Apple's Black Friday promo is here, but there are far better deals

Apple has unveiled its 2022 Black Friday deals, and as always they are paltry gift cards that only apply to subsequent purchases. Here's what's on offer, and where you can get actual and better discounts instead.

Following on from its new Holiday Gift Guide 2022, Apple has announced that its Black Friday sale runs November 25, 2022 to November 28. Almost all Apple devices are included in the offers, but not all — and nothing for the iPhone 14.

Significantly, where buying the Apple Watch SE during the period means getting a $50 Apple Gift Card, there is no such amount for the Apple Watch Ultra. Nor for the Apple Watch Series 8.

Similarly, there is no offer of a Gift Card with the purchase of an Apple TV 4K, iPad Pro, or Mac Studio. And only the second generation Apple Pencil gets a Gift Card included.

Apple's Black Friday offerings are:

• $50 Gift Card with Phone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 12, or iPhone SE
• Up to $75 Gift Card with AirPods Pro (2nd generation), AirPods (2nd generation), AirPods (3rd generation) with Lightning Charging Case, or AirPods Max.
• $50 with Apple Watch SE
• $50 with iPad Air, iPad, or iPad mini.
• Up to $250 Gift Card with MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, or iMac
• Up to $50 with Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro or iPad Air, Smart Keyboard Folio, Apple Pencil (2nd generation), or MagSafe Duo Charger
• Up to $50 with Studio3 Wireless, Solo3 Wireless, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Fit Pro, Beats Studio Buds, or Beats Flex

Better deals on Macs

Many MacBook Pro models are hundreds of dollars off.

Keep following Black Friday deals on AppleInsider as new offers are announced. But at time of writing, there are many, many options for Macs.

MacBook Air deals

• M1 MacBook Air (7-core GPU), 8GB, 256GB: $799.99 at Amazon
• M2 MacBook Air (8-core GPU), 8GB, 256GB: $1,049 ($150 off + $40 off AppleCare) with promo code APINSIDER at Adorama
• M2 MacBook Air (8-core GPU), 16GB, 256GB Midnight: $1,249 ($150 off) at B&H
• M2 MacBook Air (8-core GPU), 24GB, 1TB Midnight: $1,899 ($100 off + $40 off AppleCare) with code APINSIDER at Adorama
• M2 MacBook Air (10-core GPU), 16GB, 256GB Midnight: $1,399 ($100 off + $40 off AppleCare) with discount code APINSIDER at Adorama
• M2 MacBook Air (10-core GPU), 16GB, 512GB Space Gray or Midnight: $1,599 ($100 off + $40 off AppleCare) with promo code APINSIDER at Adorama

MacBook Pro

If you prefer the more robust MacBook Pro, 14-inch and 16-inch models are heavily discounted with the best MacBook Pro deals knocking up to $600 off the machines. Visit our 14-inch MacBook Pro Price Guide and 16-inch MacBook Pro Price Guide for the latest discounts and deals on over 150 configurations.

Best 14-inch MacBook Pro markdowns

• 14" MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 8C CPU, 14C GPU, 16GB, 512GB) Silver: $1,599.99 ($400 off)
• 14" MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 8C CPU, 14C GPU, 16GB, 1TB) Space Gray: $1,949 ($250 off + $70 off AppleCare)
• 14" MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 8C CPU, 14C GPU, 16GB, 2TB) Space Gray: $2,299 ($300 off + $70 off AppleCare)
• 14" MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 16GB, 1TB) Space Gray: $1,999.99 ($500 off)
• 14" MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 64GB, 2TB) Space Gray: $3,799 ($300 off + $70 off AppleCare)
• 14" MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 64GB, 4TB) Space Gray: $4,099 ($600 off)

