Apple unveils Black Friday deals on MacBooks, iPads, iPhones and more — here's what you get

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Apple promises gift cards when you buy its products

Apple Holiday Sales Event
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple doesn't do Black Friday the way other retailers approach it, with Black Friday deals slashing prices on current products. But the company does host a multi-day holiday sale in which you can enjoy some savings when you buy an iPhone, Apple Watch, or Mac.

Details of this year's Apple Shopping Event are now available, and if you're familiar with how Apple has handled things in the past, it's the same approach this time around. Instead of lower prices on products, Apple instead will give shoppers a gift card that can be used on an additional purchase when they buy an eligible product.

The four-day shopping event gets underway Nov. 26 — that's Black Friday — and runs through Nov. 29.

Apple has already posted some of the deals you can expect as part of its Black Friday event.

Apple's Black Friday deals 2021

Looking at the best Apple Black Friday deals at other retailers, Apple's gift card may be a better bargain than the discounts being offered elsewhere, particularly when it comes to AirPods. Amazon is currently offering a $60 discount on the Apple Watch SE, which beats Apple's $50 gift card, and the discounts we're seeing on the iPad Pro and MacBookB Air match the $100 gift cards Apple is offering.

You can find more substantial iPhone Black Friday deals at wireless carriers than Apple's $50 gift card, but the bigger discounts usually require you to commit to an unlimited data plan with a phone carrier.

At least you can see what Apple plans to offer starting Friday and plan your Black Friday shopping for new Apple gear accordingly.

Philip Michaels
Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.