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Black Friday e-commerce spending by US shoppers has passed the $1 billion milestone for the first time. The amount of online retail activity for Friday, November 23rd has been called the "heaviest online spending day to date in 2012," with sales increasing 26 percent compared to Black Friday last year.
Today, DealNN has been tracking all of the best Black Friday deals for our readers, and here is a selection of some of the day's top bargains. At MacMall, buyer can find the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display which is priced at $2,047, which is $151 off the list price and $51 less than Apple's One Day shopping event price. It's also $12 less than the lowest price found anywhere else. The MBP features a 3.3GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of flash storage. A one-year warranty on parts and labor is included from Apple.
Apple's Black Friday shopping event is underway is Australia, and may give US buyers a strong indicator of the kind of discounts the company will offer North American buyers tomorrow. Apple has discounted the entire MacBook line -- including MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros in all configurations -- at $105 off the normal retail price. The current fourth-generation iPad is being sold for $41 off in all varieties, with the iPad 2 seeing a $31 discount. The latest iPod Touch has been reduced by $31 as well, with the previous-generation Touch going for $25 less and the latest iPod nano selling for $11 less than usual.
With the busiest shopping day of the year now only hours away, this would be a good time to take advantage of some great discounts on software that you won't find tomorrow in stores. For example, Native Instruments is offering 50 percent off Komplete instruments and effects, Maschine expansions and Traktor Pro DJ software from November 22-26. The company has also dropped the price on the iOS app iMaschine to only $1, which is 80 percent off the normal price.
Take advantage of Black Friday deals early at MacMall's 60-hour Black Friday sale going on now. While a wide selection of items are featured, the price cuts on MacBook Pros rival Apple's own Black Friday sale prices. Free shipping is included on all US orders over $25, and special savings on Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac are also available.
With all the hype surrounding Black Friday deals, MacNN wanted to highlight some of the best Apple deals we've seen that will be available in stores on Friday. BestBuy is offering a $50 gift card with the purchase of a fifth-generation 32GB iPod Touch for $295, which is $5 less than the MSRP, for a combined savings of $55. BestBuy customers can also get a $20 gift card with the seventh-generation (current) 16GB iPod nano, priced at $145, for a total savings of $25.
With Black Friday right around the corner, the US Best Buy website has cut the price on the now-discontinued third-generation iPad in 32GB and 64GB configurations by $50, plus the company is throwing in a free $75 Best Buy gift card. Act fast though, because this offer is available today only. The third-generation iPads were replaced last month by the fourth-generation full-size iPad, which offers up to twice the performance in both processing and graphics over the third-gen's A5X chip.
[Update: US site updated with sale info] Apple has posted a teaser on its Australian and now US and other websites for its annual Black Friday sale. "The one-day Apple shopping event is Friday, 23 November," the ad reads. "Get ready to give. Shop online or visit your favourite Apple Retail Store. We'll help you make the most of the day, no matter how you shop."
"iPhone" was the top search term on Yahoo during 2011, the company has announced. Most of the top 10 list consists of celebrities, the second- and third-place spots in fact belonging to Casey Anthony and Kim Kardashian. Yahoo remarks that a piece of electronics hasn't dominated the list since 2002, when Sony's PlayStation 2 occupied the top spot. The last technology-related term to peak was filesharing service KaZaA in 2003.
Forest City Commercial Management has reportedly backed away from plans to continue its controversial cellphone tracking program at several malls throughout the US. The company launched the program ahead of the busy Black Friday shopping day, installing antennas within the properties to monitor customer movements between different stores.
New analyst data may back up claims that Apple did extremely well on Black Friday. Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore says his firm checked with over 200 locations, divided between about 100 Apple Stores and 100 AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target outlets. Roughly 75 percent of Apple Stores were sold out of the iPhone 4S by the end of Friday, although by Saturday that number had dropped to 30 percent.
Black Friday may be over, but online deals are continuing through the weekend. Save 60 percent on the Kensington iPad 2 KeyFolio Pro performance case with wireless Bluetooth keyboard, which has dropped from $100 to $40 with free super saver shipping. Save $50 on the Apple 27-inch LED Thunderbolt Display at PCConnectionExpress.com, now $960 with free shipping.
A number of software companies have put some or all of their products on sale in celebration of Black Friday. While a few are set to expire at midnight tonight, most will honor the discount through to Cyber Monday. Among the deals are discounts from Devon Technologies, Nova Media, Ergonis Software, Macphun, CopyTrans, Mirye Software, Tropical Software and Appcuity, the latter of which can be used to find even more holiday bargains.
