While Apple normally offers standard price cuts during Black Friday, this year’s event might focus on Apple Store gift cards with purchase rather than straight discounts, according to 9to5Mac . The promotion could see customers receiving an Apple Store gift card for later use when buying an eligible product.
Gift cards will likely be offered with the flagship products that Apple typically discounts, including iPads, iPods, MacBooks, and some accessories.
The gift card amounts are said to fluctuate based on the product. For example, gift cards that accompany accessories will have lower amounts of money than Macs. We’re hearing that accessories, such as the Dropcam, will likely include a gift card worth around $25, and Macs could include a $100 card. iOS Devices like the iPad will include a $50 Apple Store gift card. Some more expensive third-party products will also include $50 gift cards.
Apple is expected to announce its Black Friday deals on Friday, November 28 at midnight Pacific Time in the United States, but more information should be available tomorrow morning when Black Friday deals go live in Australia provided the gift card promotion isn't limited to the United States. Last year's discounts included $101 off MacBook Pros and Airs, $41 off the iPad with Retina Display, and $31 off of the iPod touch.
I've never seen an Apple gift card that could be used toward hardware.
http://www.apple.com/gift-cards/
"Use your Apple Store Gift Card for the purchase of a new iPad, iPhone, Mac, or anything else at the Apple Online Store or Apple Retail Store. Gift cards are available in stores, by mail, or by email."
Very smart move by Apple.
Instead of taking $100 off the price, savings which can be spent anywhere you want (including an Apple competitor), you'll instead get a gift card that can only be spent with Apple. Very clever way of still getting you to pay full price for a device and still have to do further business with Apple when using the gift card.
It's a brilliant strategy, really :D
My thoughts exactly. Thats why I give this idea a thumbs down, and I see it as yet another greedy move by a company that I'm having an increasingly hard time defending anymore. (Yes I used to drink the Kool-Aid, now I'm a recovering addict.) All those MBA's are thinking hard how they can separate us from more cash- and somebody got a big promotion for coming up with this idea. Apple will make millions more on that day because of it. Naturally, the consumer (yes, thats you and me) loses in the end.
Its like a 10 percent off deal, but you have to buy two. That's not as good as a 10 percent off deal on one item because you have to spend more money to get the deal.... lots of people don't really realize that.
Why not just give us a discount like almost all other companies will do on this big sales day? Is that really so hard?
I've never seen an Apple gift card that could be used toward hardware.
I think you're confusing Apple gift card with iTunes gift card. It's true that an iTunes gift card can't be used for hardware (or any store merchandise), but an Apple gift card can be used for anything in the Apple Store.
$100 off...$100 gift card....It's all the same. I always thought Apple should have big sales on Black Friday. Almost create an event around it. Could you imagine the lines of people if they did a 25% off sale on all Macs?
its not the same at all.
especially in higher taxed areas.
iPad Air starts at 519 (Canadian). + 13% tax of 67.47 = 586.47
With $100 discount?
419 + 13% (54.47) = 473.47
Net savings comes to $113
Gift carding me $100 doesn't save me up front. Doesn't save me on tax.
All it does is force me to come back and spend more money on apple. sure its "free" $100 gift card. But it means i must continue to shop at Apple store if i want to actually be able to USE that $100. and they know what they're doing. Most things you buy from Apple aren't $100. They're signficantly more, making the gift card a hook to bring you in to purchase more stuff.
overall. IMHO, this appears as a very cheap way of "giving a discount" to your clientel.
Very smart move by Apple.
Instead of taking $100 off the price, savings which can be spent anywhere you want (including an Apple competitor), you'll instead get a gift card that can only be spent with Apple. Very clever way of still getting you to pay full price for a device and still have to do further business with Apple when using the gift card.
Yep I think this is a really innovative idea over the norm of just giving cashback to consumers. Let them pay full price but get a discount on their next purchase with Apple. I love it. Consumers will too.
Very smart move by Apple.
Instead of taking $100 off the price, savings which can be spent anywhere you want (including an Apple competitor), you'll instead get a gift card that can only be spent with Apple. Very clever way of still getting you to pay full price for a device and still have to do further business with Apple when using the gift card.
It's a brilliant strategy, really :D
I don't think it's very clever at all. How does this tempt people who wouldn't necessarily be looking to buy a Mac? It doesn't and these people will spend their money elsewhere.
Very smart move by Apple.
Instead of taking $100 off the price, savings which can be spent anywhere you want (including an Apple competitor), you'll instead get a gift card that can only be spent with Apple. Very clever way of still getting you to pay full price for a device and still have to do further business with Apple when using the gift card.
I know, it's still $25/$50/$100/whatever you don't have to spend out of your pocket, but how many people will buy a Mac (for example) and use the $100 gift card towards something like an iPad (for example) because of the savings? Now you've spent $1,200+ on a Mac plus another $500+ on an iPad. Instead of getting you to spend $1,100 on one product (Mac on a $100 discount), they've gotten $1,600 out of you (after knocking $100 off the iPad with the gift card), plus with a new iPad comes the potential for more app purchases and additional integration to the Apple ecosystem.
That's fine if you were going to buy an iPad anyway but I'm sure the gift cards will tempt a LOT of people into buying another product that they didn't need at the time, but all of a sudden they want because they have a gift card that knocks the price down a touch. Apple sells two devices instead of one and even with the $100 "discount" via gift card they've still made a hefty profit thanks to big margins, plus it's another iPad out there consuming apps and content. Someone could easily re-spend that $100 savings on apps and music over the course of ownership.
It's a brilliant strategy, really :D
Smart move by Apple, crappy for the customer. This is not a real discount. As stated previously, one is generally better off not buying from Apple. On Black Friday this is even more true.
Please don't act like Apple started this. Walmart and Target having been using this approach for years. Apple has only started doing this recently
I don't think he ever said that Apple invented the concept. But if you want something from Walmart or Target that's on sale tomorrow, you will receive that item for less money. No gift card requirement.
Wouldn't you rather just get something cheaper instead of paying more up front and getting handed a gift card for later?
You know, as a customer, you have the right to criticize ANY company if they are doing something that's not in your best interest. Even :apple:.
via apple - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHKn4zIChE2bmEbi4V5bvXy0MxeHQ&url=http://www.macrumors.com/2013/11/27/apples-black-friday-promotion-may-focus-on-gift-cards-rather-than-discounts/
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