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After weeks of early access sales and discounts, Black Friday is officially here and retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart are discounting big-ticket tech items, and with its hardware being some of the most desirable on the market. Apple, a company almost synonmous with the tech industry also has Black Friday plans. Starting today, November 24th, Apple is offering customers an Apple Gift Card worth up to $200 for purchasing a full-price item from the Apple Store.

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While a gift card is, yes, applicable to a future purchase, we think this is far from a good 'deal' if you want to benefit from immediate savings on a device like an Apple Watch or new iPhone. If you're buying a new iPad, however, the gift card could be applicable toward new accessories - but of course, those are also seeing sales at major retailers as well.

In fact, iPads are also seeing great deals at other vendors as well, which would result in an all-around more budget-friendly purchase than Apple's gift card offering. Below are some of the top deals we've found on iPads, Apple Watches, and accessories.

Apple iPad 9th Gen (2021)

$249 $329 Save $80

Still featuring Apple's iconic home button, the 2021 10.2-inch 9th-generation iPad features Apple's bright True-Tone display, lightning port connection, and first-gen Apple Pencil compatibility. Ahead of Black Friday, it's on sale at Amazon for only $250.

$249 at Amazon $270 at Best Buy $250 at Best Buy 256GB with Wi-Fi for $399 at Amazon

Apple iPad Air (2022)

$500 $599 Save $99

Winning one of Pocket-Lint's Editor's choice badges, the 5th generation iPad Air delivers fast performance thanks to the M1 processor, 2nd generation Apple Pencil support, a sleek design, and an improved selfie camera. This amazing tablet is on sale for $100 off at Amazon and Best Buy for Black Friday.

$500 at Amazon $500 at Best Buy

Apple Pencil (2nd Generation)

$89 $129 Save $40

The 2nd-Generation Apple Pencil, which is compatible with most new iPad generations, is a powerful stylus that magenetically charges and connects to your tablet. It has a traditional pen-like feel and is great for note-taking or graphic design.

$89 at Amazon $89 at Walmart

Apple Watch Series 9

$324 $399 Save $75

The latest smartwatch in Apple's lineup is already seeing Black Friday discounts. It features a faster chip, capable tracking, and long-lasting battery.

$324 at Amazon $349 at Best Buy

Another drawback is that the offer is limited to only a few select devices. For example, Apple says it will offer a $75 gift card to anyone who buys an iPhone before the latest iPhone 15 range. Meanwhile, we've already seen the iPhone 15 series discounted at AT&T, Verizon, and Best Buy when you trade in a current device - which also reduces e-waste. Below are the best offers we've found on iPhones so far.

Apple iPhone 15 Series

Apple's latest lineup, including the standard iPhone 15, its larger sibling- the iPhone 15 Plus - the Action Button equipped iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are all on sale with great trade-in offers right now.

Best Buy AT&T trade in offer Best Buy Verizon trade-in offer See at Verizon See at AT&T

Apple iPhone 14

$680 $730 Save $50

2022's flagship model, which debuted the Dynamic Island, is currently on sale for $50 - and while that is less than Apple's $75 gift card offering, you won't pay full price or have to spend money on another product just to cash in on your savings.

$680 at Best Buy

When it comes to Mac, Apple says it will only offer a $200 gift card on two of its most popular devices, MacBook Air and Mac mini, which we've also already seen discounts for in addition to a major price drop on the still capable M2 Mac mini. Below are some of the best Mac deals we've seen so far.

Apple Mac mini (M2, 2023)

$499 $599 Save $100

Apple's tiny but mighty desktop powerhouse which supports a more affordable entry point to a desktop computer - and is now even more budget-friendly at $499 for Black Friday.

$499 at Amazon

Apple MacBook Air (15-inch, 2023)

$1049 $1299 Save $250

Making its debut earlier this year, the 15-inch MacBook Air is one of the best laptops we've reviewed. With a premium build quality, stunning design, and great battery life, this is a wonderful everyday computer worth the investment.

$1049 at Amazon $1049 at Best Buy

In short, don't rely on Apple itself to remove its stepp prices, but look to other vendors to sell the hardware without making you pay to earn a discount.

To see more top deals on Apple devices from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and more, check out our guides on the best Black Friday Apple deals, best Black Friday iPad deals, best Black Friday phone deals, and best Black Friday Apple Watch deals.

Do the 2nd-Gen AirPods Pro 2 sound different?

Following Apple's move towards USB-C rather than lightning ports, the newest AirPods Pro 2 dawn the universal charging port rather than Apple's signature lightning slot. However, if you already own the first iteration of the AirPods Pro 2, there isn't much difference when it comes to sound as both support quality ANC, transparency mode, and Spatial Audio.

What's the newest iPhone?

Making its debut earlier this fall during Apple's 'Wonderlust' event, the iPhone 15 Series is the newest in Apple's handset lineup. This includes the standard iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

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Don't fall for Apple's Black Friday 'deals': Get your Apple discounts elsewhere