Best 16-inch MacBook Pro deals

• 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 16GB, 512GB) Silver: $1,999 ($500 off)
• 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 16GB, 1TB): $1,999.99 ($500 off)
• 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 32GB, 512GB) Space Gray: $2,599 ($300 off)
• 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Pro 10C CPU, 16C GPU, 32GB, 2TB) Space Gray: $3,099 ($400 off)
• 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 24C GPU, 32GB, 512GB) Space Gray: $2,944 ($154 off)
• 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 24C GPU, 64GB, 1TB) Space Gray: $3,349 ($350 off)
• 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 24C GPU, 64GB, 2TB) Space Gray: $3,699 ($400 off + $80 off AppleCare)
• 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 32GB, 1TB) Space Gray: $3,299 ($200 off)
• 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 64GB, 1TB) Space Gray: $3,649 ($250 off + $70 off AppleCare)
• 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Max 10C CPU, 32C GPU, 64GB, 8TB): $5,499 ($600 off)

Best 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 sales

• 13" MacBook Pro (M2, 8GB, 256GB): $1,199 ($100 off) at B&H
• 13" MacBook Pro (M2, 8GB, 512GB) Space Gray: $1,349.99 ($150 off) at Amazon

Better deals on AirPods & Beats

Apple AirPods Pro 2 have dropped to a record low price at Amazon.

Whether they're for you or you're getting in Christmas gifts early, wireless headphones are amazing. It's just that they're even more amazing when you get a discount with them.

Top AirPods deals

• AirPods Pro (2nd Generation): $229.99 ($50 off) at Amazon

Beats

• Beats Studio Buds: $89.95 ($60 off) at Amazon
• Powerbeats Pro Wireless Earbuds: $149.95 ($100 off) at Amazon

Better deals on Apple Watch

Top Apple Watch savings

• Apple Watch Ultra (Orange Alpine Loop, Medium or Large Band): $739.99 ($60 off) at Amazon
• Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm, GPS, Aluminum Case, Sport Band) various colors: $349 ($50 off) at Amazon
• Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm, Cellular, Graphite Stainless, Milanese Loop): $699 ($50 off) at Amazon
• Apple Watch Series 8 (41mm, Cellular, Silver Stainless, Milanese Loop): $699 ($50 off) at Amazon

Better deals on iPad, iPad Pro, and accessories

Early Black Friday iPad sales

• iPad 9th Gen (64GB, Wi-Fi): $269 ($60 off) at Amazon
• 2022 11" iPad Pro (M2, 128GB, Wi-Fi) Silver: $749 ($50 off) at B&H
• 2022 11" iPad Pro (M2, 128GB, Wi-Fi): $759 ($40 off) at Amazon
• 2022 12.9" iPad Pro (M2, 256GB, Wi-Fi): $1,099 ($100 off) at B&H

iPad accessories

• Apple Smart Keyboard for 10.5" iPad Pro and iPad Air: $64.99 ($105 off) with promo code APINSIDER at Adorama

Better deals on iPhones

Wireless carriers are offering aggressive incentives on the iPhone 14 line.

Sometimes it's not just a case of whether you can get any money off an Apple device, it's whether you can get the device at all. That's at least likely to be the case with the new iPhone 14 range, as Apple is struggling to keep up with demand.

That's all the more reason, then, to leaving checking out the Apple Store to everyone else, while you investigate stocks from other resellers. And that would be stocks that include discounts.

Pre-Black Friday iPhone deals

• AT&T: Save up to $800* on the iPhone 14 with select trade-ins or get an iPhone 12 mini for $1*
• Verizon: Free with trade* iPhone 14 Pro offer, savings on iPhone 13 models
• Visible: Purchase an iPhone 14, Pro or Pro Max and receive up to a $250 prepaid gift card & Beats Studio Buds — but do check the terms and conditions on the Visible site first.
• Trade-in: Lock in the best price with your Apple trade-in

Shop around for the best bargains

Deals do move and change rapidly, perhaps especially around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But invariably, it's third-party companies that give actual discounts on Apple gear, rather than Gift Cards for future purchases.

If you know you're going to be buying from Apple again soon, its Gift Cards could work out, well, adequately. However, you can nearly always do better by shopping around, and keeping an eye on the AppleInsider deal guides.