Apple is taking part in Black Friday this year, but it looks like it won’t be slashing any prices.
The company’s promotion has already gone live in Australia and New Zealand and it brings free gift cards with eligible purchases rather than tasty discounts. But don’t expect to get those gift cards with the latest Apple products.
Apple chose to ignore Black Friday last year, but when it last took part in 2014, it was a huge disappointment. Fans expected cheaper products, but instead we got free gift cards so long as we paid full price. Apple looks to be making the same move this year.
[contextly_auto_sidebar] Although its event could be different in the U.S. and other countries (but probably won’t be), those in Australia and New Zealand are being offered gift cards worth up to A$200 or NZ$215 with the purchase of certain products.
To add insult to injury, Apple decided to leave its latest products — like Apple Watch Series 2, iPhone 7, and the new MacBook Pro — out of the promotion.
Here’s a breakdown of the cards being offered, and what you’ll need to buy to get them:
- Apple TV — A$35 / NZ$35
- Apple Watch Series 1 — A$35 / NZ$35
- iPhone SE — A$35 / NZ$35
- iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus — A$70 / NZ$75
- iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4 — A$70 / NZ$75
- iPad Pro — A$140 / NZ$145
- iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro (excluding late-2016 models), MacBook Air — A$200 / NZ$215
Apple’s Black Friday event will also go live in many other countries around the world when it reaches 00:01 in their respective time zones. We expect to see similar gift card giveaways everywhere else.
We don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but third-party retailers have always been able to offer decent discounts on Apple goods for Black Friday, so it makes us wonder why the company itself can’t do the same.
If you want some real deals, be sure to check out our Black Friday live blog.
Via: MacRumors
