Black Friday 2012: Huge Discounts on Apple Products

Black Friday kicks off on the day after Thanksgiving and offers customers short term sales on many products. While Apple did participate, their discounts tended to be smaller than other 3rd party retailers.

Sales Tax

National retailers such as Apple and Best Buy charge local sales tax on all orders. So, the advantage of using other online-only retailers is not getting charged that sales tax at the time of order (though you are typically expected to report it later). Local sales taxes are automatically charged for the following retailers in the following states:

- Apple, Best Buy: All States
- MacMall: California, Illinois, New York, Tennessee, Minnesota, Georgia, North Carolina, Wisconsin
- Amazon: California, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Kentucky, North Dakota, Washington

If you are in one of those states, it may make sense to look elsewhere or simply buy locally anyway if the savings are comparable.


Discounts on Apple Products

Apple offered their own modest discounts on specific Apple products. Here is a chart of the most competitive 3rd party Apple retailers:  

Current Model	Retail	MacMall	BestBuy	Amazon
16GB iPad 4 (Wi-Fi)	$499	-$25	-$40	-
32GB iPad 4 (Wi-Fi)	$599	-$41	-$60	-
64GB iPad 4 (Wi-Fi)	$699	-$45	-$60	-
11" 1.7GHz 64GB MacBook Air	$999	-$39	-$70	-$105
11" 1.7GHz 128GB MacBook Air	$1099	-$43	-$100	-$105
13" 1.8GHz 128GB MacBook Air	$1199	-$59	-$175	-$187
13" 1.8GHz 256GB MacBook Air	$1499	-$59	-$100	-$105
13" 2.5GHz MacBook Pro	$1199	-$105	-$165	-$164
13" 2.9GHz MacBook Pro	$1499	-$105	-$150	-$105
15" 2.3GHz MacBook Pro	$1799	-$71	-$88	-$119
15" 2.6GHz MacBook Pro	$2199	-$87	-$120	-$105
13" 2.5GHz Retina MBP	$1699	-$75	-$70	-$105
13" 2.5GHz Retina MBP	$1999	-$119	-$120	-$119
15" 2.3GHz Retina MBP	$2199	-	-$88	-$80
15" 2.6GHz Retina MBP	$2799	-	-$112	-$159
2.5GHz Dual-Core Mac Mini	$599	-$25	-	-$25
2.3Ghz Quad-Core Mac Mini	$799	-$25	-	-$25

Click on prices to link directly to product.

Amazon's prices tend to fluctuate throughout the day. If BestBuy has no online stock, local stores may have inventory.

iPhone 5 / 5th Gen iPod Touch

AT&T has started offering a refurbished iPhone 5 (with contract) on their online store. Prices are $100 lower than new: 
 
- 16GB Black iPhone 5 - $99
- 32GB Black iPhone 5 - $199
- 64GB Black iPhone 5 - $299
- 16GB White iPhone 5 - $99
- 32GB White iPhone 5 - $199
- 64GB White iPhone 5 - $299

- 5th Generation iPod Touch with Free $50 Best Buy Gift Card

Software Discounts

iOS and Mac App discounts are ongoing and can be seen in real time at AppShopper.com. We'd previously compiled a large list of the more interesting ones:

- MacUtility Bundle ($59.99) - Parallels Desktop 8, Snagit, VirusBarrier X6, MacOptimizer, Rubbertnet ($245 Value)
- MacLegion Bundle - ($49.99)- TechTool Pro, Freeway Pro, djay, Capo, Fantastical, RipIt, iRip, Beamer, Copy Paste Pro, Code Collector Pro ($548.80 Value)
- iStack Mac Bundle 2.0 ($49.99) - Camtasia 2, Circus Ponies NoteBook, CrossOver XI, FX Photo Studio Pro, LittleSnapper, Printopia, xTeam, MoneyBag, Habits, SyncMate Expert, Build iPhone & iPad Games Without Programming.
- MacGameStore - Up to 80% Off on Mac games


Updates:

- Fry's has 13" Retina MacBook Pro for $200 Off ($1699->$1499).
- Das Keyboard (Mechanical Keyboard) 20% Off