Black Friday 2020: Where to Get the Best Deals on Apple Gear
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It’s that time of year again for Thanksgiving Turkey and Black Friday deals, and much like last year, you don’t have to wait until tomorrow to actually get some great deals on Apple gear.
In fact, many online retailers have started their Black Friday deals early this year, and while we’re sure to see a few door crasher specials tomorrow, it’s not hard to find some great prices on your favourite Apple products already.
So, whether it’s a new M1 Max equipped MacBook Pro or Apple’s latest AirPods that you’ve been waiting for, there are deals to be found everywhere. Here’s what you can expect from some of the biggest retailers this time around.
Apple Black Friday Deals
Like last year, Apple took the unusual step of pre-announcing its Black Friday deals earlier this week, so we don’t expect to see any surprises tomorrow in terms of what you’ll get from visiting an Apple Store.
Apple is offering gift cards with the purchase of various products, rather than discounting them directly, which means you’re basically just getting store credit to buy more Apple products. The good news, however, is that thanks to Apple’s shift to a universal gift card last year, you can also spend these gift cards on anything from iTunes Movies to Apple Music subscriptions to in-game currency by adding the gift card to your Apple ID.
As usual, Apple also isn’t offering gift cards for most of its recent products, and at least some of these promotions are really just an attempt to clear out old stock. For example, the highest gift card value of $200 is only available with the purchase of last year’s 27-inch iMac — the last Intel model that will almost certainly be replaced with an M1 Pro/Max version next year.
Still, there are a few good deals to be had directly from Apple. Purchasing any version of AirPods — including the latest third-generation model released in September — will net you a $75 gift card, although you can likely do better on Amazon. That’s assuming you can find them in stock, however, as the entire AirPods lineup is selling like hotcakes thanks to the deep discounts that are available right now.
Apple is also offering a $100 gift card with the purchase of an iPad Pro, M1 MacBook Air, or 13-inch MacBook Pro. The new 14-inch and 16-inch models aren’t included.
A smattering of other Apple products come with a $50 gift card, and some of these may be worth it, simply because you’re not likely to find substantial discounts on some of these items elsewhere. This includes a four-pack of AirTags, the second-generation Apple Pencil, and the MagSafe Duo, effectively dropping all these below the $100 mark.
One product that’s conspicuously absent from Apple’s Black Friday deals this year is the HomePod mini. To be fair, the smaller HomePod was never part of the deals as it was brand new last year, but apart from a splash of colour, the HomePod mini is the same product from last fall. Apple offered a $100 gift card with the purchase of a full-sized HomePod, last year, but that larger speaker has since been discontinued.
Presumably the HomePod mini is still selling well enough that Apple doesn’t feel the need to discount it in any way, but it’s still surprising considering that even the latest AirPods are included in Apple’s Black Friday event this time around. Still, we’re not realy seeing any deals on the HomePod mini anywhere else either.
Apple’s Black Friday deals are available both online and in-store, although the only physical location open today is the company’s flagship Fifth Avenue Store, a 24-hour location that will only be closing for one hour tonight at 11 p.m. before reopening at midnight for Black Friday. Nonetheless, Apple’s Black Friday deals don’t start until tomorrow anyway, at which point they’ll be available until Monday, November 29.
Amazon Black Friday Deals
We’ve seen some great deals on Apple products at Amazon, but this year you’re going to need to move fast as stock levels are fluctuating rapidly. Here are some of the best we’ve seen:
- AirPods Max for $429 ($120 off) ($39 discount applied at checkout)
- AirPods 3 for $149 (discount applied at checkout)
- AirPods Pro with MagSafe for $159 ($90 off)
- AirPods 2 for $99 ($60 off)
- M1 MacBook Air for $849–$1,099 ($150 off)
- Apple Pencil (2nd Generation) for $99 ($30 off)
- 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro for $1,099 ($200 off)
- 2021 Apple TV 4K 32GB for $160 ($20 off)
All the above products are selling out quickly, and some are already out of stock as of this writing, however that could change at any moment, so you may want to bookmark some of these links to check back later.
Note also that some of these discounts won’t be reflected until you actually hit the checkout screen, so if the prices don’t match what we’ve listed above, drop them into your cart anyway and proceed through. You should see an automatic coupon applied before actually confirming your payment information.
Best Buy Black Friday Deals
While Best Buy has some great Black Friday deals overall, they’re not offering as much this year in the way of deals on Apple gear. Most of it is the same as what you’ll find on Amazon, although you may have better luck finding the items in stock.
- M1 MacBook Air for $849–$1,099 ($150 off
- AirPods Pro with MagSafe for $189 ($60 off)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi 128GB for $999 ($100 off)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro WI-Fi 256GB for $1,099 ($100 off)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi 512GB for $1,249 ($150 off)
- 11-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi 128GB for $749 ($50 off)
- 11-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi 256GB for $849 ($50 off)
- Magic Keyboard for 12.9-inch iPad Pro for $199 ($150 off)
Notably, purchasing AirPods from Best Buy will also net you a six-month trial of Apple Music, but as usual that’s only available if you’re a new subscriber.
Best Buy also has an interesting deal on a $100 Apple Gift Card, where it’s throwing in a $15 Best Buy e-gift card, plus six months of Apple Music, six months of Apple News+, and three months of Apple TV+. Again, though, it’s for new subscribers to these services only.
Walmart Black Friday Deals
Not to ever be outdone by Amazon, Walmart is also offering some great Black Friday deals on Apple products. In fact, it was the first to offer the steepest AirPods Pro discount we’ve ever seen, which was only later matched by Amazon.
- AirPods Pro with MagSafe for $159 ($90 off)
- AirPods Max for $429 ($120 off) (select colours only)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi, 128GB for $999 ($100 off)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Wi-Fi, 256GB for $1,099 ($100 off)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Wi-Fi, 1TB for $1,649 ($150 off)
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro, Wi-Fi 2TB for $2,049 ($150 off)
- Apple Watch Series 6 GPS for $349 ($50 off)
We’re also generally seeing more consistent stock levels at Walmart, at least online. Product availability at your local store will vary, of course.