Apple launches its Black Friday sales event, but these deals already beat it
The full list of Apple's Black Friday gift cards
Some excellent Apple Black Friday deals are starting to surface ahead of the big event, but now Apple has given us an alternative with its 'Apple Store Shopping Event'. This kicks off on November 24, but offers gifts cards – rather than discounts – on some select products.
Apple says its event will run from November 24 through to the end of November 27 (in other words, Black Friday to Cyber Monday) and right now all we have is a preview of the gift card offers (see table below), rather than an exhaustive list.
Still, that's enough to give us an idea of what potential deals are in store – and overall, most of them are unlikely to beat the best Black Friday deals on Apple gear that you'll be able to find from retailers.
Firstly, because Apple is only offering gifts cards on your next purchase, rather than discounts, they're only really a saving if you know you're going to buy something else from Apple in the near future (for example, an accessory for your new Mac).
Also, Apple has omitted some of its best (and most recent) launches from its list of qualifying products for its shopping event. For example, the 'up to $75 / £60 gift card' on select iPhones doesn't include the iPhone 15 series. Fortunately, you can find discounts on Apple's latest models in our Black Friday iPhone deals guide
The 9th-gen iPad 10.2 (2021) doesn't qualify for the 'up to $100 / £80 gift card' offered on other iPads, which could have made it a real bargain. But again, you can still pick up that 9th-gen iPad for only $229 from Amazon right now (even if it appears to now be out of stock at Amazon UK).
If you're ready to start planning your Apple Black Friday strategy, here's the list of all of its Shopping Event gift cards so far – and further down you can see the best early Black Friday Apple deals that we've unearthed, too.
Apple Store Shopping Event deals
Row 0 - Cell 0 | Gift card | Models |
iPhone | Up to $75 / £60 gift card | iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone SE |
Mac | Up to $200 / £160 gift card | MacBook Air, Mac mini |
iPad | Up to $100 / £80 gift card | iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad (10th gen), iPad mini |
Watch | $50 / £40 gift card | Watch Series 9, Watch SE |
AirPods | Up to $75 / £60 gift card | AirPods (2nd gen), AirPods (3rd gen), AirPods Pro (2nd gen), AirPods Max |
Apple TV | Up to $50 / £40 gift card | Apple TV 4K |
HomePod | Up to $50 / £40 gift card | HomePod |
Beats | Up to $50 / £40 gift card | Beats Studio Pro, Beats Solo3 Wireless, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Fit Pro, Beats Studio Buds +, Beats Studio Buds, Beats Flex |
Accessories | Up to $50 / £40 gift card | Magic Keyboard, Magic Keyboard Folio, Apple Pencil (2nd generation), Smart Keyboard Folio |
Best Apple Black Friday deals so far (US)
Apple Watch Series 9 (45mm): was $429.99 now $359 at Walmart
New record-low price: We didn't expect to see such a big discount on the Watch 9 so soon, given it only came out in October. But this $70 price cut sees it fall to its lowest price so far, and one that may not be bettered in the Black Friday sales. The Series 9 brings a more powerful chip, brighter display and 18 hours of battery life. With Apple's new double-tap feature also on board to give you hands-free controls, it's one of the best smartwatches we've tested.
AirPods 3rd Gen: was $169 now $139.99 at Amazon
Amazon has just dropped the price of Apple's latest AirPods back down the level they were at last week – which is only $10 off their record low. Check out our Apple AirPods 3 review to our full verdict on them, but we called them 'a big step up from their predecessors' and a 'worthy upgrade' if you have older AirPods.
Apple iPhone 15 series: get a free Apple TV 4K and 6 months of Apple One with a device at Verizon
If you're looking to get a new iPhone and Apple TV, then you're unlikely to find a better deal than this from Verizon. For every iPhone 15 series purchase, the carrier is offering a a free Apple TV 4K and six months of the Apple One subscription. You can also combine this promotion with the various trade-ins and other deals that it's currently offering.
Apple iPad 10.2 2021 (64GB): was $329 now $229 at Amazon
This 9th-gen iPad doesn't qualify for Apple's Shopping Event gift cards, but fortunately this excellent deal has brought it down to a record-low price of $229. If you mainly need a table for browsing, streaming movies and some light work, then this 10.2-inch iPad is a fine choice – particularly with today's $100 discount.
Apple 2023 MacBook Air 15 M2 laptop: was $1,299.99 now $1,049 at Amazon
This hefty 19% discount on the new MacBook Air M2 sees it match the lowest price we've seen for it. To get the full discount, just apply the voucher that's included on the page. The 2023 MacBook Air combines a 15.3-inch liquid retina display with Apple's powerful M2 chip and an impressive 18 hours of battery life.
Best Apple Black Friday deals so far (UK)
iPhone 12: was £549 now £449 at John Lewis
This John Lewis deal takes the iPhone 12 down a price that's lower than Amazon – in fact, we've never seen it cheaper at the retailer. Right now, only the red version is still available at this price. But if you want a different one, then Very is currently offering the same deal.
iPhone 13: was £599 now £549 at Amazon
The recent launch of the iPhone 15 has been good news for anyone looking for discounts on the iPhone 13 – it's now available for £50 off at Amazon. Although if you have an iPhone to trade in, you may be better off picking Apple over Amazon due to its trade-in offers.
NEW MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3, 2023): was £1,699 now £1,569 at Amazon
It's only been out a few weeks, but Amazon has already cut £130 from the price of the latest MacBook Pro 14-inch model. Considering the Pro range isn't included in Apple's Shopping Event gift vouchers, that's very good news indeed. This model has the base M3 chip, which is still more than enough for most tasks unless you're looking for more memory.
MacBook Air (M1, 2020): was £999 now £799 at Amazon
While there's now a newer M2 Air, this M1 model is still a great option that's more than powerful enough for everyday tasks – and it's a particularly good choice at this price. While it has been £24 cheaper before, it's still a great deal considering its impressive battery life and performance. Our MacBook Air M1 review called it a 'game-changer' and that's still the case if you need a great-value MacBook.
More Apple deals:
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Mark is TechRadar's Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at both TechRadar and Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he's contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph's Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London's Square Mile.