Best early Apple Black Friday deals 2024, according to a tech writer 

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We’re still months away from the big savings bonanza that is Black Friday, but when it comes to Apple discounts, you can never be too prepared.

This will be my eighth year covering the Black Friday sales, and if there’s anything I’ve learnt over the years, it’s that hefty savings on Apple products are really rare, until the Black Friday month of November, when iPhones, iPads, AirPods and more are heavily reduced.

Every year, stores big and small, from Currys to Argos to John Lewis and Very begin slashing the price of products at the start of November, and while Apple itself doesn’t take part in the sale, the tech giant rolls out gift cards in exchange for a purchase.

Below, I’m rounding up everything you need to know about Black Friday. From the Black Friday dates to the Apple Black Friday deals to expect on the big day itself, plus some small Apple discounts you might want to shop now (if you can’t wait that long).

Officially speaking, Black Friday falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving in the US. That means this year, the mammoth Black Friday sale will kick off on Friday 29 November in 2024, and end on Cyber Monday on 2 December 2024.

Those are the official dates, however, and if you’ve shopped the Black Friday sales in the past couple of years, you know that the Black Friday discounts start earlier and earlier. Last year, I began seeing the likes of AO, Very and Currys discount Apple products right from the very start of November, so you shouldn’t have to wait until the end of November to start saving.

If there’s anything guaranteed to go on sale this Black Friday, it’s Apple’s AirPods – both the Pro and non-Pro models. Retailers seem to wheel out the discounts during big-ticket sales such as Amazon Prime Day (when they plummeted to the lowest price, I’ve ever seen earlier this year) and Black Friday. I expect retailers will match the price to Amazon or reduce them even further come November.

Last year, retailers also discounted products that had only just been launched by Apple two months prior, including the all-new Apple Watch Series 9 and the MacBook Pro M3. I expect Amazon, Very and others will discount the latest iPads, Apple Watches and MacBooks, but will reserve the heftiest discounts for older Apple devices from previous years. You should still be able to get some decent savings, however.

On the iPhone front – I’m expecting to see big savings on the iPhone 15 line-up from retailers, but if you’re looking for discounts on theupcoming iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, you’ll need to turn to phone carriers, who will be offering contract deals rather than savings on the handsets.

While Apple doesn’t really take part in sales such as Black Friday, Apple always offers up gift cards in exchange for a purchase during the four-day Black Friday sale. Apple announced its Black Friday gift card perks on 17 November last year.

To give you a flavour of what to expect, here’s what Apple was offering up last year:

If you bought a Mac or Mac Mini, Apple offered up a gift card worth up to £160. An iPhone 14, 13 or SE resulted in a gift card up to £60. An iPad Pro, iPad Air, a 10th generation iPad or an iPad Mini secured you a gift card worth up to £80, while the purchase of an Apple Watch Series 9 or Apple Watch SE got you a gift card worth up to £40. Anyone who bought the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 3rd gen or AirPods Max landed gift cards worth up to £60.

If you wanted a discount on the Apple product you were about to buy, instead of a future purchase, shoppers had to turn to third-party retailers.

The AirPods Pro earbuds offer a “significant improvement over the already-splendid first-generation model”, praised The Independent’s tech critic David Phelan in his review. They also featured in his review of the best wireless earbuds, where he noted they “fit the ear well and stay put securely, and there are now four sizes of silicone ear tips to ensure decent sound isolation”.

If you’ve been waiting for a price drop, Amazon’s selling a refurbished pair with a £60 discount. If you’d prefer to buy a new pair of AirPods Pro, Amazon’s selling them with a £20 discount (£199, Amazon.co.uk).

Released last September, the Apple Watch series 9 is the latest smartwatch in Apple’s repertoire. Featuring an always-on display and the brightest screen on any Apple Watch ever, it’s the new S9 processor that makes the Apple Watch stand out. With a £50 saving, this is well worth picking up if you’re in the market for a new smartwatch.

The cheapest iPad around is the 10.2in model, which launched in 2021 and is still sold by Apple. The ninth-generation iPad is still a fast and powerful tablet with a great screen and full-sounding stereo speakers. It works with the Apple pencil and the smart keyboard, too, unlocking extra functionality for anyone who wants to stay productive while on the move. With an £80 discount, this is a pretty good saving on the netry-level iPad.

Get the latest gossip on Black Friday 2024 with our cheat sheet to the big sale

Source: independent.co.uk