Apple hands out MacBook Airs, iPads, Beats headphones in 2015 "Lucky Bag" promotion

Apple fans queued up to brave the cold outside Japan Apple Stores Thursday night to take advantage of the company's yearly Fukubukuro promotion, a take on the Japanese retail tradition of purchasing sealed grab bags sight-unseen. Apple's version has become famous for its huge discounts on top-tier hardware and accessories.

According to Kodawarisan, this year's four Fukubukuro configurations sold for 36,000 yen (about $300), with contents ranging in value from $640 to $1,280. Each bag came with one "big surprise," an Apple TV, a pair of Beats PowerBeats2 wireless in-ear headphones, a special New Year's edition Mophie powerstation and a 1,000 yen iTunes Card, all stuffed into an Incase ICON Slim Pack backpack.

For 2015, the most valuable bag included an 11-inch MacBook Air with 128GB SDD in addition to a limited edition Power Support Air Jacket and Twelve South's PlugBug World power adaptor. A second bag worth $1,070 traded the Mac out for a 16GB iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi, while a third configuration worth $814 swapped in a 16GB iPad mini 3 with Wi-Fi. A final "regular" bag included a 16GB iPod touch.

A separate report from Japanese language blog Mac Otakara noted Apple Stores participating in this year's Fukubukuro sale handed out approximately 300 bags per location, good for an estimated total of 2,500 units nationwide.

Alongside Fukubukuro festivities on Friday, Apple Stores in Japan started selling special "New Year" limited edition versions of the Mophie Powerstation battery pack, UE BOOM Bluetooth speaker and Incase 13-inch MacBook sleeve.