Black Friday shopping may be winding down in stores, but online savings are still available on all kinds of electronic gifts. Amazon.com has cut the price on the Motorola H720 Bluetooth headset by 60% bringing the cost down to $29.99 with FREE super saver shipping. Save 49% on Adobe Photoshop Lightroom v.3.0 at Buy.com, it carries a list price of $299, but is now $149.99 with FREE shipping.
Although printers may not be on everyones stocking stuffer list this holiday season, Black Friday price cuts can be found on a wide range of styles. Amazon.com has the Lexmark Prospect Pro205 wireless multifunction Inkjet printer for $87.99, which is $86 less than the list price of $173.99. Head to Newegg.com for the bargain priced Samsung workgroup monochrome wireless laser printer, now $39.99 after a $80 price cut.
Across the net online retailers are offering Black Friday price cuts on digital cameras and camcorders. Save 50% on the Fujifilm FinePix F505 digital camera that features 16MP resolution, CMOS sensor and 15x optical zoom, plus it includes a 4GB class 10 SD memory card all for only $199 at Amazon.com. On the low end of the pricing scale is the Flip MinoHD pocket digital camcorder, which features a 2-inch LCD screen and 60 minutes of video capture for $39.97 after $20.02 in instant savings at TigerDirect.com.
It's Black Friday, and now that the dust has started to settle from the morning stampede, here are some deals still available from online retailers. TigerDirect.com is offering the Acer Aspire notebook computer with a 2.66GHz Intel core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive, it was $499.99, but has been reduced to $399.99 after instant savings and a rebate offer. Newegg.com has the ASUS G74 notebook computer which offers $400 in savings cutting the price from $1499.99 down to $1099.99.
GameAgent will be offering a 33 percent discount on Sid Meier's Civilization V: Game of the Year Edition for a limited time on Black Friday. From 12pm until 3pm CST the turn-based strategy game will be available for the reduced price of $35. In addition, numerous FLASHSALES will be offered on Cyber Monday. The short sales should launch on the hour, every hour, starting at 10am CST and will be announced through both the company's Facebook and Twitter pages.
US retailer Best Buy has completely exhausted its online stock of the iPad 2, a check shows. All models are now listed as "sold out online," including even top-end 64GB 3G tablets. Stock was available as recently as earlier today.
Sony has kicked off its holiday sales a few days ahead of Black Friday, offering a variety of discounts on direct purchases. The company has slashed prices for a variety of products, including home theater systems, speakers, televisions, Blu-ray players and bundles, with free ground shipping on all orders.
A leaked pamphlet shows the some of discounts Apple is planning to offer for this year's Black Friday sale, according to 9to5Mac. In terms of computers, the company is taking $101 off the iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro. iPad 2 discounts range from $41 to $61, depending on storage capacity, and a similar philosophy applies to the iPod touch, which is getting between $21 and $41 off. Both the 8 and 16GB iPod nanos are $11 chepaer.
Black Friday has yet to arrive, but reports are coming in that shoppers in some states are already lining up outside of Best Buy stores in order to get first dibs on this Friday's sale items, and it's no wonder with door buster specials like a 42-inch Sharp LCD 1080p HDTV that carries a sale price of $199.99. It could be paired with a Toshiba Smart Blu-ray disc player that is down to $39.99 after a 50% price cut. Walmart is slashing prices as well like with this HP 2000 15.6-inch notebook computer which offers a 1.60GHz AMD dual-core processor, 3GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive for $248. Also available at Walmart is the iLive 27-inch Sound Bar for $49.
A relative handful of US Apple Stores will be opening up especially early on Black Friday, November 25th, ifoAppleStore notes. Five stores are scheduled to open at midnight: these include the Arden Fair, Galleria at Roseville, Vintage Faire Mall, and Fashion Fair outlets in California, as well as the Orland Square shop in Illinois. A greater group, spread across several states, will open at 4AM: Rockingham, King of Prussia, Southdale, Tacoma Mall, Santa Rosa Plaza, Summit, Stoneridge, Southcenter, Smith Haven Mall, South Hills Village, West Town Mall, Pleasant Lane, University Park Mall, Burlington Mall, Fifth Avenue Mall, Lehigh Valley Mall, Woodfield, and Ala Moana.
Canadian bank TD Canada Trust will be offering its credit card customers an unusual TD Rewards special on Black Friday: a chance to buy a brand-new 16GB (Wi-Fi) iPad 2 for $299, a savings of $220 from the normal Canadian retail price of $519. The iPad is one of two "red hot deals," signalling a drawing requirement to "win" the opportunity to buy one at that price.
