Apple doesn’t really ‘do’ Black Friday, at least not the way other stores do. There’s no weeks-ahead leaked ad, and historically not much in the way of Black Friday discounts.
In 2016 and 2017, in fact, Apple offered only gift cards with various purchases. There was a $25 gift card when you bought an Apple Watch Series 1, for example, and a $100 gift card with select iPads.
Will this year be different? We’ll find out on Friday, Nov. 23, which kicks off Apple’s four-day shopping event. As always, Apple is keeping mum about the specifics. It might be gift cards again, or perhaps Apple will try to jump-start declining iPhone sales with some actual discounts.
Right now, Apple has set some deals live on its Australia store and it looks like our suspicions were correct: it’s all gift cards. It appears Apple is offering the following amounts for each purchase. Note that all of this is pure conjecture based on the Australian models available and the gift card amounts listed on that site. When the sale goes live tonight in the US, we will update this post.
- With select iPhone purchase: $50 gift card (The Australian site does not list the new XS, XS Max or XR as part of this deal.)
- With select iPads: $100 gift card (The new iPad Pro is not included on the Australian site.)
- With select Macs: $200 gift card (Does not list the new MacBook Air or Mac Mini.)
- With an Apple Watch: $50 gift card (Only lists Series 3 models, which are on sale elsewhere.)
- With a HomePod: $50 gift card
- With an Apple TV: $25 gift card
- With select Beats headphones: $50 gift card
Either way, you might be able to do better at one of Apple’s retail partners. Here are all the Black Friday deals on Apple products we’re tracking now:
- The best Black Friday deals on Apple products
- Black Friday 2018 deals at Best Buy — including the best HomePod deal ever
- Apple AirPods: Get up to $50 off
Oh, and don’t forget: All year round, you can score savings on Apple gear by opting for refurbs. The Apple Watch Series 3 GPS 38mm, for example? It’s currently $239 refurbished, a savings of $40.