Apple’s Black Friday Deals Are Live in Australia, Giving Us a Hint of What to Expect Tomorrow

Unlike some retailers, Apple still plays its cards close to the vest when it comes to its Black Friday deals, announcing almost no specifics until the day that Black Friday arrives.

One thing that even Apple can’t change, however, is that Black Friday starts on the other side of the globe a day earlier than it does in the U.S., and since Apple has retail stores in Australia, that means that its Black Friday deals have already gone live in the land down under.

Apple did tease its deals earlier this week, giving us a clue about what to expect; as in prior years, the company said it will be offering gift cards with the purchase of certain products, but didn’t offer any insight into what those products would be. In previous years, Apple has pointedly excluded current iPhone and iPad models, as well as its AirPods, and of course only given maximum gift card value for those purchasing Macs.

If the deals that have just gone live in Australia are any indication (and they usually are), it looks like Apple is being only very slightly more generous this year, and we’ll bet good money you can still find better deals elsewhere, especially in the U.S., where Black Friday is a really big deal.

Most significantly, it looks like AirPods will actually be included this year, with Apple offering a $40 AUD (~$25 USD) gift card with the purchase of the second-generation AirPods, either with or without the wireless charging case. The brand new AirPods Pro aren’t part of the deal of course, which isn’t the least bit surprising considering that Apple can’t even make them fast enough to keep up with demand right now, so it has no real need to offer users extra incentives to buy them.

The $40 AUD (~$25 USD) gift card is also available when buying an Apple TV, Apple TV 4K, or an Apple Watch Series 3. Users can also get an $80 AUD (~$50 USD) gift card when purchasing a HomePod.

Apple’s iPhone XR and iPhone 8 models will come with an $80 AUD (~$50 USD) gift card, but as usual the brand new iPhone 11 models are not part of the deal. Apple is offering gift card values between $80 AUD and $160 AUD (~$50–$100 USD) when buying an iPad Air, iPad mini, or iPad Pro, however Apple’s new 10.2-inch iPad is not part of the deal.

Likewise, while Apple is offering various Black Friday deals on its iMac and MacBook models, the new 16-inch MacBook Pro is not included.

To summarize, based on everything that Apple is offering up for its Black Friday deals in Australia, here are the gift card deals we’re likely to see in Apple’s U.S. stores tomorrow:

$200 Gift Card

• 13-inch MacBook Pro
• iMac
• iMac Pro
  

$100 Gift Card

• MacBook Air
• iPad Pro
• Beats Studio3 Wireless Headphones
  

$50 Gift Card

• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone XR
• iPad Air
• iPad mini
• HOmePOd
• Beats Solo3 Wireless
• Powerbeats3 Wireless
• Powerbeats Pro
  

$25 Gift Card

• Apple Watch Series 3
• AirPods with wireless charging case
• AirPods without wireless charging case
• Apple TV 4K
• Apple TV HD
  

As we saw earlier this week, Apple is also offering hundreds of movies on sale on iTunes along with free App Store and iTunes Store bonus credit if you add money directly to your Apple ID. If you’re an Apple Card user, you can also get an extra 3% cashback on any hardware purchases from Apple, either online or in-store, along with any iTunes Store or App Store purchases.

Apple’s Black Friday deals are expected to launch in the U.S., Canada, and several European countries tomorrow, and will run through Cyber Monday, Dec. 2.

Other Black Friday Deals

Although this is one of the very rare times when Apple offers any kind of deals in its own retail store, there’s a very good chance you’ll be able to find better offers elsewhere — even on Apple’s latest iPhones. For example, Target is offering a $200 gift card with the purchase of an iPhone 11, and many carriers around the world are offering similarly great deals, especially for those who are wiling to re-up their contracts.

You can also find great deals on Apple’s more recent products elsewhere — products that Apple itself isn’t discounting. For example, Best Buy is offering up the 10.2-inch 32 GB iPad for $249 or the 128GB model for $329. You can also get $200 off the 2019 MacBook Air, 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro, and both 2019 iMac 4K and iMac 5K models. For the MacBook Air this is a better deal overall, but even on the MacBook Pro or iMac models, a straight $200 discount is better than a gift card.

Similarly, Amazon is also offering some pretty great discounts on Apple’s MacBooks, with $200 off on the entry-level 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro models and the 2019 MacBook Air, and even $300 off on some of the higher-end MacBook Pros. Amazon is also selling Apple’s newest 16-inch MacBook Pro for $200 off, and you can also nab Apple’s standard AirPods with Wireless Charging Case from Amazon for only $154.99 — a much better deal than Apple’s $25 gift card offer..

If you’re planning on heading out into the Black Friday fray tomorrow — either in person or virtually — be sure to also check out our List of Black Friday Tips for Getting Great Deals on Apple Products.