Apple is again planning to hold a Black Friday sale on Nov. 25th as it has in recent years, where buyers can "discover amazing iPad, iPod and Mac gifts for everyone on your list." The promo, which has begun to appear on international online stores, indicates that despite Black Friday being tied to the US holiday of Thanksgiving, Apple is again making the sale a worldwide event. The company's iOS devices were found to be the most-wanted gifts with kids and teens this year.
Come November 25, RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will get a price drop to $200 at Staples. The retailer's intentions were unveiled by a leaked flyer. The $200 represents a $300 savings from the 16GB, Wi-Fi tablet's original price tag, though it has since been temporarily lowered to $300 at Staples and Office Depot as well as elsewhere.
Coladia has announced it will be offering a 50 percent discount on all of its adventure games as a Black Friday sale. The promotion begins today, November 26th, and will extend sometime into tomorrow. Discounts apply to every Mac adventure game, including Dracula 3, Nostradamus, Return to Mysterious Island 2, The Secrets of Da Vinci, Return to Mysterious Island, Cleopatra, Destination: Treasure Island and Secret of the Lost Cavern. Most of the games are Universal and will run on both PowerPC and Intel based Macs.
Today is Black Friday, and great deals can be found at most online retailers. Buy.com's Black Friday deals today include a price cut on the new 11-inch MacBook Air which has seen a $50 price cut to $1,150, an instant rebate drops the price further to $1,110. Other deals at Buy.com include the Fantom G-Force 1TB hard drive for $50, and the Kingston 8GB microSDHC card for $13.
Amazon.com has continued to highlight its Black Friday deals, which include a variety of Apple products and a special bundle for the PlayStation 3. The retailer is offering a $100 discount for the 2.4GHz Mac mini, along with a $245 discount on the 2.53GHz MacBook Pro. Customers can also pick up an 8GB iPod touch for $215, a 32GB variant for $280, or a 64GB edition for $369.
Movea has unveiled a new app that can turn an iPhone 4 into an air mouse for presentations and HTPC use. The Air Mouse app ($2, App Store) works with MotionTools software, which allows users to customize, activate, and control desktop applications. The app allows for scrolling, panning, and zooming, as well as for pen drawing, image stamps, and highlighting.
As Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach, more early deal announcements are popping up -- with online sites generally offering specials that run until the end of November, but vary on their start dates. Some of the latest includes significant discounts from Adobe, Softpress and Mariner Software, including significant drops on popular consumer apps.
Black Friday is right around the corner, but some online retailers have already started their sales, or will be making their Black Friday prices available during the early morning hours Thanksgiving day. Amazon.com, and MacMall.com have had sale pricing going on all week, while Newegg.com's Black Friday sale starts today at 4:00pm (EST).
Amazon has announced a list of special deals that will only be available for Black Friday and through the weekend. Notable deals for portable electronics include Flip's MinoHD camera for $110, a 16GB Zune HD for $150, and a 32GB Archos 5 tablet for $205. The company is also offering the PlayStation 3 160GB Family Bundle for $299, while Halo Reach will sell for $35 later in the week.
Fidelity Media's popular DJing software MegaSeg has been updated to v5.5.3, introducing more than 30 stability and performance enhancements throughout the application, also fixing a rare issue with the category browser. The update is free for existing v5.x users. To celebrate Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the software is on sale for 20 percent off it's regular price until November 30th.
Apple has posted the first teaser for its annual Black Friday sale on its website, inviting shoppers to "come back to the Apple Online Store this Friday for a special one-day holiday shopping event." The ad specifically mentions iPad, iPod and Mac gifts, and suggest buyers "mark their calendars" and browse the store to get ideas.
At least some TJ Maxx outlets are now selling iPads, accounts say. Although a number of stores across the US have denied carrying any, some in Ohio, New Jersey and New York are claiming to have stock. One in Vernon, New York is said to be selling units for as little as $400, just shy of $100 below the standard price for a 16GB Wi-Fi model.
Sales of consumer electronics during Black Friday were lower than in 2008, according to point-of-sale numbers compiled by market research company, the NPD Group. The total revenue for the day of just over $2.7 billion represents a 1.2 percent drop compared to the revenue from 2008, but the drop compares favorably to the 3.4 percent decline suffered from 2007 to 2008.
Apple's retail Black Friday traffic may have been up or down this year, depending on which analyst an investor chooses to believe. Shaw Wu of Kaufman Bros. claims that field checks show "strong" foot traffic, with high sales of Macs, iPods and iPhones. Though the Black Friday weekend accounts for 10 percent of holiday sales, Wu considers the traffic an important bellwether.
