Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.
Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.
Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.
Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.
HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.
HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.
HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.
GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.
Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.
Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.
Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Kate said 7:06PM on 3-28-2008
I can see why they are doing it. But people are in control of they loudness of there music. Apple should have nothing to do with it. It is people's own stupidity to listen to music loudly and for long periods of time.
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hi said 5:40PM on 12-26-2007
hi
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Tiler Cassidy said 7:31PM on 12-26-2007
Hey, isn't this a freedom/privacy breach or something? If I want to destroy my hearing I should have every right to without Apple and other companies breathing down my neck about it.
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Niki said 11:27PM on 12-26-2007
That's ridiculous. I want to listen to my iPod as often as I want. There is an option to limit the volume so you don't listen to it too loud. That should be enough. It is not their responsibility to care for our hearing. Then again, they are probably trying to avoid frivilous law suits.
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tpthurlow said 8:06AM on 12-28-2007
yep, more wasteful ideas. nuthin like the small transistor radios we all walked round listening to thru an earpeice.or the boom boxes,or the concerts,or the car stereo blaring.i havent noticed an abundance of people wearing hearing aids.maybe the parents should again step in and supervise
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Anne said 3:39PM on 12-31-2007
I Don't like anyone policing how long and how loud I listen to my music. What if I have the device hooked up to some system to have music in my home for a gettogether? What'll be next? Censorship of the contents on your music devices?
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lady said 3:47PM on 12-31-2007
Why is it Apples job to tell me how long I can listen to my music and at what level? If this happens... I will never buy another apple product. I think people and corporations have gone too far and put their noses into the consumer’s business way too often. People have a right to choose if they want to hear later in life or not… put a warning label on it and butt out!
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rukiddingme said 3:48PM on 12-31-2007
Why am I not surprised? Well for those of you outraged by this, you can thank the simple minded slugs that purchase these type of devices, then want to sue the manufacturer for their hearing loss because they don't have sufficient brain cells or common sense to realize when enough is enough. Grow up people and start taking responsibility for your own stupidity!!!
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fuelfromwater said 4:53PM on 12-31-2007
How is this going to make a differece when I "dock my I-pod to my 1000 watt home stereo system..Crank It UP!!!
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denise said 4:52PM on 12-31-2007
the ipod is a pain in the arse, i have one thats 2 years old, the battery lasts about a year and of course you cant fix it yourself you have to send it to apple, another thing that i did was i had got a new computer i did the stupid thing of not saving my ipod library to a disc, really dumb thing i had about 200$ in music and videos on my ipod when i got the new computer i plugged my ipod in to charge it and wiped my whole library out there was nothing on it zip ziltch, and apple doesnt replace what you bought so i lost my purchased music as well as my music from cd's. apple was sympathetic but their policy is not to replace songs, i was chided by the apple person i talked to on the importance of backing your library up. and as i said the battery replacement isnt free i forget what it costs but its not cheap. so you pay 3-400$ and the 1$ per song and the additional extended warranty which believe me is a must ipods are like a tiny computer and you wouldnt run with your laptop in your hand because we all know what happens when you drop a laptop on a hard surface............well thats what can happen to your ipod. i bought an inexpensive sansa mp3 player and i love it if it breaks im out a hell of a lot less than what my ipod has cost me.
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Kate said 8:41PM on 12-31-2007
If you do not want your ipod to do this, then DON'T BUY THAT VERSION. Didn't you think of that?
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Tessa said 5:08PM on 12-31-2007
this is GAYYYY i lov my ipod up high and am aware of the consequenses of it.
