Apple teases Black Friday promotions, but there are much better deals

It's always the same, and occasionally useful. For this year's Black Friday, Apple is once more offering very little savings on your purchase versus what it tells vendors to sell for elsewhere.

Instead, when someone buys a full-price Apple device, they get an Apple Gift Card toward the cost of their next purchase from them. If they know you're going to buy a second item, if they know the value of the gift card, then they could make a saving.

Only, Apple also always carefully selects which items it will offer a gift card with — and this year there are some disappointing omissions.

Most significantly, while Apple says it will offer up to a $75 Apple Gift Card when you buy an iPhone, that does not include the current iPhone 15 range. It is solely for the iPhone 14,iPhone 13, or iPhone SE.

With the Mac, the only eligible devices are the MacBook Air or the Mac mini. These are two of the company's most popular devices, though, and Apple will include a gift card of up to $200.

You can bet that you won't get that $200 card off the M2 Mac mini, which is already on sale just about everywhere for $499.

Compare that, though, to third-party dealer Adorama's deal of a triple-digit discount on every new M3 MacBook Pro.

Get all of the details of how to get from $150 to $250 off the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max models — plus $50 to $80 off AppleCare — in the AppleInsider deal guide.

The iPad range fares better in Apple's offering, with up to a $100 gift card for the iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini or 10th-generation iPad. But there's nothing for the better value 9th-generation iPad.

Similarly, the Apple Watch Series 9 or Apple Watch SE will include a $50 gift card — and solely for these devices, there's no mention of "up to" $50. Unfortunately, though, there's also no mention of the Apple Watch Ultra.

Apple's accessories

There is again "up to" a $75 gift card included if you buy AirPods. However, until Apple reveals final details on November 24, 2023, it's best to assume that the $75 card comes with the purchase of a $549 pair of AirPods Max, not the $129 AirPods (2nd generation).

Similarly, there's a gift card valued at up to $50 included in sales of the Apple TV 4K or HomePod. There doesn't appear to be any Black Friday incentive with the HomePod mini.

Then there's up to the same $50 for selected Beats earbuds, and for the second generation Apple Pencil. Also for the Magic Keyboard, Magic Keyboard Folio, or Smart Keyboard Folio.

Apple is currently showing only what it calls a sneak peek at its Black Friday offerings. It's unlikely that it will add or remove any devices from this list when the promotion actually begins on November 24.

However, it won't be until then that buyers can find out for certain exactly what value gift card comes with their choice of device.

That is also true of most other Black Friday deals, which will be being announced from now and probably also selling out quickly. To keep an eye on what's available, keep checking AppleInsider's live Black Friday deals.