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Apple has launched its Black Friday event – but don’t get too excited. While the Californian company takes part in the blockbuster sales event, it doesn’t reduce the price of its iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, Mac, or any other devices in the Apple Store. Instead, everything is sold at its usual price, but Apple will bundle a gift card up to £160 to spend on new accessories from the Apple Store, other Apple-branded gadgets, or some new apps from the Mac or iPhone App Store to use with your new purchase.
Just like with previous years, Apple doesn’t directly refer to its promotion as being part of “Black Friday”. Instead, the Californian company calls its limited-time promotion the “Apple Shopping Event”. Just like previous years, the event lasts four days – covering Black Friday itself, the weekend, and what was traditionally known as Cyber Monday.
OK, so what gift cards are available?
First up, you can secure a gift card with a value of up to £40 when you buy an iPhone from the Apple Store. However, just like previous years, Apple isn’t including its latest handsets in the deals. So, if you’re looking to buy a brand-new iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 Pro, which launched back in September, you won’t be eligible for the free gift card. However, those looking to buy an iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, or iPhone SE will get a free £40 gift card with their purchase. As mentioned above, this gift card can be put towards hardware purchases from the Apple Store (for a sizeable discount on a new pair of AirPods or a case, for example) or can be redeemed towards software in the App Store.
You’ll also get a £40 gift card when buying the Apple TV HD, Apple TV 4K, Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 3. For the first time, Apple is also offering a £40 gift card for anyone who buys its most popular accessories over the four-day event, including the second-generation Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard Folio, MagSafe Duo Charger, a four-pack of AirTag trackers, or Apple Magic Keyboard for an iPad.
In another departure from previous years, AirPods are also eligible for a free gift card. You’ll get £60 to spend in the Apple Store when you buy the AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, or the second-generation (£119) or third-generation (£169) AirPods.
While a number of other retailers have dropped the price of these wireless ‘buds, there are still reasons to buy direct from the Apple Store over the likes of Amazon and John Lewis. Apple offers free engraving, so you can add a custom message (or emoji) for a loved one when buying from the Apple Store. Coupled with the generous £60 gift card – that’s half the cost of the second-generation in the form of a gift card to spend on another Apple gadget! – this is easily the best deal of the bunch.
Elsewhere, buying an iPad Pro, with either the 11- or 12.9-inch display, will net you an £80 gift card to spend another day, while the purchase of a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro 13-inch or Mac mini will unlock the same freebie. Meanwhile, the iMac 27-inch arrives with a bumper £160 gift card for the Apple Store. Beats headphones round out the promotion, with a £40 gift card available with select models, including the Studio3 Wireless and Solo3 Wireless.
If you were looking to spend a load of extra cash on cases, charging cables, Apple Watch straps, Apple Pencils, or AirPods in the Apple Store anyway… it might be worth buying one of the above devices to get the gift card. If you’re only looking to buy a single Apple device this Black Friday, you might be better off looking at the high street retailers offering discounts on the products themselves.
While the Apple Store is currently the only place to get a free engraving on your AirPods, Apple Pencil, iPad or a number of other gadgets from the brand, there are advantages to shopping elsewhere too. For example, John Lewis offers an extra 12-months warranty than you’ll get from Apple. While we don’t expect anything to go awry in the first two years of owning your shiny new Apple gadget, it’s reassuring to know that John Lewis will replace your new earbuds, iPad, Mac or iPhone if something does go wrong long after Apple will point you towards its out-of-warranty repairs price list.
What if you’d rather get some money off your new Apple gadget, rather than bagging a free gift card?
Well, there are a number of deals and discounts available today. When it comes to Apple deals available for Black Friday, the AirPods are easily our favourite picks. These popular earbuds have dropped to their lowest ever price – with Argos, John Lewis and Amazon all offering these ‘buds for £99.
Just a few short weeks ago, Apple was charging £159 for these AirPods. Since then, the third-generation AirPods have arrived, knocking this model (the second-generation pair with charging case) down to £119. In the Black Friday sales, that’s dropped down to less than £100 for the first time.
Apple AirPods
Just a few short weeks ago, you’d have had to part with £159 to buy these AirPods from your local Apple Store. Following the launch of the third-generation earbuds, AirPods dropped to £119. And now, Amazon has slashed the price to sub-£100 for the first time in the history of these incredible wireless ‘buds. AirPods can automatically switch between Apple devices and even lets you listen to music and podcasts from an Apple Watch! John Lewis throws in an extra year warranty compared to Amazon
View Deal Was £119 – SAVE £20
Apple AirPods Pro
If you want the best pair of earbuds available from Apple, this is it. AirPods Pro are more compact than the £99 AirPods and include support for active noise-cancellation to cut out any distracting sounds during your commute or a long-haul flight. If you’re a Prime member, Amazon will deliver these ‘buds to you tomorrow for free. What are you waiting for?
View Deal Was £239
iPhone 13 + £100 Gift Card for FREE
Three has an incredible deal on the brand-new iPhone 13. Available in all five colours (Midnight, Pink, Product (RED), Blue, Starlight) with unlimited 5G data, unlimited calls and unlimited texts – this is a plan that lets you take full advantage of your shiny new smartphone. Better still, Three will slash 50% off your monthly bills for the first 6 months and hand you a £100 gift card to spend anywhere that accepts Mastercard. If that wasn’t enough, you’ll also get 3 months of Apple TV+ for free
Contract length: 24-months | Unlimited 5G data, unlimited text messages, unlimited minutes | Upfront cost: £49
View Deal
iPhone XR
If you’re not fussed about the latest-and-greatest iPhone, then this deal from O2 is a good bet. You’ll still get an all-screen design, Face ID to authenticate contactless payments and login, a rear-camera with Portrait Mode, and support for wireless charging.
Contract length: 24-months | 40GB of 5G data, unlimited texts and minutes | O2 Priority access | Upfront cost: £49.99
View Deal
Apple Watch Series 3
The Series 3 might be getting a little long in the tooth, but it’s still a great option for those who don’t want to part with hundreds to get an Apple Watch strapped to their wrist. While it has a smaller screen than more recent models, the Series 3 still has an in-built GPS to track steps, bike rides and runs without your iPhone nearby. It’s also swim-proof and can track swimming in the pool and sea. The built-in storage lets you take tracks and podcasts with you – no iPhone needed
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