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Laurie in Ojai said 5:10PM on 12-31-2007
I'm surprised that many of YOU are surprised about this breach of our personal freedom. I believe that iPod may rethink this once they see their sales fall off. Think about all the ways that our birth rights are being chipped away, how we are losing our privacy; big government using 9-11 as the excuse to pass laws in the dead of night that slowly strip us of our rights as human beings. You guys are all CORRECT. If you want to go deaf by enjoying your music at high levels, knock yourself out. You know the risk, and it is, after all - YOUR body. Just like the whole ridiculous way that the Government is trying to control our diet--you cannot legislate nutrition. We are forced to wear helmets while riding a motorcycle, the Government actively pursues the goal of striping Americans of the right to bear arms, infringes on freedom of speech, imposes "Luxury tax" on those Americans who work a lifetime to own and retire on a yacht (my own parents-forty years of work), attempting now to impose a HUGE tax on cigarettes in another attempt to legislate ones right to use tobacco. If we had all day, we could go on and on and on. Of particular concern to me is that younger people are less sensitive to this loss of freedom because they never really knew a world without so many mandates on their personal freedoms. This makes it easier for the Government to slowly chip away at your personal rights--and make no mistake, at the root of 100% of crap like this thing with iPod; it is about one of two things, Politics or Money. So, for those of you reading this who are young people, it is your responsibility to acquaint yourselves with just how intrusive Government controls have become, and to fight for your right to live your lives in whatever way brings you peace. As long as you are not harming another human being, and assume personal responsibility for your own choices-then GO FOR IT. Responsibility also covers your obligation to educate yourselves and then have your voices heard by VOTING. When you see a wrong, right it. You guys are the Leaders of tomorrow and I am trusting you to do it right. And by the way, at 48, I reserve the right to crank my iPod up as loud as I want, the only time I can enjoy Metallica, ACDC or Korn at ear splitting decibels. If I go deaf, so be it. At least I use American Sign Language so that is not one of my concerns. Loss of my God given rights as a human being is a HUGE concern. So party hard, but study harder. Change begins with you. Be pissed about being told how loud to listen to music, what to eat, where to go and when, photographed at intersections, watched on cameras in dressing rooms, being strip searched at the airport, facing arrest for using objectional language about Bush, facing the possibility of having your personal computer searched if you go to "suspect sites" on the net, the possibility of being arrested and held indefinitely with no charges leveled for being termed a "threat to national security." Once that happens forget ever receiving a private letter, phone call, or even having company over for a beer in your back yard. Ever heard of Google Earth? Of course you have. Believe it when I say, THEY are watching. It is a sick sad reality, and one that must be ignored to live a sane life day to day. Ignore it but be aware. ::snicker:: Don't forget the old saying, "Just because your paranoid, doesnt mean they arent watching." Make it a New Years Resolution to find out all you can about your personal rights and how they are being affected by legislative sessions that never reach the news. Be aware and always care. Have a Happy New Year all!!
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chelsea said 5:52PM on 12-31-2007
I think this is a good idea since some jerks are dumb and dont know when too loud is to loud.
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Les said 5:11PM on 1-02-2008
About losing our rights, you have to wear a motorcycle helmet because your insurance stops at 1 million dollars, who pays then? I do. Second how many lawsuits is apple going to see in 5-10 years? Way too many to count by people seeking a easy way to become millinaires and join those who have the luxury tax.
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FSW said 6:46PM on 12-31-2007
No, you don't have any ""Right"" to that - especially not if My money, and other people's, is going toward your Medecaid disability payments for that hearing loss.
And also not if you can't hear other traffic, ME included, and emergency vehicles around you as you drive.
F.S.Wood
Tiler Cassidy says:
Hey, isn't this a freedom/privacy breach or something? If I want to destroy my hearing I should have every right to without Apple and other companies breathing down my neck about it.
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Tom said 7:39PM on 12-31-2007
Isn't it great to see our high paid goverment stooges at work saving our ears while letting your sons die over their inability to control their washington sized egos. Such idiots.
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n2o5pto said 10:26AM on 1-01-2008
What? I can't hear you!!! Buyer beware. C'mon, people use some common sense!!!
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Rollando said 7:42PM on 12-31-2007
So now Apple is gonna be "Big Brother" over us? Who are they to say or tell us how to lead our lives. Unless they already have negative proof that their product does damages people's hearing over time. They seem to be just covering their caboose. THey are more thinking about themselves and future lawsuit on their products. I do not think they really care that much for the consumers' health.
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pianostar912 said 7:50PM on 12-31-2007
Although it might seem as though Apple has no right to breach our rights, I thnk that Apple is trying not only to take responsibility for what the ipod can do to our ears but also trying to protect future generations from wearing hearing aids at a very young age.
I'm only 16 but I really do think that this generation is acting without thought of the consequences that might appear later on...just read the comments...
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