Today is the big shopping day, Black Friday, and online retailers sprung into action early this morning to bring you the best deals of the year. Places like eCost.com were slashing prices on everything from iPhones to HDTVs. Today they dropped the price on the refurbished iPhone 3G to $359.99 with $9.99 for shipping. Other items from eCost include a 32-inch Westinghouse LCD HDTV for $279.99, and a Lenovo ThinkPad for $319.
Major programs from Adobe, Intuit and Parallels have also become a part of special Black Friday software deals. Amazon is selling Adobe's CS4 Design Standard Student Edition for $296, the CS4 Web Premium Student Edition for $350, and the CS4 Design Premium Student Edition for $404. The discounts are extremely high, between 78 and 79 percent lower than list price.
A host of companies have begun Apple-related Black Friday sales, such as Yazsoft, which is offering 40 percent off of Playback, ShareTool and Speed Download 5 for the Mac. iSkin is selling Mac, iPod and iPhone accessories for 50 percent off or more, with a particular emphasis on gear for older Apple platforms. DEVONtechnologies has posted a 25 percent discount on all of its software, including Infoworker bundles.
Happy Thanksgiving from DealNN, and with that said we would like to present our holiday deals collection. OfficeMax.com got a jump start on their Black Friday sales, cutting prices on items like the Hitachi SimpleDrive III 1TB external hard drive from $139.99 to $84.99. The NEXTAR Q4 4.3-inch touchscreen GPS also saw an early price drop and is now just $89.99.
Several companies have begun offering Black Friday software discounts, joining others promoting hardware deals. Microsoft has notably introduced discounts on Office for Mac 2008, cutting the prices of the Home and Student Edition by $20, and the Business Edition Upgrade by $40. The complete Business Edition is temporarily $50 cheaper.
Several websites have already begun Mac-related Black Friday sales, including MacMall, OnSale, ClubMac and MacConnection. MacMall is selling Minis for $550 and $745, a 2.66GHz MacBook Pro for $1,799, and a 27-inch, 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo iMac for $1,585. Its MacBook Airs are priced at $1,399 and $1,690.
With teasing having only just begun for the event, a brochure has already leaked for Apple's Black Friday sales. The document reveals conservative discounts for various products, for instance dropping the prices of iMacs to between $1,098 and $1,898. MacBook Pros are slated to cost between $1,098 and $2,448.
Apple has posted a teaser for its annual Black Friday online sale, this year scheduled for November 27th. No discounts have been revealed so far, as they are only typically announced on Black Friday proper. The event should nevertheless see lower prices on Mac, iPod, and iPhone-related products, as well as universal free shipping.
Various Apple products dominated Amazon's bestsellers in electronics during Black Friday, Forbes reports. The morning of the sales event, the iPod touch was the top-selling item, though it was displaced to fourth place by Sunday. Three of the top 10 electronics items are said to have been Apple gear, however, and Kaufman analyst Shaw Wu notes that the lead times for Touches lengthened dramatically, shifting from one to two days to as much as five weeks.
Following in the wake of its one-day Black Friday sale, Apple has posted another single-day special at the online Apple Store. For the duration of Monday only, all products at the store should be eligible for free shipping, regardless of expense. The deal is also not exclusive to the US, and applies to stores such as the ones in Canada, France and the United Kingdom.
A variety of HDTV Black Friday deals are currently being featured at DealNN. Starting with the SENS 22-inch LCD HDTV/DVD combo for $379.99 and on November 28th the price will be reduced by $80 to $299.99. J&R.com has reduced the price on the Panasonic VIERA 42-inch plasma 720p HDTV by 50% from $1,199 to $599.99. The refurbished Westinghouse 47" 1080p LCD HDTV is now priced at $664.99 (was $1,449.99) after rebate at MacMall.com. The refurbished Vizio 32-inch widescreen LCD HDTV is availabe at Buy.com for $429.99 which is $570 off the list price of $999.99.
A variety of digital cameras are currently featured at DealNN with special Black Friday pricing. CircuitCity.com has reduced the price on the Samsung 8.1MP digital camera -blue from $99.99 to $79.99. TigerDirect.com has reduced the price on the Canon HD camcorder from $899.99 to $559.99, that's an instant savings of $340. Until 11/30/08 Newegg.com is offering the Kodak EasyShare 9.2MP digital camera (model no. C913) for $96.99, that's $15 off the original price of $111.99. TigerDirect.com has cut the price on the Canon PowerShot SD2200 8.0MP digital camera from $199.99 to $169.99, an instant savings of $30. RadioShack.com is offering the Samsung 10.0MP digital camera -red for $149.99. On November 28th save $50 for a final price of $99.99.
