Apple Planning Massive Black Friday Sale?

[Michael Essany]

As the holiday shopping season shifts into full gear, companies are systematically unveiling their post-Thanksgiving "Black Friday" sales opportunities. And if a new "leak" reported by Boy Genius is accurate, Apple will be joining the discount party by offering some fairly impressive deals on a host of products.

According to the leaked flier (which is believed to be accurate) posted on ZDNET, it appears Apple is planning the following Black Friday discounts:

• Up to 30% off on all iPods (except iPhone and iPod shuffle)
• Up to 25% off Macs
• up to 15% off all accessories as well as Apple software and hardware.

But according to the same report on ZDNET, if you snooze, you lose. If legit and really in the works, there won't be much time to capitalize on the deal.

The catch? The deals are only good on Friday, November 27. And that it’s a rumor, of course.

Relative to discounts from 2008, Apple has upped its efforts to kick off a robust holiday shopping season. Last year on Black Friday, Apple discounted $101 off the 2GHz unibody MacBook. They also took off $51 from the 20-inch iMac, $11 from the 8GB iPod Nano and $21 from 160GB Apple TV.

Although your guess is as good as mine as to whether these suspected deals will ultimately manifest, I think its safe to assume that they will. In addition to Apple looking to clear some of its inventory before new products are introduced, possibly as early as January, Apple may still be worried about a tentative economy in a fragile holiday shopping season.

Unlike others rumors consistently floating around Apple, we won't have to wait much longer to see if these reported discounts ultimately prove to be for real.

Image via ZDNET

[Sn4key]

Wow crazy!

[luke27181]

Any idea if this will be just in the US? Any chance this might apply to Australia?

[napootuning]

What about us Canadian's?????

[jdys_1991]

What about Britannia? What about me?

[bbillh77]

Would be better if I had an apple store

[SuperJoker]

I hope that we'll be getting the same deals here in the Netherlands.

[billchase2]

Old news and there's no way this is happening.

[Boker]

Mehhh. Old news. To bad I have all the apple products I need.

[s4mb4]

i would love to have had a 25% discount on my MBP that cost over $2500....

[adp]

What about us Canadian's?????

What about Britannia? What about me?

Any idea if this will be just in the US? Any chance this might apply to Australia?

I hope that we'll be getting the same deals here in the Netherlands.

LOL I'm pretty sure Black Friday is a U.S. only tradition. I've never heard of it happening in other countries. But don't feel bad - This is fake. Apple won't sell an Macbook for $750.

[Poseidon79]

I already have my new 13" MBP and my new 27" iMac... and my new 160GB iPod classic for the year.... I don't want or need the new Nano... grrr! This great sale does me no good! LOL.

[clikzip]

Been looking at buying the 15' mbp, could be a great deal on a sale. Expecting the new ones to come out around february tho. I think id rather save $2-400 than get a 10-15% faster computer tho.

[drumstyx]

The funny thing is, this really isn't an amazing deal...even AFTER discounts apple computers are overpriced, and iPods should be so much cheaper to begin with. A black friday sale, I expect things I'm going to buy to be at least 50% off, it's supposed to be a huge sale day! You see 25% and 30% sales all year long, boxing day and black friday should be MAJORLY discounted, but these days, retailers just refuse to take a smaller profit.

[kaaroFC]

LOL I'm pretty sure Black Friday is a U.S. only tradition. I've never heard of it happening in other countries. But don't feel bad - This is fake. Apple won't sell an Macbook for $750.

No way this is happening that 25% discount is real, but it applies only to the people that work there, they get the 25% discount only once a year, and 15% for friends and family...

[Nukie]

Oh, please! This is such a fake. First of all, they spelled iPod Shuffle with a cap "S" in the asterisk disclaimer. Apple ALWAYS spells it as iPod shuffle.

Second, the background artwork was lifted from this guys website. See the image, lower right.

PHOTOS :: Desktop Backgrounds

Apple would never use fanboy artwork for an ad.

The design is cheesy and not up to Apple standards, nor does it conform to Apple's current marketing campaign and graphic standards.

This has been credited as a fake from everything I have read.

[tudtran]

No way. Apple never done this before.

[nighthawk283]

I would love to get my hands on a ipod touch 64GB 3rd gen

[rhekt]

well if this is surely true. hopefully it applies to online sales. as im a 550lb lump of lard and i sure dont want to move away from my computer for one second. ;]

[1shuttle1]

No way this happens. How in the world would they pay for a commercial every 30 seconds if they actually put prices where they should be. Even if for only one day.