through November 27. During this sale, the Wi-Fi-only version of the 16GB iPad Air 2 will be offered for $489 along with a $100 gift card. This effectively reduces the price of Apple’s latest entry-level iPad to just $389 from its suggested retail price of $499. The entry-level iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S will be offered for $179 and $79, respectively, along with a $75 Walmart gift card and a standard two-year service contract from Sprint, AT&T or Verizon. However, AT&T Next or Verizon Edge customers may qualify to get the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S for $0 down.

After the Pre-Black Friday Event, Walmart will kick off its “New Black Friday” sale starting on the evening of November 27 (Thanksgiving Day) and running through December 1 (Cyber Monday). According to Walmart, exclusive New Black Friday sale deals include a Wi-Fi-only version of the first-generation 16GB iPad mini for $199 plus a $30 gift card and a Wi-Fi-only version of the first-generation 16GB iPad Air for $397 plus a $100 gift card. Although supplies are limited, Walmart is providing a “1-Hour Guarantee” that ensures customers will get the Black Friday sale price as long as they are in line one hour before the event starts.

Source: Apple.com

Retailer: Sam’s Club

Products: iPhone 6, iPad Air, and iTunes gift cards

Sale dates: November 15 – December 31

Like its parent company Walmart, warehouse club chain Sam’s Club is also kicking off its Black Friday sale early this year. According to a flyer provided by BGR, Sam’s Club began offering $100 discounts on the various iPhone 6 models on November 15. The 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB iPhone 6 models will be offered for $99, $199, and $299, respectively, with a standard two-year service contract. Last year’s 16GB iPad Air will also be offered with a $100 discount off the regular price. The iPhone discount is only available for in-store purchases, while the iPad Air sale is also available online. However, you may want to call your local Sam’s Club before making the trip. According to the flyer, iPhone 6 supplies are limited with only 40 to 50 iPhones available per club.

Sam’s Club is also offering Black Friday discounts on purchases of iTunes gift cards, according to GottaDeal.com. A multipack of four $25 iTunes gift cards will be offered for $79.47, while a $50 iTunes gift card will sell for $39.98.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Retailer: Best Buy

Products: iPad Air, iPod touch, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, iPhone 6, and various Macs

Sale dates: November 27 evening – November 28

From 5 PM to 1 AM on Thursday, November 27, Best Buy will open its doors for the first phase of its Black Friday sale. Notable Black Friday sales include a $100 discount on all iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 models. The 16GB iPhone 6 will be available for $99.99, while various models of the MacBook Pro, Retina MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac (non-Retina version) will feature discounts ranging from $120 to $200 off the regular prices. Other sale items include the Wi-Fi-only 16GB iPad Air, which will be offered for $319.99, or $80 less than its regular price. Various other versions of the first-generation iPad Air will be discounted by $80 to $100. Best Buy will also be offering the fifth-generation 64GB iPod touch for $249.99, $50 less than the regular retail price.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Retailer: Target

Products: iPhone 6, iPhone 5S, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3

Sale dates: November 27 evening – November 29

Target will kick off its Black Friday sale at 6 PM on Thursday, November 27. Multiple Apple products will be bundled with gift card offers during Target’s Black Friday sale, including various iPhone and iPad models. The entry-level iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S will be offered for $179 and $79, respectively, along with a $30 Target gift card and a standard two-year contract. Similarly, all versions of the first-generation iPad Air, iPad mini 2, and iPad mini 3 will be offered at the regular prices, but will include a $100 gift card. The Wi-Fi-only version of the 16GB iPad Air 2 will be offered with a $140 gift card. Shoppers can also qualify for an additional 5% discount on all their purchases if they are made using Target’s REDcard.

Source: Apple.com

Retailer: Staples

Products: iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad with Retina display (fourth generation), and Apple TV

Sale dates: November 23 – November 28

Staples will be offering various iPad models and the Apple TV at discounted prices throughout the week leading into Black Friday. The first-generation Wi-Fi-only version of the 16GB iPad Air will be on sale for $319, $80 less than its suggested retail price. The Wi-Fi-only version of the 16GB iPad mini 2 will be on sale for $239 ($60 discount), while the fourth-generation Wi-Fi-only iPad with Retina display will be on sale for $279 ($70 discount). Staples is also offering the Apple TV for just $79, which is $20 less than its regular price.

(LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images)

Retailer: Amazon

Products: various

Sale dates: November 21 – November 28 and December 1 – December 8

Although Amazon is exclusively an online retailer, the company is featuring a full week of Black Friday sales before launching into another full week of Cyber Monday sales. According to Amazon, one of the featured items in its Black Friday sale is Apple’s Beats Studio Over-Ear Headphones that are on sale for $199.99. Unfortunately, it’s not clear what other Apple products will be included in Amazon’s two-week sales event because many of the deals are limited-time Lightning Deals and Deals of the Day that are updated as often as every 10 minutes. Still, Apple fans may want to keep an eye on Amazon’s two sales in case the e-commerce giant kicks off a limited-time Apple product sale. You can get the latest sales updates by subscribing to Amazon’s deals emails.

There are many other online retailers that will also be offering special deals on Apple products around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Apple Insider provides a good overview of the various deals that some major online retailers have on popular Apple products with its regularly updated price guide.

Follow Nathanael on Twitter @ArnoldEtan_WSCS

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