Apple's Black Friday plans

Apple's plans for Black Friday -- the crucial sales day following Thanksgiving -- should see some major deals available to the public, argues analyst Ben Reitzes of Barclays Capital. Reitzes notes that low-cost notebooks will have a significant presence on Black Friday, given plans for $299 PCs at Best Buy, Walmart and Dell.com. He further suggests that due to the looming threat of recession, people will want to trade down to cheaper computers.

Although Apple has not revealed any Black Friday plans, which are typically kept secret until they take effect, Reitzes argues that Apple will want to be "more aggressive" in order to have people buy in the context of a bad economy. This should include not just $100 discounts on Macs, but additional discounts on iPods, and possibly some for iPhones. As support for the last proposition, Reitzes cites hints that France's Orange will slash the 8GB iPhone down from €149 to €99 for the holidays, something which could be matched by America's AT&T if Apple cooperates.

"The company’s high margins could likely absorb a few days of discounts," he says.

by MacNN Staff