Is Apple's Black Friday offer actually worth waiting for?

Apple doesn't do Black Friday like most of its competitors – it's got its own Apple way through the sales period. That basically means that it prefers to avoid the impression that it's slashing the price of its products since that might imply a devaluation of its superb hardware.

Rather, it tends to put on a sale where you get a bonus Apple gift card loaded with some credit to spend in-store if you buy certain devices during the event. This year is no different, and Apple just unveiled the list of rewards it'll give against certain products while the sale runs from 29 November (Black Friday itself) until 2 December.

I'll lay out that list shortly, and there are definitely some enticing inclusions, although most of its most recent launches, like M4 MacBook Pros or the new iPad Mini, aren't included. However, it's worth being a little mathematical about what's on offer this year, since you might find that other retailers have offers that can compete.

Apple's full list of gift card bonuses can be found in its terms and conditions, but some of the highlights are below:

• iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus – £60 Apple Gift Card
• iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) or iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) – £80 Apple Gift Card
• iPad Air 13-inch (M2) or iPad Air 11-inch (M2) – £60 Apple Gift Card
• AirPods Max – £60 Apple Gift Card
• AirPods 4 with ANC or AirPods 4 – £20 Apple Gift Card
• MacBook Air 15-inch (M3 chip) – £160 Apple Gift Card
• MacBook Air 13-inch (M3 chip) – £140 Apple Gift Card
• MacBook Air 13-inch (M2 chip) – £120 Apple Gift Card

Some of those look pretty great, and if you were about to pull the trigger on some AirPods 4 or an older iPhone, it might be free bonus credit in your pocket. However, if we zoom in on those MacBook Airs as our main example (since their gift card totals look great), you'll see there's more to it.

Take a MacBook Air 13” (M2 chip), for example. At Apple, you can currently pick this up from £999, with a £120 gift card during the sale to sweeten the deal. Head to Amazon, though, and you can grab one right now for just £749, which is £250 off as cash that you can spend on whatever you like, not just with Apple.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M2 chip): was £999 now £749 at Amazon

This deal gets you a seriously excellent all-purpose laptop with a powerful chip, ideal for work, study or play. At this price, it's a no-brainer, honestly.

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If we move on to the newer MacBook Air 13-inch (M3 chip), you'd be spending £1,099 at Apple to buy it, with a £140 Apple Gift Card during the sale event. Again, though, heading to Amazon reveals the same laptop for £919, saving you £180 in money that you can use as you like.

Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (M3 chip): was £1,099 now £919 at Amazon

Again, Amazon comes up trumps with this excellent price on a laptop that should last you for years and years. In fact, we'd go so far as to call this MacBook Air the best laptop for almost anyone.

View Deal

So, this is all to say that Apple's sale event might well hold a great deal for you – and the arithmetic could work if you're planning to pick up a bunch of accessories, want a student discount or for a variety of other reasons. Just be sure you actually do that arithmetic; check other retailers, and look around to make sure you're not just being won over by an admittedly very nicely marketed offer that actually doesn't beat another elsewhere.